The /tg/ Heresy

One fine evening on /tg/, a bunch of creatively-minded anons got together to come up with their very own Primarch and Astartes Legion. This proved very popular, and it wasn't long before /tg/ decided to take everyone's fluff, put it together into their own self-contained alternate universe, and tell the age-old story of the Horus Heresy.

Hence, The /tg/ Heresy.

The GoogleDoc for this can be found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TAl_Rh3q0UR3cqX6Pbn-4TnB87BS-GrFrax-ErtOL2E/edit Sup/tg/ links can be found within the Googledoc.

Okay guys, be excellent to one another and don’t fuck this up

Legion Overview

The Thirty Astartes Legions of the Great Crusade
Number	Name	Primarch	Homeworld	Loyalty
I	Knights of Justice	Bohemond	Hydegate	Loyal
II	War Scribes	Arelex Orannis	Whitestone (Destroyed), now Fleet-based.	Loyal
III	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-
IV	Sons of Fire	Inferox "The Burned King"	Crematoria	Traitor
V	Void Angels	Gaspard Lumey	Ciban	Loyal
VI	The Entombed	Golgothos	Sepulchra	Loyal
VII	Scions of Europa	Kleisthenes	Europa, Segmentum Obscurus	Loyal
VIII	Children of Armok	Uriel Starikov	Perfidiae V	Traitor
IX	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-
X	The Crusaders	Thomas Gaudin	homeworld	Loyal
XI	Wolves of Dawn/Heralds of Hektor	Hektor Cincinnatus	Olmer (destroyed), now based from their fleet within the Eye of Terror	Traitor
XII	Life Bringers	Johannes Vrach	Rai (destroyed), now Eden (Demon World in the Eye of Terror)	Traitor
XIII	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-
XIV	Black Augurs	The Voidwatcher	Ostium	Traitor
XV	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-
XVI	Eternal Zealots	Aubrey The Grey	homeworld	Traitor
XVII	Gorgers	Nathanog	Thorond-ul	Traitor
XVIII	Sand Keepers	Darius Cyaxares	Simurgh	Loyal
XIX	Eyes of the Emperor	Octullus Tyran	Illobian	Loyal
XX	Iron Rangers	Merrill	Profi Tiroedd	Traitor
XXI	Council of Iron	Thoren Grimm	Titan	Traitor
XXII	Thunder Kings	Brennus	Alessia (destroyed), now multiple worlds	Loyal
XXIII	Silver Cataphracts	Alexandri	Rosskar	Loyal
XXIV	Mastodontii	Tollund Ötztal	Tisenjoch	Traitor
XXV	Scale Bearers	Tiran Osoros	Jer Asyk	Loyal
XXVI	Steel Marshals	Roman Albrecht	Centauri Primus	Loyal
XXVII	Stone Men	Onyx the Indestructible	Neolithus(destroyed)	Loyal
XXVIII	the Bulwark	Sebastian Rex	Arelon	Traitor
XXIX	Horns of Ruin	Kranios the Destroyer	Satares	Traitor
XXX	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-

Work In Progress

ALSO THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH SNAKES

Contender Legions
Number	Name	Primarch	Homeworld	Loyalty
N/A	Barrow Lords	Sargon Ereskigal	Fleet Based	Loyal
N/A	Storm Angels	Brissaud Waegn	Nova Amstellus	tbd
N/A	Snake Serpents	Pythonus Rex	Ophidia	tbd
N/A	Lions Rampant	Cromwald Walgrun	Sommesgard	Traitor

Timeline

798.M30 to 007.M31: The Great Crusade

Discovery Order of the Primarchs

1) Hektor Cincinnatus

2) Arelex

3) Thomas Gaudin

4) Kranios the Destroyer

5) Uriel Starikov

6) Darius Cyaxares

7) Thoren Grimm

8) Bohemond

9)

10) Kleisthenes

11) The Voidwatcher

12) Alexandri

13) Gaspard Lumey

14) Johannes Vrach

15) Tollund Ötztal

16) Tiran Osoros

17) Inferox the Burned King

18) Rogerius Merrill

19) Nathanog

20)

21) Ocullus Tyran

22) Brennus

23) Golgothos

24) Aubrey The Grey

25) Onyx the Indestructible

998.M30: Core Worlds campaign

The largest human realm outside of the growing Imperium was based in mineral rich, high-gravity worlds close to the Galactic core. A great chain of highly-developed worlds, with large populations, advanced technology and powerful armies, all held together in a loose confederation. To secure this prize, the Emperor dispatched the Children of Armok and Void Angels.

The Primarchs approached the Core Lords as friends, offering them a place in the Emperor's universal kingdom. However, they were quickly bogged down in demands for special privileges, each Core Lord attempting to secure a better place for himself and all asking for far too much. Uriel Starikov sought to mollify and reason with them with little success. As negotiations broke down Gaspard Lumey recounted the arrogance of these petty lordlings and promised a fitting punishment.

Despite their grandeur and wealth, the Core Worlds fell to the Children of Armok and the Void Angels in a shockingly brief campaign. The strongest, proudest worlds were assaulted and razed, while those led by moderates capitulated, forgoing any hope of special treatment. Counseled by Starikov to show some lenience, Lumey limited his vengeance on the surrendering worlds to the execution of their leadership and a heavy tithe.

003.M31: Council at Nikaea

THE COUNCIL OF NIKAEA ALLEGIANCES INDEX

---

Pro-Psyker Party:

---

Alexandri, Primarch of the Silver Cataphracts.

Aubrey The Grey, Primarch of the Eternal Zealots.

Bohemond, Primarch of the Knights of Justice.

Darius Cyaxares, Primarch of the Sand Keepers.

Rook North, Primarch of the Nova Defenders

Tollund, Primarch of the Mastodontii.

Tiran, Primarch of the Scale Bearers.

Voidwatcher, Primarch of the Black Augurs.

On The Fence Party:

---

Brennus, Primarch of the Thunder Kings.

Hektor Cincinnatus, Primarch of the Wolves of Dawn.

Merrill, Primarch of the Iron Rangers.

Inferox the Burned King, Primarch of The Sons of Fire.

Kleisthenes, Primarch of the Scions of Europa.

Kranios, Primarch of the Horns of Ruin.

Octullus Tyran, Primarch of The Eyes of the Emperor.

Uriel Starikov, Primarch of the Children of Armok.

Anti-Psyker Party:

---

Arelex Orannis, Primarch of the War Scribes.

Golgothos, Primarch of The Entombed

Gaspard Lumey, Primarch of The Void Angels.

Nathanog, Primarch of the Gorgers.

Sebastian Rex, Primarch of The Bulwark.

Johannes Vrach, Primarch of the Life Bringers

004.M31: Exile of the Fifth Legion

In the bitter atmosphere following the Council of Nikaea, Gaspard Lumey and his Fifth Legion are censured for "use of regrettable methods" and exiled to the Galactic Fringe.

The First Betrayal

Once the truth was revealed, it was only a matter of time before the Emperor would be moved to censure the Eternal Zealots. The links of cause and effect are poorly recorded, but it seems that the Emperor waited for some time after the initial reports of Xenos Traffiking and support reached his court. That He sent missions to assay many more worlds conquered by the Zealots is known. We can only speculate as to why: perhaps He did not want to believe it of His son, perhaps He wanted to be sure, perhaps He was simply gathering information before acting.

Istvaan III:

Events are being told for those unfamiliar with the battle. Pic semi-related.

Hektor responded to a distress signal from the already captured world of Istvaan III. He returns, stating that the price of falling from the path of enlightenment must be a public display of humiliation, electing to wipe out the local government by way of deploying 5 legions to the planet. Those elected were the Silver Spears, the Mastodontii, the Council of Iron, the Sons of Fire, the Eternal Zealots,The Eyes of the Emperor and the Wolves of Dawn. The fighting seemed unusually harsh, however the plan seemed solid, and was playing out very much as was thought. However, the handpicked ground troops got word that there was another plan in motion. Hektor had planned to have all loyalist troops on the ground, and condemn the planet to Exterminatus via Lifeeater Virus. They managed to seek cover, forcing Hektor to ground troops once the planet was clear, stretching the battle to over a month. The purpose of the plan was twofold: to cull the members still loyal to the Emperor, while simultaneously forcing those Legions to commit. Any objections/additions/alterations?

Istvaan V

The Dropsite Massacre

Once news of Hektor’s gross treachery reached Terra, by the express command of both the Emperor (who was busy with problems beneath the Imperial Palace) and Malcador as Regent vested command in Gaudin, Primarch of The Crusaders and now Emperor’s Praetorian. He wasted no time and immediately transmitted the order for 12 Legions, just over a full third of the Legiones Astartes - the Knights of Justice, the Entombed, the War Scribes, the Stone Men, the Eternal Zealots, the Horns of Ruin, the Gorgers, the Mastadontii, the Scale Bearers, The Iron Rangers, Eyes of the Emperor and the Black Augurs - to travel to the Isstvan system and destroy the traitor forces. They would attack in two waves and fall under the supreme command of the Knights of Justice Primarch Bohemond, who had already proven his loyalty when under his father’s command he had censured his wayward brother Aubrey the Grey a decade earlier.

After the conclusion of the Istvaan III campaign, Hektor moved his forces to Istvaan V, taking up position in the defensive work made by the Life Bringers and Heralds of Hektor. The Warmaster’s forces at this time included the majority of his own Heralds of Hektor legion sans a few detachments sent to seize vital objectives, as well as those of the Life Bringers, Sons of Fire and [Slaanesh] legions. Alongside these Astartes units he also commanded millions of traitor Imperial Army forces and a large detachment of Titans of Legios Aperferrum and Mortis.

Through a masterful application of Astropathic co-ordination and favourable transit, the avenging forces of the Emperor made swift speed to their target, with the forerunners being the fleets of the Knights of Justice, the Entombed, the War Scribes and the Stone Men along with their attendant auxiliary forces, with the other Legions following close behind, though Warp vagaries meant the Scale Bearers would be delayed by several hours. In retrospect, these seemingly co-incidental facts -- the thwarting of the Scale Bearers fleet, the ease of passage for the others, which Legions should approach the Istvaan System first and in what order -- all took on a malign and sinister predestination in light of what is now known of the dark powers that were even then guiding Hektor’s hand.

As the Loyalists closed on the Istvaan System, information relayed by Astropathic transmissions from the Warp Runners secretly dispatched by the Children of Armok to reconnoitre the system in advance of the loyalist assault. The information was duly analysed by the convening four loyal Primarchs. Given the scale of the activity on Istvaan V which could not be concealed from the hidden eyes of the Children of Armok, it was clear that the enemy was rearing up a mighty fortress there, no doubt intended to be the headquarters of the Warmaster's rebellion and its principal mustering ground. The absence of the Traitors' fleet was of more concern, but one explained by a need for the traitors to secure resources and supply from distant systems in preparation for the conflict to come.

At the conclave, the decision was made to strike now, before the enemy fleets returned, and crush the rebellion outright with a single concerted attack. Hektor’s dispositions were only half-done, his defences incomplete. The enemy was vulnerable and the battle would be bloody but short and ultimately victorious, or so the Loyalists thought.

