Angels of Light (Imperium Asunder)

The Angels of Light
Battle Cry	The God Emperor is with us!
Number	XII
Successor Chapters	Many
Primarch	Alexios the White
Homeworld	New Constantine
Specialty	Rapid assault and skirmish tactics using Bikes and drop pods
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours

"The God Emperor is my beacon, with him I cannot be lost. The God Emperor is my shield, with him no foe can best me. The God Emperor is my libram, with him no task is too great."

– Litany of the God Emperor, verse I

"Tis not fit world for beast nor man, so blow Storm Hammer, crack your cheeks, and strike, Serpent, flood their cities and spires, and tell me what it accomplished. I can be bounded in a boltshell and call myself Emperor of infinite space, for while you lived and died at Terra's gates, found I my manhood cheaply bought. How sharper than a Serpents tooth is a cold and cruel universe."

– Address of Alexios Constantine to the Council of Titans, verse I

The Angels of Light are the holy warriors of the God Emperor of Mankind. In battle they descend from the sky in drop pods and jetbikes, rapidly destroying the enemy. In peace they are scholars, autocrats, and philosophers who seek to rebuild the Imperium of Man as best they can. They rule Imperium Minorum, a crusader state which seeks to emulate the ways of Lost Terra.

Summary of Legion XII

Numeration: The XIIth Legion

Primogenitor: Alexios the White

Cognomen (Prior): The Brightguard

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Jetbikes and Land speeders with infantry support.

Noteworthy Domains: Imperium Minorum, the Eastern Empire

Alliegance: Fidelitas Constantus

Homeworld

Alexios's pod lands on Alexandria, a world in central Pacificus. Alexandria was a world of libraries, deep vault ships launched from Terra long ago brought library records as a sort of time capsule, seeking to conserve the knowledge of mankind as best they could, should something terrible happen to Terra. Alexios rose quickly among the clerk-priests of Alexandria, and soon he ruled the planet as Master of Relics. One night Alexios has a dream of a golden angel, coming in the clouds like a great beacon. The next day, his dream proved prophetic as the Emperor of Mankind, Beloved by all, came to Alexandria. Compliance was swift and welcome. Alexios was given command of his XIIth legion and the 99th Expeditionary fleet. Alexios chose to lead his expedition deeply through the warp to expand his father's realm, and found hmself in the far east of Ultima Segmentum. Many worlds knelt to Alexios as he had knelt to the Emperor, but eventually one stood defiant. The name of that world was expunged from all records of the 99th Expedition or the XIIth legion. All of the inhabitants of the world were purged, the seas boiled away, and the mountains bulldozed with massive constructor fleets. The planet was rebuilt with Imperial colonists, and named Constantine. Alexios made it his formal seat, establishing a military bureaucracy in the great basilicas of his golden city. From there, the Angels conquered many more worlds in the name of the Emperor of Mankind, Beloved by All.

Legion Tactics

The Angels of Light prefer to prosecute the foe as quickly and decisively as they can. The Angels drop from the sky en masse, forcing compliance. Worlds who will not accept compliance are not given second chances, purged as New Constantine was purged. Not many worlds refused compliance after New Constantine, and those who join the Imperium are treated as lost brothers, welcomed into the fold.

The Angels prefer to strike quickly and decisively, and to that end they favor the mobility and power of a warbike. Scimitar jetbikes, landspeeders, and Outrider warbike squads make up key forces in any strategy of the Angels. However, once the rapid assault is done and ground has been taken, it must be held. To this end, Angels of light tactical marines are skilled at defending and fortifying territory, aided by their Varangir Guardsmen auxiliaries.

Legion Organization

The Angels of Light are the most ordered and organized of the Astartes Legions. Among the Crusader States, Alexios' Codex Astartes is the textbook of war. Great Captains among the Angels are called Strategos, and they lead chapters of ten thousand. Each strategos commands ten captains, called Dux, who each rule over ten cohorts. Cohorts are specialized battlefield units, Devastator heavy weapons teams, Tactical squads, mobile Assault teams, Jetbike or Landspeeder squadrons, and many more. Each specialization has a specific place on the Hierarchy of Honor, and recruits are re-assigned to teams to fit their station as they rise through the ranks of the legion. At the top of the hierarchy are the Pantheon, Alexios' honor guard, who ride with him on his massive flying command platform and weapons array, the Quadriga, or in jetbike escort to the quadriga.

Legion History

Great Crusade

Alexios was discovered early, for his homeworld Alexandria sat in the inner edge of Segmentum Pacificus. Given command of his XIIth legion, then called the Brightguard. The Emperor gave him an expeditionary fleet, the best imperial ships, skilled navigators and astropaths, and the might of the Imperial legions of war. Alexios opted to lead his fleet far out to the Imperial East, so that he might expand Imperial borders as deeply as possible. There he found the Varangir Stars, a cluster of blue and green stars with many ice giants and superjovians. Orbiting the gas giants of Varangir were many habitable moons, and on those moons lived the Varangirans.