The battle opened with a thunderous bombardment as for a quarter of an hour, the forces of the Emperor that had just moved into orbit over Istvaan V pounded the Urgall Plateau, a firestorm of unimaginable ferocity hammering the surface of Istvaan V with everything short of an exterminates strike. Lance Strikes and Cluster Warheads vented their fury against the Void Shields that shielded the Warmaster’s fortress. The Fortress survived the bombardment largely intact, though many sub-fortresses marked for death by the watching eyes of the Children of Armok were overwhelmed and reduced to rubble and mobile anti-starship defence launchers were destroyed with swift fury. Eventually, the horrific bombardment ceased and the drifting echoes of its power faded, along with the acrid smoke of explosions, but the Heralds and Life Bearers had worked a miracle in creating a network of defences from which to face their former brothers, and the forces of the Warmaster had been well-protected. Minutes later the skies darkened again, but this time the darkness was thousands upon thousands of Drop Pods, Stormbirds, Thunderhawks and other drop craft streaking through the atmosphere towards the planet’s surface as the initial Loyalist assault came down like a rain of steel. Hundreds of loyalist drop craft were destroyed by the surviving anti-air weapons of the traitors, but thousands more landed successfully and disgorged their cargo into the heart of the foe.

The traitors were ready for them, even as the loyalist forces began to land the traitors were upon them, and hundreds died in the opening minutes of the battle, smashed apart by point blank bolter fire, or hacked by combat knives and chainswords in a battle as savage and pitiless as any of the Great Crusade. The shock of the initial assault counted for little, and the battle swiftly descended into chaos as the loyalist forces carved out a foothold.

The Vanguard Assault held the traitors back, and allowed the loyalists to begin unloading more heavy equipment, including the bulk of their Legions, their armour and heavy artillery. Soon loyalist gubs began to pound the great fortress, being answered by the fire of the traitor’s own heavy artillery as the loyalist lines pushed forward to relieve the battered vanguard and carry the fight to the traitors.

Within an hour, the plateau was running red with blood. Treacherous warriors twisted by hatred fought their former brothers-in-arms in a conflict unparalleled in its bitterness. The mighty Titan war engines of the Machine God walked the planet’s surface and death followed in their wake. All across the Urgall Depression, thousands were dying every minute, the slaughter terrible to behold as enough martial power to conquer an entire sector was unleashed in a line less than twenty kilometres wide.

As the slaughter at the fortress-line continued unabated, at the rearmost part of the Urgall Depression a vast crimson bulk slowly descended upon columns of fire as anti-aircraft fire stitched blackened scorches across its armoured flanks. It was a mighty Titanicus Ark, carrying a full battle-maniple of the Legio Tonat, the Roaring Thunder Titan Legion along with Knights of the houses Accolon and Krast, and their arrival had been warranted by the heart bloom-signatures of others of their kind advancing through the billowing dust storm from the desert plains. The Legios Mortis and Aperferrum was on the march also, at their feet scores of Predator tanks and Outrider and Jetbike squadrons drawn from the Heralds of Hektor and [Slaanesh] Legions followed.

The auguries showed the Legio Tonat Engines was outnumbered and outclassed in every respect, but for the Legio Tonat, the chance to attack their erstwhile brethren of the was not merely the desire of those who had stayed loyal to punish the Traitor, but a sign of their utmost dedication to the Emperor whom they saw as the Omnissiah they worshipped. So the Titans of the Legio Tonat sounded their great thunderous warhorns and charged into battle against their foe, and in doing so became the first Loyalist Titan Legion to fire their guns in the Hektor Heresy. The battle that followed was brief but brutal. At the cost of their own complete destruction, Roaring Thunder effectively neutralised the secondary Legio Mortis contingent. The delayed and badly mauled Traitor Legion flanking force was then systematically destroyed by the Stone Men second wave forces and the Knights of Krast, while the Knights of Accolon sped forth to support the main drive on the Warmaster’s great fortress.

Seeing their weakness as enemy reinforcements joined the advance, the traitor primarchs counterattacked. On the left flank the Sons of Fire, who had been steadily shielding their retreat with a curtain of fire now advanced though it and began to bombard the loyalists with the dreaded Phosphex, described as ‘without a doubt singularly the most deplorable man-manufactured weapon that humanity has ever, to its shame, unleashed upon a living world’. Hundreds of the Stone Men and Knights of Justice were consumed by the weapon nicknamed the 'living fire', 'crawling death' and 'ice-fire', and the advance was halted. In the centre the Warmaster’s own bodyguard, the Heliotaroi speearheaded a series of shock counterassaults, though Hektor Himself was nowhere to be seen, while on the right the Life Bringers unleashed their own weapons, clouds of toxic fog that would dissolve flesh through the slightest breach in power armour, condemning many of the Entombed to a horrific death.

The Loyalist forces launched desperate counterattacks. Gunships, no longer required to carry shipments of marines and war machines to the surface, now launched suicidal attacks to provide the loyalists with air support, though many paid the price for this and were shot out of the sky. Imperial Army Heavy Tanks and Artillery now joined the fray, adding their weight of fire to the scene. The Traitor Titans were driven off by the storm of shot and shell, and the battle lines shifted constantly, with neither side quite sure who was winning or losing. Supplies began to run low, and both sides fought over the armaments of the dead and dying in order to sustain the fight, or fought each other with broken chainblades, bolters cracked from the strain of firing and now fit only as mere clubs and sometimes even bare gauntlets.

By the third hour of the battle, weariness and atrition had all but forced both sides apart. By best estimate the casualties on both sides were at 40% or more, and the loyalist artillery train was now subjecting the Warmaster’s fortress to a grim and steady bombardment. The weakened loyalist forces needed to rest, re-arm and recover under the shield of their heavy guns or all their gains would be for naught. The enemy Fotress-line still held, the fortress guns still fired and the enemy was still far from defeated.

And then came the second wave…

For the third time the sky was darkened as hundreds of orbital landers and drop pods crashed to earth. The armada bore the sigils of the Eternal Zealots, the Horns of Ruin, the Gorgers, the Mastadontii, the Eyes of the Emperor and the Black Augurs. The power of these six legions, who had already enscribed their mighty deeds into the stars themselves, would prove the doom of one faction and the salvation of the other, and the bitter cruelty of that truth would in mere minutes be proven. With exceptional speed, the newly landed Legions set up their own drop zones south of the initial dropsite. Hundreds of fur and ivory adorned tanks of the Mastadontii formed up into great armoured ecthelons ready to advance, while the Eternal Zealots deployed just behind the landing zone of the Knights of Justice. A small detachment of Black Augurs led by their first captain, the Primarch being busy elsewhere took up position in the dead centre of the newly arrived forces lines, while the Gorgers formed up, eager to be on the hunt.

Since that dark day, there have been claim and counter-claim about which traitor struck first, which Legion first showed their true colours. Some claim it was the Gorgers, others the Eternal Zealots, but all concur about the end result. One and all, the newly arrived legions swore their alliegence to the Warmaster and cas down their oaths to the Emperor and Terra, declaring their treachery with the voice of the barrels of a thousand guns. as the second wave of Astartes revealed where their true loyalties now lay. The carnage was total, as hundreds of the surviving War Scribes, Stone Men and Iron Knights were cut down in the fury of the first few moments, hundreds more in the seconds following, and then thousands more in the minutes afterwards as volley after volley of Bolter fire and missiles scythed through their unsuspecting ranks. Even as terrifying carnage was being wreaked upon the Loyalists below, the retreating forces of the Warmaster turned and brought their weapons to bear on the enemy warriors within their midst.

It was now that the Life Bringers unleashed their secret weapon upon the Entombed. A modified strain of the Cullgene Gas, custom wrought to the Entombed’s gene-seed. It seeped through the rebreather systems of the surprised Entombed, swiftly killing eight entire companies, without offering a single target to return fire upon as the Entombed fled from the carnage unleashed upon them by their supposed allies.

A hail of fire from advancing armoured squadrons of the Eternal Zealots decimated the drop ships of the Knights of Justice, as the Zealots took their revenge for the humiliating censure they had suffered at the Knight’s hands years previously. With their Primarch, Aubrey the Grey, the chosen of the Gods at their head, they crashed through the burning dropships and overran the Knights of Justice Dropzone like a tidal wave.

Amidst the carnage and the slaughter, the anger of a demigod was released -- beyond anger, beyond rage. It went beyond both, for it was wrath, in physical form, as Bohemond carved his way through the Zealots, desperate to confront and slay his brother, Aubrey. The two met, but it was Aubrey who was sucessful, decapitating Bohemond with a single blow.

Lesser troops would have given up and accepted their fate in the face of such overwhelming opposition, but the warriors of the War Scribes, Stone Men, Entombed and Knights of Justice were Astartes. So they fought like never before, knowing their doom was at hand, and desiring to make the Traitors pay in blood for every one of their number that fell. It was the Stone Men who took the brunt, as Onyx the Indestructible ordered his brothers to flee, while he and his sons would stand, fight and die to hold the enemy off for as long as possible.

Caught between two armies, the first wave of the Loyalist forces was systematically massacred. The Traitor tanks of the Mastodontii roared from the Urgall Hills, weapons blazing and crushing the wounded beneath their tracks, while warp-craft from the Black Augurs tore thousands more apart as blasphemous majiks were unleashed for the first, but not the last time. The Gorgers tore their foes apart and devoured their flesh, while the Sons of Fire burned everything, friend or foe that crossed their path.

It was now that the traitors suffered their own set-back, as the Eyes of the Emperor abruptly began to withdraw, fleeing the battle. At first little attention was given, but as the move became apparent, Hektor’s rage was stoked, and he ordered his forces to fire upon the craven, fleeing Eyes. Hundreds of their drop ships were shot down, but the Legion managed to withdraw in good order, fleeing the wrath of the allies they never wanted.

It is known that were it not for the self-sacrifice of the Stone Men and the retreat of the Eyes of the Emperor, none of the Loyal Forces would have escaped. Thousands managed to flee in gunships, running back to their ships and escaping the system, and this would greatly aid the Loyalists in the years to come. However the cost was high. Over 400,000 Astartes were lost, a Primarch was dead, a second so badly wounded he had to be interred into a Dreadnought to sustain him and two more missing. With them died the Emperor’s dream, of human dominance of the stars.

As crushing as the Traitor victory at the Drop Site Massacre had been, it soon became apparent that it was not as total as the Warmaster had wanted. Numbers of Loyalist survivors had managed to break out of the encircling trap as soon as it became clear that all was lost, either managing to escape via gunship in the chaos or slip away into the crags and shifting volcanic sands and dust storms of the desert plains; an escape aided in part by the bloodlust of some of the Traitors, and the eagerness to pick over the spoils of battle by others, and the sheer contempt some of the Warmaster’s Legions seemed to hold for each other, even then. None of the four initial Legions had been completely destroyed, indeed none had lost greater then three quarters of their total strength, leaving them still strong enough to be a thorn in the Warmaster’s side.

In the skies above Istvaan V, the war fleets of the Loyalist Legions was also betrayed and assaulted though although over-matched, the battle had not been such a one-sided affair as the Traitors would have liked. The Loyalist vessels had been fully Void Shielded and on battle alert as befitted them in a war zone, and were quick to respond in kind once the initial assault had been weathered, with many of their number damaged, but far from destroyed by the sudden attack of their supposed allies. The resulting void battle had lasted for many more hours than the carnage on the ground, and some Loyalist warships had fought on stubbornly, refusing to abandon their Legion forces planet-side to whatever dark fate had befallen them even as they paid the ultimate price for their loyalty. Others, badly damaged, were either driven off, or realizing the futility of the overwhelming odds they faced fled.

The Battle of Istvaan V was over, the treacherous Warmaster Hektor was its victor. The whirlwind of galactic civil war had been sown, and the Dark Gods would reap the years of terror and bloodshed that would follow.

The Second Battle of the Isstvan System

The Scale Bearers were one of the Loyal Legions assigned to the Isstvan Assault, but Warp Turbulence delayed their arrival until after the Massacre was done. When their fleet emerged from the Warp near the Gas Giant Isstvan VI, they fell straight into the trap. The Warmaster had left fleet elements of several of his newly turned Legions, along with the bulk of the Iron Rangers Legion waiting for their arrival, having been warned by the Voidwatcher and the powers of the Warp. The Iron Rangers ships approached close under the guise of friendship, only to suddenly open fire once they had compromised the Scale Bearers formations. Within seconds the enemy vessels brought their weapons to bear, firing as one upon the Scale Bearers Battlecruiser Thagomizer. The doomed vessel exploded spectacularly as the enemy salvo set off a chain reaction in the ship’s plasma engines. Within seconds of its destruction 12 more ships suffered the same fate, consumed by nova-shell explosions and torpedo spreads. Fortunately the Scale Bearer vessels had been fully armed and ready for anything, and were quick to respond in kind once the initial assault had been weathered despite nearly a sixth of their fleet damaged or destroyed in the opening moments. The resulting void battle had lasted for several hours as the Scale Bearers fought off their foes, at first trying to push their way towards Isstvan to find out what had happened to their allies, but finally realizing the futility of the overwhelming odds they faced as the fleets of the first Traitor Legions re-appeared, Tiran Osoros ordered the retreat and was successful in escaping the system, the hounds of the enemy snapping at their heels and bitter vengeance in their hearts. The Scale Bearers would get their revenge for Isstvan.

Ultima Segmentum

After the success of Ishvaan V Hektor had now crippled a few of the loyalist legions, but not all. Thanks to the intervention of the Stonemen the loyalists were able to quit the field and make a hasty retreat back into Imperial space. Hektor would not be able to rely on the same tricks the next time. The majority of Hektor's traitor legions were now gathered around him and many had taken substantial losses while there were still many loyalist legions at full strength for him to contend with.

By now all would of heard of his treachery and would no doubt be racing to defend their false emperor. As great a general as he was, even Hektor doubted he would be able to defeat the Emperor if he was able to unite the remaining loyalists into a single fleet. No, if he wanted to fulfill his destiny as the savior of mankind he would have to learn some new tricks. He did not need to defeat every loyalist legion, merely delay them from helping their emperor.

At least 4 loyalists still remained in the Ultima Segmentum on the other side of the Maelstrom. With only two paths around the Maelstrom if the traitors were able to block off both ways then the loyalists would never be able to reach Holy Terra. Speaking with his brothers, Hektor dispatched Voidwatcher and his Black Augur to the south of the Maelstrom, where they would conjure a second warp storm using their sorcery that would block any from trying to pass. However there was still the northern path and so the War-master approached his brother Uriel. Knowing of Uriel's relations with Sebastian he convinced Uriel to trick Sebastian into constructing a series of super fortresses known as "The Crucible" to bar the loyalists way.

A series of battles erupted in the sector as the Loyalists indeed tried to reach Terra. The first was the Battle of Belahaam, where Darius and his Sand Keepers intercepted Voidwatcher and his Augur's in the middle of the ritual to summon the warp storm. After a pitched battle Darius was ultimately unable to stop the spell was swallowed into the storm. With Voidwatchers success the remaining 2 loyalists, the Steel Marshalls and the Silver Cataphrants were forced to slowly fight their way through the Bulwark Crucible. In the final assault both Sebastian and Alexandri are killed, and though the loyalists triumph they are too late to help Terra.

Terra

The Zealots are the first openly traitor legion, playing the role the word bearers did, while the Children of Armok were the original traitors, and play the role Erebus does in the books and being the one to corrupt notLorgar.

The Zealots were acting unwittingly as agents for the Children of Armok, and through them Hektor And this shit starts from there.

Is there going to be a Calth/Shadow Crusade analogue? What Legion has its own stellar empire for the Sons of Fire to burn to the ground?

And our AU's alternative to the Iron Cage is the Crucible - a challenge by the more renegade than outright traitor Bulwark, vs the Steelmarshalls and the Silver Cataphracts

At the time of the Istvaan III Atrocity, a precise estimate of the Sons of Fire’s fighting strength and disposition was difficult to make. The Sons often fought as a small number of large scale deployments, with the bulk under the Burned King formed into the 13th Expeditionary fleet, and the Sigillite’s Agents were disliked and kept at arms length. Best estimates of their observed strength were around 150,000 Space Marines, placing the Sons of Fire in the middle to high levels of comparative strength amongst its contemporary fellow Space Marine Legions. They were also well-supplied and supported by the Legio Ignis (Fire Kings) Titan Legion and a fleet of at least sixty capital class vessels. It is commonly estimated that of all the Traitor Legions that had fought at Istvaan III in the purge of the Loyalist faction within their ranks, it had been the Sons who had suffered the greatest casualties, with well over 35,000 Legionaries believed to have met their deaths on both sides. Aside from the many wounded, it is recorded that a number had succumbed entirely during the protracted fighting to an insane pyromania and had to be forcibly restrained and removed back to the the fleet for containment, lest they burn even their allies to ash.

Okay, so we need to work out who’s going to be on Terra The Entombed took too many casualties to be present on Terra Scions were present on Terra, fighting their most hated rivals, the Silver Spear.

The eyes of the Emperor mainly attended to Mars during the siege of Terra, trying to protect the foundries and factories. It is during this time where they display their braveness, using ancient DaoT weaponry to literally snipe and assassinate the commanders of Traitor Titnas, and plunging in close to the front line with storm bolter armed assault marines . They kind of fill out the void of the Dark Angels role of being the indecisive chapter and the Iron Hands as being the chapter to loose their primarch totally.

Crusaders were also present on Terra, as were the Marshalls, Cataphracts, and parts of the War Scribes (I envision the Scribes as being spread out everywhere a lot, always recovering their information and recording knowledge) (Yeah, the Scribes are a Legion only in name, in practice they’d have been fairly spread out during the Crusade, with a central force of maybe 30-50k marines, and lots of squads all over the place.)

The Thunder Kings arrived both in support of and in opposition to Imperial forces, with Brennus arriving with several thousand less than his traitorous captain Selioax managed to muster. It’s possible he was aboard when the Emperor and co. confronted Hektor, though he need not necessarily take the place of Dorn or whatever Not!Dorn we choose for putting the Emperor into his throne. Selioax survived, but both Thunder Kings factions sustained enormous casualties throughout the Siege of Terra.

The final confrontation against Hektor aboard his flagship, the Sun Chariot, involved the Emperor and the Primarchs Kleisthenes and Gaudin. When Kleisthenes and hektor fought, Kelisthenes was mortally wounded by Hektor (and later placed in stasis), but not before placing the apocryphal flaw in Hektor's armor. The Emperor then fought Hektor personally. When Hektor's victory seemed apparent, a lone Guardsmen by the name of Ollanius Pius appeared to hold the line against Hektor. Pius was killed almost instantly by Hektor, but this galvanized the Emperor to rise up and slay Hektor completely, body and soul. Gaudin was the one to recover the bodies of the Emperor and Kleisthenes, spurring him on to help the War Scribes write the Codex Astartes to help prevent the travesties of the Hektor Heresy from ever happening again.

The Jovian & Saturnian Theatre

Terra and Mars were not the only theatres of significance in the Sol system, with the Jovian and Saturnian moons also important strategic objectives for other sides. Europa, Titan, Enceladus, Ganymede, and a handful other moons were fairly well populated, and also host to plethora industries or mining ventures that would be extremely useful for the maintenance of the war effort in the system. The massive gas mining stations which orbited Saturn since the Dark Age of Technology were especially valued, and much of the fuel for the Emperor’s vessels originated from these massive archaeotech refineries.

It was thus unsurprising that the Voidwatcher moved to secure these facilities promptly after his arrival in the system. Riding a high from their victory in the Isstvan system, they swept aside the various local forces present, established a security cordon around Saturn and its moons, and secured the majority of the facilities. With full control of the spacelanes not yet entirely established, the Black Augurs were forced to pull away the majority of their space-based forces to deal with emergent threats on the outer end of the star system, where loyalist forces were still a nuisance.

It was during this critical moment when the Thunder Kings arrived, running the blockade around Charon and forcing a sizable contingent of Black Augurs into pursuit. Four tribes, totalling some seventy-thousand marines between them, preceded their Primarch in breaking into Sol; making for Terra on a very direct axis of approach. Unfortunately for the Loyalists, the disposition of Traitorous forces was such that it proved impossible to approach Terra so readily, and so the majority of Thunder King forces would be forced to remain in the outer star system for the majority of the Battle of Terra.

Commander Anibalos took the Bleeding Crowns and the Grinning Ghosts tribes, totalling some forty-thousand marines, and deposited them along the moons of Saturn while Commander Cnaios took the Mountain Breakers and the Star-Eaters, totalling another thirty-five thousand, to Jupiter’s moons. Despite the advantage in numbers traitorous forces enjoyed in space, their need to maintain ships at the system’s peripheries to intercept Loyalist reinforcements as well as to blockade the various worlds they were besieging, allowed the Thunder Kings fleet to remain relatively intact. It was never able to establish even local space superiority, on account of the sizable Black Augurs fleet presence, but the clever use of both Saturn’s and Jupiter’s depleted rings in hiding the Thunder Kings fleet would allow for its intermittent use in operational offensives throughout the duration of the conflict.

Of all the other moons, Titan and Ganymede would prove to be the most contested. As important transit points for much of the material the gas refining stations put out, as well as possessing many such refining facilities themselves, they were highly sought after by both sides. The initial Thunder Kings landings managed to overwhelm the standing Black Augurs garrisons in much the same manner as they themselves had overwhelmed the mortal defenders, and so resecured the planets mostly intact.

However, they soon faced a concerted counter-attack and invasion by the Black Augurs. It was to turn into a moon-hopping campaign, with both sides jumping from moon to moon in an attempt to take strategic points before their enemy--or to seize them when an opportunity presented itself from their enemy. No better example exists than Silacos’ gambit, when the Commander of the Star-Eaters tribe opportunistically left a skeleton garrison on Europa, gathered the majority of the Thunder Kings fleet, and scattered his forces across the outer Jovian moons while the Mountain Breakers were defending Ganymede. For a brief while, at least, the control of the defense batteries on those outer moons provided the Thunder Kings space superiority in that front of the theatre.