The Varangiran empire was technobarbaric in nature. The Varangir cluster had been settled by humans long before the age of strife and the long night, and in their golden age they rode from moon to moon in vessels coated in nanogolden foil. These vessels turned out to be so well designed, and so independent of maintenance, that their use outlasted their understanding. The people of Varangir regressed to medievalist barbarian societies, living in stone castles and wooden forts. However, these regressed savages still maintained the interplanetary vessels of their ancient kin, keeping the system culturally unified. Varangiran warlords regularly conquered orbital territories across the cluster, naming themselves fylknir, the varangiran word for a king.

When Alexios came to the Varangir cluster, he first made contact with Halstrad, fylknir of the Jarneik clan. Halstrad believed the angelic primarch to be Odingr, chief god of his heathen pantheon. He submitted to Alexios and his Astartes immediately, pledging eternal fealty. Many other warlords were brought to heel, though some needed convincing, whether it be through diplomacy of violence. The Astartes warriors impressed the Varangirans deeply, for their armor resisted their primitive weapons.

Alexios reeducated the Varangiran people, teaching them to understand technologies long since forgotten. The Varangiran people proved to be excellent auxiliary soldiers for the Angels, as they proved quite effective at holding the ground the Astartes took. Bastions and fortifications held by Varangiran guardsmen could hold out with their lasrifles till doomsday, and against close up foes their power axes and combat knifes prove quite effective.

Legion Equerry

The Red Angel, Entheates Magikos

Scarlet Sorcerors
Colours

Chapter Master Entheates Magikos is considered a rebel among the Angels of Light. Despite proscription against sorcery in the Codex Astartes, Entheates is a powerful psyker who mantains a strong chapter Librariam. Outcast from the very beginning, Entheates and his Scarlet Sorcerors live in a penitent fleet, permanently crusading in the Tempestus Gap. As such, the Scarlet Sorcerors have stronger bonds to the Crimson Warhawks and Broken Blades than to their own legionary Crusader State. However, 'stronger' does not mean 'strong,' for many distrust the sorceries of Entheates and his men.

Formerly an Abbot of the Ordo Malcador, Chapter Master Magikos and his librarians are skilled in the art of seraphbinding. Drawing spirits of the God Emperor from the Empyrean into mortal hosts, Seraphbound Sorcerors are capable destruction on a scale of no other psykers. Seraphs are beings of pure law and order, when faced with vile chaos, their fury knows no bounds. Such beings are skilled pyromancers, diviners, and biomancers, and while the Seraphbound are primarily psykers, their bodies are far stronger than a normal marine's as well.

The Orange Angel, Basil Logrok

Solar Angels
Colours

Recruited from the Varangiran heartlands as boy, Logrok rose quickly among the Comitatenses of the Illuminators chapter. From the Illuminators he learned the destructive power of flame, and from the Comitatenses he learned the importance of discipline. After proving himself as 3rd Captain in the 8th Great Crusade against the Warp Raider's vile piracy, Basil Logrok was granted a successor chapter. Chapter Master Logrok named his chapter the Solar Angels, and in the wake of the dying and disappearing primarchs, he became one of the most well known tactical theorists in history. Logrok is strict, disciplined, and believes

The Solar Angels' are codex compliant, and in the selection of their weapons they prefer prometheum and plasma weaponry. Their zealous uncompromising nature is well known across the East, and their strict devotion established doctrine is their greatest strength. It is said that officers among the Solar Angels are hardly even necessary, for the line soldiers know their orders before they are given. They earned their greatest honors in the 10th crusade fighting alongside the Fists of Mars to reclaim ancient mechanicus relics, and when the tech-heresy of that crusade was revealed, they sided with the Broken Blades against the hereteks. The Solar Angels control territory far out in the southeastern fringe of Imperium Minorum, and hold the loyalties of only a few lesser chapters.

The Yellow Angel, Isokeles Megalonumos

Seraphim Guard
Colours

Isokeles Megalonumos is a haughty, proud, and vain man. His Seraphim Guard chapter has the honor of defending the throneworld Constantine itself, and in that duty they have become complacent. Constantine is deep in the interior of Imperium Minorum, and enemies do not even penetrate far enough to threaten the planet or its surrounding core worlds. Chapter Master Megalonumos spends far more time politicking than fighting, and in the many years of his command he has managed to consolidate a great deal of power. Many lesser chapters swear loyalty to the Seraphim Guard, and a vast portion of tithes are funneled into the chapter's greedy coffers.

The Seraphim Guard are codex non-compliant by official grant, their duty requiring different doctrines. They field no Cataphract companies, and what few jetbikes they field are used primarily as patrol forces. Instead, the Seraphim Guard field vast garrison forces, often armed with power pikes and storm shields. Line Soldiers of the Seraphim Guard are known to be a bit portly, having grown fat off their riches and centuries of peace.

The Green Angel, Herodotus Vulturus

Crypt Vultures
Colours

Herodotus Vulturus is a man of action, and has little regard for tradition, doctrine, or political influence. In the 9th great crusade against Necron uprisings in the Unyielding Vigil, Vuturus learned of the importance of quick, imaginative thinking. Angel of Light battle doctrines proved less than useless to him in the underground war to purge the necrom Tomb Vaults, and Vulturus adapted his chapter for that battlefield. Vulturus has many personal ties to his soldiers, especially his offers, and he commands a fierce unwavering loyalty. Many marines of the 9th crusade, both inside his chapter and without, know that they would not have survived save for Herodotus Vulturus' cunning.