One of the more decisive battles of the Saturnian campaign was the Battle of Huygen’s Gap, which took place in the forementioned zone of Saturn’s rings. The Eternal Zealots, alongside remaining Black Augurs space forces in the area, made comprehensive sweeps of Saturn’s ice rings once they arrived. In a series of small skirmishes, the Thunder Kings fleet was forced out into the Gap, where the traitor’s forces were able to finally meet them in an actual battle. Brennus and Aubrey briefly dueled, and would continue to directly oppose one another via a series of battles waged across the fleets via teleportation and boarding actions. Ultimately, with both sides sustaining heavy casualties, Aubrey teleported away and the Eternal Zealots withdrew from Huygen’s Gap.Their failure to mention their retreat to their Black Augur allies resulted in the destruction of much of the Black Augur fleet in orbit, eventually culminating in the spiteful destruction by the Black Augur commander of the ancient Vinyaya refining station.

The Scourging

The Void Angels and Crusaders are the big players in the Imperium's counter-offensive.

Post-Heresy

Imperial Reformation

Arelex Orannis plays a very important role here.

The Black Crusade

We'd need to know more about the Black Legion before detailing this.

Army/Primarch Description List

I) Knights of Justice (The Judge) - Air Assault and Superiority

II) War Scribes () Tactical Analysis /Tech Affinity

III) -/-

IV) Sons of Fire (The Cleanser) – Purgation/Area Denial – 150,000

V) Void Angels (The Bogeyman) - Terror Tactics - 140,000

VI) The Entombed (The Fervent) - Zone Mortalis Heavy Infantry– 10,000

VII) Scions of Europa (The Champion) - Direct assaults, Tactical versatility

VIII) Children of Armok (The Politician) – Manipulation, politics, espionage, and highly informed ambushes/rapid surprise tactical assaults - 120,000

IX) Horns of Ruin (The Demo) - Demolition

X) The Crusaders (The Enforcer) - Mechanized Warfare

XI) Wolves of Dawn/Heralds of Hektor (The Paragon) – Shock Assault – 170,000

XII) Life Bringers (The Biologist) – Biological Warfare/Planetary Reseeding - 110,00

XIII) -/-

XIV) Black Augurs (The Warlock) - Battlefield Sorcery and Spells - 35,000

XV) -/-

XVI) Eternal Zealots (The Surgeon) - Fast Attack, Medicae and Close Combat

XVII) Gorgers (The Hunter) – Bloody Close Assaults – 150,000

XVIII) Sand Keepers (The Seer) - Divination, Battlefield Foresight

XIX) Eyes of the Emperor (The Farsighted/Spotter) – Ranged warfare/Artillery Specialists

XX) Iron Rangers (The Ranger) – Assassination/Guerrilla - 85,000

XXI) Council of Iron () -

XXII) Thunder Kings (The Fist) - Deep Battle Operations - 140,000+

XXIII) Silver Cataphracts () - Attrition – 160,000+

XXIV) Mastodontii (The Tank) - Armoured Warfare – 120,000

XXV) Scale Bearers (The Rider) - Jungle Beastmasters, Bikes - 91,000? (initially intended to be 5,000 or so, but renumerated to line up better with usual Legion numbers.)

XXVI) Steel Marshalls (The Duelist) - Siege Assault, Close Quarters

XXVII) Stone Men (The Heavy) - Deep Strike/Heavy Bombardment

Writefaggotry

Roses Crush The Best

Rosean, an oceanic world covered nearly entirely with water with the exception of a small continent containing its only landmass. It accounts for seventeen percent of the total surface area of the world only. The people of Rosean possess an advanced form of laser technology they had devised after years of isolation. The sudden appearance of the Imperium was at first met with glee, but demands for compliance soon found the small system and the solar empire at war. Lacking in voidships, the Roseans more than make up for this with their fearsome technology which the Imperium eagerly desires to dissect.

The Imperial amassed fleet sits behind one of the two moons of the planet. Heated debate has paralyzed the reclamation force for a week now. The Silver Cataphracts First Captain Sergei had been butting heads with very Primarch of the Mastodontii himself. It had to be getting serious, or else they wouldn't be calling her up. The Lacunan Lifewatch had been posted with the 66th Expedition Fleet with the intention of bringing back less than welcoming human worlds into the loving embrace of the Imperial Truth. But no one had requested the Major General's presence except if they needed to prolong an argument. The Astartes gave orders. They didn't hold meetings that involved the common soldiery, normally. The elevator climbed the many floors of 'Rosskar's Frown' in a flash, reaching the war room with a few minutes to spare before she was supposed to arrive. There were no windows in this section of the ship, as it was in the very heart of the numerous layers of plasteel and ceramite that made the vessel's hull.

Stepping with her right foot out, she stride forward with gloved hands in her coat pocket ever closer to the sounds of bickering Astartes. "Major General Francia?"The question came from her left. The man appeared to be young, but that told you nothing. Rejuvenant treatments were commonplace among the upper echelon of the Imperial Army. His uniform was a dulled white, that of snow. It was nothing remarkable, which was remarkable. It didn't have flashy glint or elaborate designs, but it didn't look like he made it back at his backwater of a homeworld either.

"I am Major General Alexey, of the Rosskar Strelky," It was only polite to greet one's comrade with a handshake, right? Francia didn't think so, and the gesture died between them. "You're the Silver's dogs, huh?" "Excuse me, miss?" "You heard what I said. Your men don't think the Army is good enough for you, I understand." The young-looking man was taken aback. He found his footing though, replying with a curt, "I did not expect you to be such a bitch." A smug grin formed on the Lifeguard's commander. "There it is. Old Rosskan fire. Please don't waste my time with pleasantries, I know your people don't waste time with it and I don't either. Can we agree to be honest with each other? We have enough to deal with the Astartes. Alright?" It appeared as if a weight was lifted off of Alexey's shoulders. The years of training in etiquette and manners melted away in no time. He slouched his back, pulling out a small winter cap to place on his head. "Glad we can find agreement even when others cannot." The yelling of the Captains still rung in the hallway. "Let's go inside before they notice we're late."

It is an odd place to be between demi-gods. They are giants within armor to make a tank blush, wielding weaponry and strength not able to be conceived by the average soldier. The Lifeguard had fought for three campaigns alongside the Mastodontii, becoming quite accustomed to their tactics and strategies. Alexey had been raised from birth to assume his role as supreme commander of the Strelky, the grand auxiliary forces who support the Silver Cataphracts in their endeavors.

Currently First Captain Sergei 'The Bear' was having the same argument he'd been in with the damn Primarch of the Mastodontii, Tollund Ötztal. The Great Hunter.

As always, Sergei presented his case with the vigor and frozen fury of most Rosskans, "Those lasers will make a convention assault impossible. We'll have a hard enough time organizing out fleet to the orbit of the world so we aren't destroyed by surface-to-stellar batteries! We must move before more satellite defenses can be mustered! They've made another dozen in the time you've been having your 'talks'."

"Those discussions," always Tollund had a way with words that completely enraptured Francia, "As you so easily dismiss could lead to a completely peaceful solution. Even while that may fail, we are exploring completely bypassing those satellites and batteries by contacting sympathetic elements with Rosean. If you would only give it time, my brother."

"You! Are not! My fucking brother!" Sergei slams his Bolter into the table, smashing it and the weapon in two. "You will not see what is clearly necessary in front of you! This world has huge populations of algae which can be harvested to feed worlds which struggle to survive. And you want to preserve a few million when billions could suffer from our inaction? I have damn patience, but not the patience. To do. Nothing!"

If it had been any other Primarch Sergei would either be dead or demoted by now. Always his fiery temperament had brought him to blows with his own Primarch, who admired him for the tenacity that grew within him. Alexey had come to expect it by now, but he never lived in fear of it. Despite the rage Sergei never succumbed to it. No one had ever been hurt by it, except maybe Sergeo himself.

Tollund in regular expected fashion took the bluster and anger without a beat lost. The debate continued for hours, with what to do about this possibility or that outcome or any possible result of their actions. Sergei attempted to out think Tollund, to bring cold reason and hard facts into the equation. While Tollund spoke circles around the furious Captain by showing the clear virtue of handling this with the least amount of blood shed possible.

"The Imperium needs every soul. That includes our own and those of whom we wish to incorporate. You cannot rush progress, Captain."

Alexey spoke up at last, "Yes you can, Primarch. That is exactly what the Imperium is doing. That is what the Imperail Truth is, and that is the entirety of the Rosskan people's history for the past few centuries. Progress obtained from pure will and might."

The room fell silent. A Captain out speaking to the Primarch, this was a possibility. A human outright speaking against him, correcting him, and calling him wrongful was. It gave Francia more than plenty of reasons to take a few steps to the side when Tollund turned about. Instead of a angry glare, a friendly smile looked down upon the Strelky's Major General. "You agree with the Cataphracts philosophy? Not surprising. But you do not have authority here, despite being in such a prominent position within the militia forces of Rosskar. I will let you speak your mind, go on."

"Well, the Roseans obviously do not wish to be part of the Imperium. Their continued deployment of satellites, and the fact we much reach out to fringe groups and extremists to find support displays the sad fact that the majority of the population support this anti-Imperial sentiment. We must act quickly, as Sergei says. Not because he is a Silver Cataphract, but because every satellite represents another thousand or more crewmen dying in the upcoming void battle."

Francia stepped from the shadows to speak out against her colleague, before Tollund was able to reply. The Primarch saw the look in the woman's eyes, and happily allowed her the room. "So, you think just because we can't see the extent of the Pro-Imperial Rosean sentiment, we can't be sure that we could avoid even a space battle? We're talking about millions of lives, an advanced civilization that could even teach us something. This world deserves some time to allow us to reach out to them. If the Imperium struck out at the first signs of resistance, Rosskar would be ashes right now."

All debate was ended with the sound of thunder. A figure marched into the room that demanded immediate reverence and respect from everyone except Primarch Tollund. It was Alexandri, dressed in green and white with a golden power maul in one hand, a lighting claw in the other. His face bore a great, massive long brown beard that ran down the front of his huge suit of armor. The Silver Cataphracts progenitor seemed full of glee as he surveyed the room. "Sorry!" His voice boomed in the room, a making the soft voice of Tollund appear like a faint whisper. "The warp is a fickle mistress. Anyways, my forces have already taken up position on the opposite moon. Those lasers! Dear, they nearly sniped by shuttlecraft. Let us all be thankful they aren't that accurate? Haha!"

Sergei signed heavily, looking to his Primarch with a mix of annoyance and barely concealed anger, "I'm going to say you had a few on the way, didn't you, Alexandri?" "Perhaps so, perhaps not. Where is my favorite nephew though?" Alexey smiled wide at his Uncle, speaking up, "Here." "Aaah! Alexey! I'm glad to see you, we must meet somewhere else when this is all over!" Tollund actually grew annoyed by his fellow Primarch's actions. He wanted to speak with his brother on how best to solve the Rosean problem. Hopefully with his wise council, they would be able to avoid the complications experienced between himself and Sergei. "Brother, please. Could we speak about Rosean?" Alexandri turned to face his brother, "What about that shit heap of a world?" "How are we going to deal with it!"

Sergei would never forget the look on Alexandri's face as he spoke the words, "It has already been dealt with, brother."

Tollund's face didn't have time to match up with the horror and revulsion as he uttered the words, "What did you just say?" "Yes, I had my flagship push the lesser moon into the sea. The tidal wave caused will sink the Rosean continent underneath the sea. The problem has been dealt with."

The room went silent. Both sides having been shocked by this act. Sergei was disgusted, Alexey was horrified. While others were left simply stunned Francia charged ahead to stand before the armored bulk of the Primarch. Her words spat forth like venom, her eyes filled with anger, "You act without the rest of us? You are callous, cruel man who on-" One swat was all it took for Alexandri to rip her into several pieces with his power claw. It was remarkable how a hulking giant such a Primarch can move so fast. A flick of the wrist, and a life was ended. "Tollund," Alexandri said flexing his surging blades, "See in the future that you keep better discipline amongst your lesser ranks. I will not suffer an insult like that again. Alexey! Let's go shoot something! I'm sure there must be something to hunt in the underholds!"

This is when Sergei, and Tollund, first began to truly despise Alexandri.

The End.

Burning Worlds

The world was on fire.

One could not tell if it was day or night from the eternal glow, or the ash that choked the sky. The battlefield was a picture of hell, the hell man had once believed in before the Imperial Truth had swept such superstition away. But here and now, that mythical hell was reborn upon Yaga Prime, sending countless souls to damnation.

Striding through the flames, the Sons of Fire burned everything before them. The human defenders of this world, who had refused to abandon their gods and beliefs, were now either ash or small bands of fleeing survivors, each being run down and burned one after the other.

The war had, been won in a single hour and twenty-seven minutes, though the battle still raged on three weeks later. One hour twenty-seven minutes. That had been how long it had taken for his ships to cripple the enemy fleet, and fire-bomb every single major city on the planet. Over half the enemy flotilla had been lost in the opening salvoes, the rest in the hours and days after. The wreckage now orbited the capital planet, the heart of this system. Following that, twenty-four Modalis-class atmospheric missiles had been launched from the Eternal Conflagration at the surface of Yaga Prime. Each targeted a key strategic location, major cities, strategic hubs, and within seconds billions had burned. Thus, the war for Yaga Prime was won in one hour twenty-seven minutes. In the months that followed, all that remained was to complete the cull.

First Captain Emiya could feel the blistering heat inside the confines of his Terminator Plate. That meant that outside the temperature must be blistering, near that of the Plasma Reactors his suit had once been designed for. He strode dispassionately through the carnage, through the fire, flanked by his standard bearer Kleast, the standard singed at the edges, and master of signal Amerauk. The first company was at the heart of the pursuit, passing the blazing hulks of tanks and troop carriers. The crackling sound of burning flesh was everywhere, and the smell, the smell of burned man. That smell was lodged in the nasal cavities of every last Son of Fire. Most loved that smell. Emiya disliked it. I am in the wrong Legion. I take no pleasure in what I have to do. Most of his brothers took glee in burning all before them, the sickness that it seemed consumed more and more of his Brothers. Even before their Primarch had joined them, the Legion had taken to the use of flame weapons more often than not. Emiya had been young then, and had hoped their Primarch would be a great leader, one who could stand shoulder to shoulder with his Brothers as the Crusade pushed ever onwards. Then they had found their liege lord, and all had changed. “Emiya,” A deep, booming voice suddenly crackled through the vox. He knew instantly who it was. His Primarch. The Burned King. The Fire Rider. Inferox. “You are needed. One of the Sigillite’s spawn has arrived to see our progress, and I need you here with me.” “And why is that sire?” “So you can restrain me if I get fed up of her twittering and want to see how well she burns.” He could see in his kind’s eye the Primarch’s mighty flame-claw gauntlets flexing. Inferox was hardly co-operative. He was pointed at a world, and told to burn it. To have a representative of the Regent of Terra come, had to mean something was up. “I’m on my way,” Emiya began, but the line was already dead.

“Kleast? Contact Captain Tamyo and tell him command’s passed to him. I have been summoned.” “The Primarch?” “Who else?” Kleast lowered the standard as he turned to Emiya. “Keep him calm. The last thing we need is another ‘accidental’ death. Emperor knows we’ve had enough of them in the past.”

The Duel at Isstvan V

‘I have long waited for this moment, Bohemond,’ replied Aubrey, ‘ever since you purged by brothers with vengeance in your heart. Ever since you humiliated me, and left me before our false father’s judgement. For years I have dreamt of this reckoning. Only one of us will walk away from this, you know that.’

‘I know that,’ agreed Bohemond.

‘You betrayed me and my brothers,’ said Aubrey, and Bohemond was surprised to hear genuine emotion in his brother’s voice. ‘You cast them down and purged them, because they were not human. Because they were Xenos,’ the last part coming out as a hateful hiss.

‘I did what I had to do because your eyes needed to be opened,’ answered Bohemond. ‘Xenos were never our friends, they were always against us. Father thought you knew better, he thought you’d understand. But you were naive, you never saw the threat they posed until too late. And now look at you, turning on us in the heat of battle.’

‘You turned on us. You shamed us and humiliated us. You will not do so again.’

‘Then you shall all die!’ snarled Bohemond. ‘Hektor is mad. Look at all this death! How can this be right? You will hang from Traitor’s Gibbet for this sedition, for I am the Emperor’s loyal servant and through me his will and vengeance will be done.’

‘The Emperor is a spent force,’ snapped Aubrey. ‘Even now he whittles away on some trivia in the dungeons of Terra while his realm is in flames. Even now he gives up on hope in favour of his own selfish desires. Are those the actions of a being fit to rule the galaxy?’

‘No more words,’ Bohemond adopted a combat stance with his blade. ‘Come then, brother. Let us decide this, you and I. For eternity.’

The battlefield fell silent as Aubrey drew his own blades, a matching pair of Black blades with snakes wrapped around the blade and outwards, forming both the guard and the hilt. The din of the battlefield could not mask the sound as they slid from their sheathes like the snakes that adorned them, before Aubrey, scorned son, spurned healer, bitter warlord and herald of the true gods, took his stance.

Both swords pointed towards the dirt as he put his right foot forward, shifted his body forwards, his silver locks draping down, only a single, almost glowing, piercing, emerald eye peered out from the shadows.

"For Lazarus."

Aubrey struck first, moving faster than thought, his cloak swirling about him. Bohemond met the blow with his mighty blade, and a radial wave shot out from it, throwing up the ash in swirling clouds.

Bohemond grunted as he blocked the incoming blades. He moved far more slowly than Aubrey, but everything he did was solid, dense, and indomitable, every movement clinical, a ruthless economy of muscle and motion, each thrust and parry executed to perfection without the audacity of dramatic flair.

Bohemond’s blade wove an exquisite dance, while Aubrey’s blades slashed at Bohemond with wild abandon, and the air rang with the clash of metal against metal, with the fizzing crack of opposing power fields.

Bohemond wrenched his blade back, the silver steel breaking through the air in lashing chops, blurring into a crescent that reflected the flames that lit the sky above. Each carving strike crashed against Aubrey’s blocking blades. Both warriors moved beyond mortal capability, with speed that defied sight. Yet one was a knight, a champion of justice and honour, the other a visionary whose vision had turned dark, and who fought with savage relish against his hated foe. Aubrey’s grin had been a brittle facade at the best of times since the fall of Lazarus. Now it turned to glass.

Aubrey beat away a sword-strike and went for Bohemond’s gorget with his other blade. At the last minute he jutted the blade down, slipped below the defence and cut a long gash in the primarch’s breastplate. This time the blade cut deep, paring already fractured armour and delving into the ribcage below.

Bohemond roared in painand jerked clear, cracking Aubrey’s blades away with his own mighty sword and staggering backwards.

He now snarled defiantly, turning his pain to anger, fuelling his body with rage and barrelling back at him, smashing him with perfectly directed sword-blows. Aubrey lurched away, stumbling across the uneven dirt carpeted with the bodies of his Legion and Bohemonds, while Bohemond lumbered after him. More blows came in – hard, heavy, earth-shaking blows, blows to sunder armour and shatter steel. Aubrey was driven further, only barely able to weather the explosion of fury directed at him. His armour was cut apart and his body battered and bruised by his once-brother’s sustained assault.

‘Die,’ Bohemond breathed. Desperation ruined his voice, rasping it from bleeding lips. ‘You should never have survived that tainted world you call home. Father should have ended you when he saw how fall you’d fallen, the company you kept.’

Summoning up one last burst of energy, Aubrey bludgeoned aside the mighty blade and pulled away, beckoning his adversary to come after him. Bohemond followed, his armour cut apart, his mighty sword slick with blood. A vengeful Knight, come to avenge his sons.

Aubrey held position, panting hard, trying to drag up energy for the final clash. His hearts thudded, his lungs burned. He held his twin blades poised, waiting for his enemy to move.

Come to me. You can see my weakness.

Howling anger, Bohemond did just that, and Aubrey took his chance.

One blade took the mighty sword, as he stepped to one side. The other blade flicked out, biting deep into the breastplate of his brother’s armour, and the Lord of the the Knights of Justice screamed, a sound that sould never have existed in the mortal realm as his breastplate gave in and the blade bit deep into his flesh. Hot blood sprayed from the wound and the mighty black blade slid from Bohemond’s hand as he snarled in fierce agony.

As Bohemond crouched, bleeding, he began to speak into his Vox, giving final orders to his sons as they tried to flee the field. He knew his fate, he knew he was done, but he had one last oath of defiance left to give.

Aubrey smiled down upon him, drawing his blades back. His vengeance was nigh, his victory complete. This would be a message to all who follow the False Emperor, all who refused the promise of the future, all who cast him down as a weakling, a Xeno-Lover.

His serpentine Black Blade clove the air as it swept towards Bohemond. Unnatural warp-forged steel met the iron flesh of a primarch, its aberrant edge cutting through Bohemond’s skin, muscle and bone with a shrieking howl that echoed in realms beyond those knowable to mortals.

Blood and the monumental energies, the very fabric of creation bound within the meat and gristle of one of the Emperor’s sons erupted from the wound, and Aubrey fell back as the searing powers blinded him, dropping the black sword to his side. He heard a shrieking wail, as of a choir of banshees, whip around him as phantom, skeletal hands clawed at him, and a thousand voices tore at his mind.

Bohemond was dead. His head peered up at him, sightless eyes staring in accusation, his lips still moving with an unfinished curse upon them.

‘Thus was ever your fate Brother,’ Aubrey whispered to the head at his feet. ‘Lazarus is avenged.’

The Skeleton in the Caves

As a babe, the Primarch whould come to be known as Golgothos crash landed on a desolate, grey planet known as Sepulchra. The surface of Sepulchra were inhospitable badlands, with gale force winds kicking up dust storms which could rip the flesh off a man. Fortunately, Golgothos' pod crashed with such force that it pierced through the surface into the caverns below, and it is in these caverns that Golgothos made his home.

As a child, Golgothos lived by foraging for caveworms and scraping moss off of walls. As he grew, he began to hunt larger and larger game. The beasts of Sepulchra fell to his bare hands, and Golgothos would consume everything, leaving only the bones behind.

However, Golgothos' life was not safe, for deep within the caverns lived a clan of Orks. Many times as he was feeding, Golgothos would be discovered by wandering Orks, and be forced to flee. For many years he was forced to live cautiously, fleeing before the echos of Ork grunts.

It was not until he was a man grown that Golgothos chose to face the Orks in battle. The Orks had driven all game from the caverns, and so Golgothos was starving. Delirious and exhausted, Golgothos wandered passageways he had never been to before. Stumbling around a bend, he happened upon three Orks, arguing over the roasting corpse of a cave drake. Golgothos attacked the Orks with a ferocity he did not know he had posessed, kicking, clawing, biting, with his screams of fury echoing across the planet. The Orks never stood a chance.

After that, armed with an Ork Choppa, Golgothos grew to enjoy hunting orks. The Orks came to call him "Da skellytun in da caves," and told eachother tales of the bony creature which ripped apart Orks with its bare hands. Eventually, Warboss Skullgub decided he had had enough, and rallied his Orks to hunt Golgothos.

For months, Skullgub harried Golgothos. While Golgothos was mighty, he could not face hordes of Orks at once, and so he was forced to make numerous tactical retreats. Fleeing before the echoing CLANKS of Skullgub's mega armour, Golgothos came upon a pair of massive metal blast doors. Golgothos had never seen anything man made before, and so he marveled at the doors. However, he was quickly ripped out of his confusion by the CLANK CLANK CLANK of skullgub's approach. Golgothos banged his fists against the control panel in desperation, and miraculously, the door opened.

Within, Golgothos found polished metal hallways, with deep recesses in the walls. In each recess he found the ancient, dusty remains of a man: Golgothos had happened upon a crashed Catacomb Ship from the dark age of technology. He went deeper into the ship, looking for some choke point or other tactical advantage, and found it: A door leading into a personal Tomb. He looked within, and found, laying on a Beir, a well dressed skeleton. The skeleton was decorated with gold jewelry and gems, as well as medals which marked him as a military officer. On the officer's hand, dull grey and coated with a layer of dust, was an ancient Power Fist. With his mighty new weapon, and an advantageous choke point, Golgothos was able to drive off Skullgub's Orks.

The Discovery had confused Golgothos, however. He had never seen another human being before, never even conceived of the possibility that there were others. And yet, here in this catacomb, he had found the skeletal remains of hundreds of men. Golgothos began to think that Men were gods, or perhaps demons, meant to torment the Orks. He spent the next few years guarding the catacombs, and tending to the remains of what he believed to be fallen gods.

Eventually, Skullgub managed to corner Golgothos away from home as he was hunting. Outnumbered, outmatched, and staring down the gob of a gigantic mega armoured warboss, Golgothos called out to the gods for aid. With a loud CRASH, the roof before him caved in, and before Golgothos' tear-filled eyes was a Drop Pod of the Imperium of Man. From this Drop Pod emerged the Emperor himself, along with some of his mighty Space Marines. The Emperor cleaved Skullgub in two with his mighty power sword, and the Marines made short work of the remaining Orks.

The Emperor offered Golgothos a mighty legion to lead, and Golgothos required no convincing. As far as Golgothos was concerned, before him stood the King of the Gods, and such a being should not be questioned. The Emperor did not approve of Golgothos' superstition, but at least it was superstition of human superiority. Golgothos was given the VI Legion, which he named The Entombed.

The Entombed maintain Golgothos' faith to this day, believing humans to be Gods, sent to punish impure and inferior xenos. They guard their fortress monastary, called the Catacomb, and pay much respect to the dead.

The Burning of Alessia

His grey eyes flickered across the assembled data-screens, darting from one end of the cycling display to the other. The faint green backlight from the screens were all that illuminated the large circular chamber, with the logic engines and tactical displays making up the vast majority of the room's walls.

He drew in a slow breath, turning over this puzzle in his mind. This was his throne-room, his sanctum, his greatest hall—and today he had naught left to him but one final tribe, the eponymous Thunder Kings, where twelve ought together stand. He did not bear his sword and shield today, and the screens did not display the miasma of information he found so much beauty and truth in. There was nothing to command today, and his patience—infinite as it was—had long begun to set into weariness and bitterness.

Agrica had stood with him, solemn and silent as a statue throughout it all. The tall, fair-haired Astartes looked as if he might have been handsome once, but a lifetime of war had imparted upon him a steel jaw and plentiful other skin regrafts along his face. He'd kept his eyes forward for all these long weeks, imparting some small . . comfort to the brooding Primarch. He didn't have to stay. He should have gone, to fight for whomever he thought best, but he did.

It was a long while before Brennus finally spoke, his ordinarily calm, thunderous voice now sounding soft, and solemn.

“I know now my failure,” he said, looking towards Agrica. If the Astartes was alarmed, he gave no notice, and merely turned to straight back at his progenitor. “Where one legion should stand, I have created twelve. Respectively united by shared fraternity, perhaps—but what was I but their commander, in truth? Not a father.”

Agrica said nothing. Not yet.

Brennus continued, pausing only briefly to examine his son's expression. As he looked back towards the screens and continued, a wry smile now appeared on his face.

“It is fitting that only one tribe remains. Only one legion. Agrica, I am proud and flattered that you waited here, where you need not have. There must be one legion. One,” the Primarch spat out. His form shook as an uncharacteristic vehemence seized him, his throne groaning as he now—after weeks—finally stood.

“Not all that have fallen are vanquished,” faithfully intoned Agrica, bobbing his head slightly forward.

Brennus let out a withering sigh, each heavy step causing the machines around him to rattle. He stalked towards the heavy door leading out from his throne-room, pausing just one pace before it. Agrica now too moved forward, taking up a position beside his master. “We are not yet fallen,” Brennus whispered, “Not yet. I cannot forgive Selioax, however—and I cannot forgive Alessia. It must burn.”

And though it pained him, Agrica agreed.

The Battle of Belahaam

Darius had sensed the growing darkness long before the first astro-projections had come bearing the ill news of what had happened at Ishtvaan V. Darius felt sick to his stomach. How could this had happened, and worse how could he not have seen this. He had visited all his brother primarchs and had often looked into their futures. If only he had dove deeper....

No matter, it was too late to dwell on past mistakes. All Darius could do now was look to the future and hope he could still make a difference. Rallying his legion for Holy Terra not knowing what he would soon be getting into. As they drew close to Belahaam, a sector near Nocturne, Darius felt a massive flux in the warp. The Voidwatcher and his legion had begun secretly operating in the region, using the ancient text provided by Uriel. Realizing what was going on, Darius began channeling a spell to contain the growing storm, but it required his complete attention to maintain.

Having corrupted near by Guard and PDF over to chaos Voidwatcher used their fleet to engage Darius. He didn't care if they succeeded or not, they were merely the bait. As the Sand Keepers engaged the traitor guard fleet, the Black Augur's fleet appeared from behind, though the psychics of the Keepers had already foresaw this and quickly turned ships to face the new threat. In reality this was yet another distraction as several Black Augur squads began boarding the Sand Keeper ships. Several ships were sabotaged before the Keepers realized what was going on and several pitched battles erupted on the ships.

Meanwhile on the surface of Nocturne, The Sand Keepers 1st company, the Immortals deep struck down near the site of the ritual only to find a swarm of guardsmen and a Black Augur company defending it. The crazed cultists bellowed and shrieked incoherently as they charged them and the terminators quickly ran to meet them. As the lines crashed into each other there was never any doubt as to who would be the victor, even the Augur could do little against their mighty terminator armor. The guards fell in droves all around the Immortals as they advanced, the body of an Augur strewn among every other one. But this was another trap! When the Immortals got about half way through the guardsmen and cultists several units of Black Augur tanks had surrounded them. Soon the thunderous roar of cannon fire descended upon the Immortals. Armed with power weapons and storm bolters, there was little the Immortals could do even with their psykers.

Without a choice they pressed on, ignoring as the cannons rained death upon them, but it slowed them enough to allow the Children of Amrok to regroup and redouble their efforts. The bloody battle raged on with the Immortals inching their way forward while being hounded by the tanks the whole way. When they finally arrived they quickly went to work cutting down the last of the Black Augurs, however, it was too late.

Darius's battleship lurched and rumbled as cannon fire pierced its hull. Every shake threatened to break his concentration on the spell that was holding back the warp storm. His legion was fighting hard to commandeer enough ships to even the odds but every death only made it harder. With every scream of pain and dying thought the warp stirred, fighting to get out of his grasp. Sweat trickled down his forehead and along his face.

On the bridge of Darius's command ship, a Lord of Change materialized itself before Darius along with a host of Flamers of Tzeetch. The crew did their best to defend against it. Torrents of Warp flame and doom bolts flew in every direction and many of the proud Keepers died where they stood. The greater daemon slew marine and librarian alike with ease until it reached Darius. Knowing he would have to defend himself, Darius released his spell over the warp to block a doom bolt.

At that moment the battle was lost. In a flash the warp storm erupted from the ritual site on the planet, engulfing The Immortals and the remaining guardsmen on the planet. The voidwatcher shook his head slowly as his brothers entire legion was caught and dragged into the storm. It was a shame that Darius did not see how foolish the Emperor's cause was. In the end he was just another blind fool.

Ullanor Triumph: The King and the Mouth

As the legions of men and machines marched during the Triumph of Ullanor, beings of divine descents, brothers of superhuman power and strength where for first time fully reunited, free to learn more about their siblings.

Far from the eyes of the countless soldiers marching, at the balcony, were two of the brothers who would not show the animosity toward each other, but who would still eye each other in bouts of defiance and obvious contempt.

Inferox, the Burning King, Primarch of the Sons of Fire, and Nathanog, the Endless Mouth Primarchs of the Gorgers.

The Burning King and his legion burned to crisps hundreds of thousands of Orks and melted countless of the Orks’ armored vehicules in what could only be a described as a nightmare of flames and pyrotechnics. Flamers and Meltas scoured the battlefield, breaking the Orks where their cunning could have been the difference between victory and annihilation. If the lives of millions had been preserved the King in his royal arrogance knew it was thanks to the Sons of Fire.

Meanwhile, the Endless Mouth and his legion stormed the frontline way ahead of any Imperial formation and drew the first blood on many of the battles of the Ullanor Crusade. They were the vanguard that opposed the Orks with a sea of adamantium and savagery. Fangs and Obsidian Chainswords, stopping the Orks where their strength could have been the difference between victory and carnage. The Mouth did not care for the lives he saved from the ruthless melees with the Orks, but he wanted the ferocity his Legion harnessed to deal with the Orks to be recognized.

Each one was wanting for something that the other also wanted. That which would commend those who had to go toe-to-toe with the Orks. The spoils of victory could go to Hector for all they cared, but their valor in combat had to be recognized. They both suffered immense casualties from playing their role on the battlefield, way more than the other Legions, and yet no mentions was made of it. The other Primarchs were there, each too absorbed with what THEY helped them claim.

The Mouth advanced toward the King, his eyes never losing sight of his.

"My legion rid this planet of more Orks beasts than your fireworks could have ever burned.", Nathanog spout.

"Fire cleanses all that is evil, whether it be flesh or steel. Your fangs would have done nothing against the simplest Looted Tank.", the King responded, a slight growl accompanying his taunt.

As if he was able to see the tension between the two, Hector suddenly appeared between them, smiling as usual.

"Now, brothers, today is not a day for anger, especially not when our Father has graced this world with His presence.", Hector said, posing his hands on Nathanog and Inferox's shoulders. "If anything each of you should admire the work the Legion of the other accomplished, the prowess of both your Legions when it came to dealing with the Orks up close had been noticed by all your brothers."

Hector gave the two Primarchs what they wanted, recognition for their deeds. His natural leadership always at work, Hector knew what his brothers wanted to hear. But now was also the perfect moment to tell them what they didn't want to hear.

"But never forget that, ultimately, it was the unifying strength of all of the Emperor's forces that led to this Triumph. You both kept the hordes of Orks away from our firing lines, but do not underestimate how much our deluges of bolts, lasers, and plasma contributed to this glory we are all sharing today, us as brothers, humanity as a whole."

"And if I am to lead that unified force with the blessing of our Father, I will make sure to that this glory shall ever be your reward for each of your sacrifices."

The King and the Mouth stood there for a second, pondering the words of Hector. Certainly they had some deep meanings in them, for Hector rarely spoke lightly. Maybe he was going to be assigned by the Emperor to a position of further leadership? Possible. The role of the Wolves of Dawn in the battles of Ullanor had been more than decisive after all... Certainly the help of The Sons of Fire and the Gorgers helped the Wolves win those battles, but ultimately the Wolves did the job, if not for them the sacrifices of the Mouth and the King would have been for naught.

They understood. The two brothers no longer had hate and contempt in their hearts. A sense of unity filled it now, certainly they would always be rivals for the role they both fulfill on the battlefield, but their efforts whether one would best the other would always be in the interest of a greater cause, a cause Hector could lead with more than all his will, they could fell.

The passage of their Legion in the Triumph would come soon enough and they would be able to revel in the grand honor the Ullanor Crusade brought upon all of them.

Conclave: The Traitors Move Out

The Bucephalus

Nine days after Isstvan V

Ten of his brothers were present, though only half of them truly stood in the room. Five of the absent six were nothing more than projections, manifested around the table in the forms of flickering grey hololithic simulacra, formed of stuttering light and white noise. The sixth thoug, was unlike the others, a figure of shifting form made from the very fabric of creation. The Voidwatcher, master of Warpcraft turned to face him.

‘Aubrey. I heard you took your revenge on the destroyer of Lazarus. What was it like, killing one of your brothers?’

Aubrey the Grey, the Chosen of the Gods, the Betrayed one, inclined his head towards the Voidwatcher.

‘All power demands sacrifice brother, the greater the better. And there is no finer sacrifice then the traitorous whoreson who burned my home and slaughtered my brothers. He was an offering to the Gods, an offering for our promised victory.’

The Voidwatcher nodded in agreement, and turned to face the centre.

The others acknowledged him one by one. Thoren Grimm – a towering, pulsing hololithic avatar of himself, gave the barest suggestion of a nod. Johannes Vrach of the Life Bringers smiled warmly, which was returned by Aubrey. Both were healers, though Aubrey had been rebuked for his desires and Vrach had been encouraged, they still shared the same outlook.

Beside him was Rogerius Merrill, unassuming even in the flesh, even less so in this electronic etherealness. His image faded in and out of focus, occasionally dividing and shifting in the bizarre mitosis of distance distortion. He raised a hand in greeting, and Aubrey returned the gesture.

Kranios gave an amused sneer, before looking away. Kranios didn’t seem to care much for the new Gods Hektor had found, he was in it for the fight, the chance to bleed the Imperium. Aubrey concealed his smirk. His soul had already been claimed, as had theirs all. The Gods had marked their chosen children, and would soon come to collect.

‘You’re late,’ one of his brothers interrupted. ‘We’ve been waiting.’ The voice was a graceless avalanche of syllables.

Nathanog. Aubrey turned to him, offering a conciliatory smile.

His warrior brother stood hunched in the threatening lean that characterised his body language, the straining of the leash, the sign of one eager to be on the hunt, to chase down and kill his prey.

‘I was delayed,’ Aubrey admitted. He didn’t like to look at his brother for too long at a time. It was one of the things that made Nathanog twitch; like the animal many thought he was, the lord of the Gorgers couldn’t abide being stared at, and could never hold eye contact for more than a few moments. Aubrey had no desire to provoke him.

One other, however, did. Glaring at him from the other side of the table was Inferox, the tall, gaunt, blackened lord of the Sons of Fire. They were at once a match of opposites, and simultaneously more alike than either one cared to realize. One believed in consuming all in fire, the other in rending his foes apart and bathing the earth in their blood. They both already walked the scarlet path, though neither seemed to realize it, and all it would take was a nudge to gift them both to the Lord of Slaughter. A nudge Aubrey had every intention to make.

Tollund Ötztal smiled and gestured at him to come closer, to join them around the table. Of all his Brothers, Ötztal was the warmest, one who tried to. His beliefs had been shaken to the core recently, but Aubrey had revealed to him the Gods that would save all humanity, the primordial truth that underpinned all creation. Aubrey smiled to see the Chaos Runes newly etched on Ötztal’s armour. He had seen the light, and he now believed as Aubrey did. Soon others would join them both, and they would all serve the true Gods.

Uriel Starikov was the last of those present through long-range sending. He stood helmed, while all others were bareheaded, and his hololithic image was unusually stable while each of the others suffered corruption from the vast ranges between their fleets. He stood apart, and none of the others so much as glanced at him. No-one truly trusted him, but he had already proven himself with his misinformation on Isstvan V, and his men were even now preparing to give the Warmaster the ultimate prize: Paramar. For that alone he was given a seat on the Warmasters council, and a voice in affairs.

Nathanog turned to Inferox, returned his gaze with something wordless and dismissive, and looked back at the others.

‘It has been nine days, and we know our tasks,’ he growled. ‘We are already spread across the void, to being wrack and ruin to our father’s kingdom. Why did you gather us?’

Hektor, Warmaster of the cleaved Imperium and future Master of Mankind, didn’t answer immediately. He gestured for Aubrey to take his place around the table, at Hektor’s own right hand. Unlike his Legion’s midnight-blue ceramite, Hektor stood clad in layered, dense armour of charcoal black, adorned with the glaring cadmium Eye of Terra on his breastplate. This last sigil, the symbol of his authority as master of the Imperium’s armies, had its black core refashioned into a slitted serpent’s pupil and eight spokes extended from it to honour his new masters, the dark gods of Chaos.

'You know your tasks my brothers, but not the wider strategy. Merely burning the Imperium down will not in of itself win us this war. We have crushed four Legions, but there are many more out there in the void. Soon they will hear of what we have done, and hasten to defend our father’s throne. That cannot be allowed to happen.’

Aubrey nodded. Too many of his brothers, who had been unwilling or unable to see the primordial truth, were still out there. The Void Angels, Sand Keepers, Silver Cataphracts and Steel Marshals were all dangerous threats to the Warmaster’s strike. And the now twice damned Eyes of the Emperor, who had betrayed both sides and now fled needed to be punished for abandoning the field on Isstvan V. They all had to be taken out of play, and quickly.

“We are to split our forces and begin carving a swathe through the most vital sectors of the Imperium. We need to secure as much ground and supplies as possible to fuel out attack on Terra. My agents inform me that most of Mars has fallen to us, and the rest is sure to follow. Our allies within the Mechanicum have been successful in their struggle to free the manufacturing facilities there from the thrall of the Imperials. As I speak, they are repairing the systems damaged in the fighting and those deliberately sabotaged by our enemies and are reactivating the munitions and armaments factories. We will need those munitions, when it comes time to tearing down the Imperial Palace.’

Hektor tapped the desk, and an immense galactic swirl shimmered above them, thirty metres across, picked out in gold points. The collection rippled and flickered as the desk’s power units thundered away. The galactic map was overlaid with a hugely complex web of moving streams. It looked organic, like the lattice of blood vessels in a body. Warp routes. Vital worlds were picked out in various luminescent shades.

‘Vrach and my own Heralds will strike at the Galactic North. We will clear a powerbase and build up our strength, and then strike south towards Terra along the segmentum divide including Mezoa and Molech.’ Vrach nodded assent as Hektor highlighted an area of the map.

‘Voidwatcher, I have a special task in mind for you.’ Aubrey watched the Voidwatcher lean in, smiling as if he already knew what his task was. Knowing him, he already did. ‘I need you to cut the Imperium in two. Take the Terra-Ultramar road. Ryza, Davin, Chemos and Seadelant. That way reinforcements from the Ultima Sector will be unable to reach Terra.’ The Voidwatcher’s smile continued as he nodded. He already had plans in place. Aubrey wondered what those plans might entail. Part of him didn’t want to know.

Hektor turned to Grimm. ‘I need you to take your Legion to the planet of Tsagualsa in the Eastern Fringes. From this base you are to strike at the Imperial strongholds of Heroldar and Thramas. These two systems present a clear danger to our operations. If not dealt with they could provide the enemy with an opportunity to outflank us. Thramas, in particular needs to be neutralised as the sector contains a number of forgeworlds who remain loyal to the Emperor.’ Grimm smacked his fist against his chest in answer.

Hektor turned his attention to the lord of the Iron Rangers. 'Merrill, your conduct over Isstvan VI was commendable, but you did not destroy the Scale Bearers. They are still largely intact, and fleeing towards Segmentum Solar. Our allies within the warp have been able to delay their transit, but they must be dealt with. We cannot allow such a strong complement of Space Marines to infiltrate our space. They could seriously disrupt preparations for the attack on Terra.’ 'You must take your legion, hunt down where the Scale Bearers are regrouping and smash them! Do not seek to fight a protracted battle against them. Cripple their fleet and eliminate their ability to manoeuvre. You promised me Orosos’s head. It is time to deliver.’ Merrill gave a shallow nod, his eyes thoughtful.

‘Nathanog. I offered you fresh hunting. Well, it is yours. Tempestus Segmentum, Luth Tyre, Tallarn, Gryphonne, Nenavist are all yours to stalk. Destroy anyone there loyal to the Emperor. Feast on His followers. I trust you’ll find good hunting.’ Nathanog licked his lips and smiled, revealing his massive canine teeth.

‘Ötztal, your Legion is to stay in reserve until we find an appropriate target. In the meantime, take Garevo and Stronhelm.’ Ötztal made a grateful Namaste.

‘Starikov. You have promised me Paramar. We need Paramar. It is a dagger pointed right at Terra’s heart, a vital stepping stone on our route to the Throneworld. Without Paramar, we will not be able to take Terra. It is paramount that Paramar fall to us, and soon. If the Loyalists manage to reinforce it, then it will take a long and costly siege to take it, and we cannot risk that.’

‘Paramar will be yours within three solar months. I promise this to you Warmaster, and I always keep my promises.’

‘Very good.’ Hektor replied, turning away. Aubrey hadn’t heard his name mentioned once. He yearned for a task, a chance to show the Gods his fervour, to gift them sacrifices and show the Imperium the true Truth, the truth his false father had tried to hide.

‘What of me Warmaster? What is my task in all this? Do you wish me to contact Sebastian Rex and The Bulwark, so see if we can have them side with us?’ The Bulwark were a wild card, neither side knew who they would side with, they were renegades beholden to no-one. Yet.

‘He will be dealt with in due time. No, I have a greater task for you. The War Scribes have retreated towards their stellar realm. If left there, they will rebuild and rearm. We cannot allow that. You will be paired with Inferox, and together you will wipe their enclave from the galactic map. I want every last War Scribe purged, the Legion erased from history. Can you do this?’

‘I don’t know about him, but I will leave the War Scribes nothing more than Ashes. I will burn them all.’ Inferox didn’t raise his voice, but the deadly intent in his voice was heard by all, as he gestured at Aubrey. There was little love lost between them both, but Aubrey nodded, thoughts coiling in his head. Later he would ask the Gods of what he could do, and what path he could take.

‘So.’ Hektor turned to face them all, sword drawn. ‘We all know our tasks. We all know what is asked of us. The cost of error has never been higher – the rewards, beyond imagination. Despite all we have achieved so far, the Emperor and his followers will fight hard, and to the death to deny us. Doubtless much blood has yet to be spilled, theirs and ours alike. But the prize is the Galaxy entire. Are you with me?'

The assembled warriors cheered as one. ‘Aye! Victory for Hektor! Death to the Emperor! Death to the Emperor! Death! Death! Death!’

Aubrey found himself caught up in the mood, cheering along with his brothers, even as he knew what dark forces lurked beneath, the Gods that demanded all from them, and who they all would serve in the end. This was not Hektor’s War, much as he might believe it. This was the God’s war, their struggle against the Anatheme, and it was for them, not Hektor that Aubrey fought. Under his breath he added an appendment to their cheers.

‘For the dark gods!’

Assorted Other Material

Primarch Stats

Inferox The Burned King

Inferox, the Burned King, the Fire Rider, Primarch of the Sons of Fire: WS7 BS5 S7 T7 W6 I5 A4 LD10 SV2+/3++

Unit Composition •1 (Unique)

Unit Type •Infantry (Character)

Wargear •Armour of Hades •Flame-Claw Gauntlets •Phosphex grenade launcher

Special Rules •Primarch •Soul of Fire •Sire of the Sons of Fire •Very Bulky

Sire of the Sons of Fire Inferox is the pinnacle of his Legion, the dispenser of justice and the bestower of favour. All his sons aspire to be one with the flame like him, and fight all the harder under his eyes. All models with the Legiones Astartes (Sons of Fire) rule may re-roll the dice when using flamer based weapons in defensive fire, and gain the Crusader special rule. In addition all Medusas, Basilisks and Whirlwinds in an army led by Inferox may take Phosphex ammunition.

Soul of Fire The blazing heart of his pitiless legion, Inferox epitomised the power of unchained fire, its ability to consume all and leave nothing behind. Inferox is immune to all flamer based weaponry, and Fusion, Melta, Plasma and Volkite weaponry have their strength reduced by 2 when firing at him. In addition all his shooting attacks have the shred special rule.

Armour of Hades This blazing suit of armour, wreathed in flames gives Inferox a fearsome visage, and makes it harder for foes to hit him. The Armour of Hades confers a 2+/3++ save, and in addition all successful hits against him in close combat must be re-rolled.

Flame-Claw Gauntlets The Primarch’s signature weapons, these can both project streams of tainted fire at range, or else be used as devastating close-combat weapons. They have two profiles, one for the ranged shots, and the other for close-combat attacks.

Flame-Claw Gauntlets (Ranged) Range: Template Strength: 6 Ap 3 Type: Assault 1, Shred, Ignores Cover

Flame-Claw Gauntlets (Combat) Range: Melee Strength: 8 Ap: 2 Type: Melee, Shred, Murderous Strike, Paired (+1 Attack)

Phosphex grenade launcher This weapon fires the deadly, earth-tainting Phosphex to utterly purge Inferox’s enemies. Range: 18” Strength: 5 Ap 2 Type: Assault 1, Crawling Fire, Lingering Death

Aubrey The Grey

Aubrey the Grey, the Betrayed, the Chosen of the Gods, Primarch of the Eternal Zealots: WS6 BS5 S6 T6 W5 I5 A4 LD10 SV2+/4++

Unit Composition •1 (Unique)

Unit Type •Infantry (Character)

Wargear •Armour of Lazarus •Jörmun and Gandr •Archeotech Pistol

Special Rules •Primarch •The Scapel •Dark Fortune •Sire of the Eternal Zealots •Very Bulky

Sire of the Eternal Zealots Aubrey is the spiritual heart of his Legion, the epitomie of all that his sons stand for and all they wish to achieve. Aubrey has the Crusader Rule, and confers this on any squad he joins. In addition, all models with the Legiones Astartes (Eternal Zealots) rule may re-roll failed leadership tests, and all apothecaries in a force containing Aubrey may re-roll a single failed FnP test once per turn.

The Scapel Aubrey likes to be on the front line, doing his part to keep his sons safe, challenging the leaders and champions of the enemy armies, like a surgeon cutting out the cancer of his foes. Aubrey must issue a challenge if possible, gains Preferred Enemy while in a challenge, and if he wins, all allied forces within 24” of him gain +1 to Combat Resolution to determine who was won an assault.

Dark Fortune The player may re-roll any failed Deny the Witch Rolls for Aubrey. In addition, once per game, Aubrey may elect to force a single enemy model or squad to re-roll all successful hits on Aubrey, both from shooting and close combat in a given player turn. Note you must accept the re-rolls, even if they are better.

Armour of Lazarus The Armour of Lazarus confers a 2+/4++ save, and in addition he may re-roll his It Will Not Die rolls and gains 5+ FnP.

Jörmun and Gandr These matched serpentime Blades, made by dark powers in the heart of the Eye, are fast as quicksilver and can slice any foe apart with ease.

Jörmun and Gandr Range: Melee Strength: User Ap: 2 Type: Melee, Duellists Edge, Paired (+1 Attack), Soulrend Soulrend: For every wound caused in a challenge, the enemy suffers -1 to both WS and I, and it stacks.

Tollund Ötztal

Tollund Ötztal, the Steel Mastadon, Chosen of the ṣālman, Ice-Chief of Tisenjoch, Primarch of the Mastadontii: WS7 BS5 S6 T6 W6 I6 A3 LD10 SV3+/3++

Unit Composition •1 (Unique)

Unit Type •Infantry (Character)

Wargear •The Mammoth’s Hide •Tizheruk •Glaciarax

Special Rules •Primarch •Speaker of the Machine •Sire of the Mastadontii •Very Bulky •Vidutana

Sire of the Mastadontii Ötztal is revered by his sons as the warm heart of a Legion born of ice, who spurs his sons on to victory at every turn.

Speaker of the Machine Ötztal has an affinity for the Machine Spirits of his Legion, and can communicate with them. All models with Power of the Machine Spirit gain IWND, and in addition models with the Battlesmith rule may re-roll when repairing vehicles in a force containing Ötztal.

The Mammoth’s Hide Adorned with totems of warding and relics of the great hunts he has done, the Mammoth’s Hide is a mighty warsuit fit for the Lord of the Mastadontii. The Mammoth’s Hide confers a 3+/3++ save, and in addition he may re-roll his Deny the Witch Rolls and has the Monster-Hunter special Rule.

Tizheruk This Ancient Spear, remade from Ötztal’s broken original by the Emperor is a deadly weapon, fast and brutal and perfect for killing great beasts. Tizheruk (Combat) Range: Melee Strength: 9 Ap: 2 Type: Melee, Two Handed, First Strike, Heartrend Heartrend: Every unsaved would caused by Tizheruk in a challenge or against a Monstrous Creature is multiplied into D3 wounds.

Glaciarax An ancient weapon that projects a stream of liquid nitrogen to freeze solid any foe.

Glaciarax Range: Template Strength: 6 Ap: 3 Type: Assault 1, Sheer Cold

Sheer Cold: for each unsaved wound taken from Glaciarax, the target has to pass a Strength test or be removed from play.

Vidutana: In 3000+ point games, Ötztal can take this special transport for 500 points. Vidutana is a Legion Stormblade with a void shield, a transport capacity of 15, the Command Tank upgrade, and a rear access point. In addition it doesn't take up a Lord of War slot.

Legion Rules

The Entombed Legion Rules

Undertaker: Elites slot apothecaries in terminator armour. For every Undertaker, you may take a squad of Terminators as a troops choice.

Erebus, Lord of the Grave: 2+ poison weapon but very low WS. High T and many W. Improves the FNP of the entire army by 1.

The Emperor's Eyes Legion Rules

All units suffer -3 leadership ////// would they also not have the and they shall know no fear rule? What with them being cowardly and all./// evidentally, people have agreed that it makes no sense for a cowardly legion to exist. So this is the best i can do

Tactical Squads may take a Stalker Bolter per marine for 3 pts per marine. Grants Precision shot.

Assault Marines may take another chain sword for 3pts and gain another attack OR take a storm bolter for 7pts per model. ////// Would cowards who favor long range even have Assault marine's? would they not eschew closecombat entirely?//// They have a special caste for it, dedicated to clise combat

Scouts may take snipers for free.

Terminators may take a storm bolter instead of a melee weapon for 10pts per model /////// they come with a storm bolter and power fist...?/// They can get another

You may redeploy one unit after the game has begun. Use the deepstrike rules.

If a chaplain joins this squad,they gain 3ld

SPECIAL CHARACTER Venerable Dreadnought Occhio Cost 250 Stats: Armor WS4 BS7 S7 F14 s12 r10 I2 A1

Unit • 1 Contemptor Dreadnought Occhio Type • Vehicle, Walker Special Rules • Atomantic Shielding • Fleet

Unit • 1 Contemptor Dreadnought Occhio Type • Vehicle, Walker

Special Rules • Atomantic Shielding • Fleet

WEAPONRY

Heavy Conversion Beamer

  Range   Str	 AP      Type

Up to 18” 7 - Heavy 1, 5” Blast, Firing Calibration

18” to 42” 9 4 Heavy 1, 5” Blast, Firing Calibration

42” to 72” 10 1 Heavy 1, 5” Blast, Firing Calibration

• Occhio may also have Extra Armour..................... +20 points • The Occhio may also have a Searchlight..........................+3 point • The Occhio may also have a carapace-mounted Cyclone Missile Launcher.............................................................................+45 points

Primarch Gallery

• 

  Inferox the Burned King

• 

  Rook North

• 

  The Voidwatcher

• 

  Aubrey the Grey

• 

  Nathanog

• 

  Alexandri

• 

  Tollund Ötztal

• 

  Onyx the Indestructible

• 

  Golgothos the Fervent