The Crypt vultures are codex non-compliant. They forged their own battledoctrines in the 9th crusade against the Necrons, where improvisation and survival were one and the same. Instead of the Codex standard of bikes, the Crypt Vultures primarily use jump packs, and prefer stealth and guile to rapid assault. For weapons, Crypt Vultures are particularly fond of graviton weapons, as they proved useful against the hard necrodermis armor of their xenos foes.

The Blue Angel, Ionnas Komnene

Gryphonwing
Colours

Ionnas Komnene is an honorable man who values glory above all else. On the frontier world of Kythera, Ionnas was the first Angel to discover the heretical Blackshield Paladins' support of the Tau. In the Great Crusade which followed, Ionnas lead his Gryphonwing chapter to many battlefield honors by being very particular about the campaigns he chose to commit to. Planets which would prove long, inglorious slogs were passed over in favor of quick, decisive victories, knowing that lesser chapters would take on the lesser tasks.

The Gryphonwing Chapter are codex compliant, and their Landspeeder cohorts are, by far, the best in the galaxy. Speed and maneuverability are the core of Gryphonwing battledoctrine, never giving the enemy sufficient time to react, and striking swiftly wherever they are weakest. The honors they earned in the 12th Crusade earned them a great deal of clout in Imperium Minorum, and a great many lesser chapters are loyal to Ionnas Komnene and his glorious Gryffons.

The Purple Angel, Eulodius Rex

Angels of Light
Colours

Eulodius Rex, chosen champion of Alexios, Strategos of the East, was the most decorated and venerable chapter master in the early years of the Crusader States. As Alexios' right hand, he commanded the Angels of Light as Master of the Legion during the heresy, and took command of the first-founding chapter after the Codex split it into many pieces. As the White Angel grew more and more reclusive, Eulodius became the De Facto ruler of Imperium Minorum. On the battlefields of the 3rd Great Crusade, Eulodius became one of the first Chosen Of the Emperor. Bathed in the light of the God Emperor, Eulodius' angelic form was able to slay a vile daemon prince of Tzeentch. Afterward it is said that his eyes forever glowed with a golden presence. In the Age of Apostacy after Alexios published his Theologia Euangelia, Eulodius Rex lead the faction which supported the Temple of the Savior Emperor. His Martyrdom at the hands of the old Imperial Truth faction cemented his place in Imperium Minorum's history for all time.

The Angels of Light hold the Chapter Name of their parent legion, and in doing so bear the many battle honors the legion earned in the Emperor's Great Crusade. Deeply religious and extremely proud, the Angels' battle doctrine is exactly compliant to the Codex Astartes.

Writefaggotry

Theologia Euangelia Volume 546 Psalm 468 Verse 4862

A flight of Angels sat upon the cliffs of kythera, talking amongst themselves to pass the long hours of their overwatch. The greatest among them, Razaios the Red Seraph, turned to one of the lesser angels, his face dour. He spoke in a gruff, judgemental tone, "Tell me, little cherub, what illumination did you bring to the Libraries of Constantine? How did you earn your wings?"

The little angel was unsure of himself, but he spoke all the same, "My lord... I... wrote of the virtue of tubers over graincorn as a means of feeding manufactorum workers." The flight of angels erupted with laughter, but a stern look from Razaios quieted them.

The Seraph loomed over the cherub, and spoke authoritatively, "This is not something to be mocked. This cherub's work was deemed valuable by the clerks of New Constantine and the authority of the White Angel..." he suddenly showed a wide grin, "I am sure the Lectitio Potatus was a great contribution." The angels laughed and laughed, even the little potato cherub.

Eulodius Rex, Chosen of the Emperor

Once in a blue moon, when one of the Pantheon is of great worth and in great need, the God Emperor of Mankind chooses him as his champion. Such a thing happened to Eulodius Rex, during the second crusade. The Angels sought to take the desert world of Tallarn, to use as a staging ground for further expeditions into the disputed zone. It was held, however, by the daemonic mechanicus monstrosities of the Behemoth Guard, who sought the very same thing.

Gengrat's mutant masterminds had built towering fortifications of twisting flesh, iron cables, and wheels turning within wheels. Void Shields decorated with the corpses of heretics rose like spires among the fortification, protecting the Bohemoths from orbital bombardment. The dark robed forms marching the battlements were barely discernable from the mutinous construction they walked upon. Astartes with elongated elephentine trunks and thousands of mechadendrite tenticles marched alongside technoslaves draped in the unholy sigils of their dark god.

The Angels came from above on wings of flame. Fresco painted drop pods and gold plated stormravens broke orbit with atmospheric flame bathing them in glowing halos of light. At ten thousand feed, the bay doors of the stormravens open wide and let loose a barrage of what at first seems like rocket fire. The rockets are, indeed the Pantheon, tearing through the atmosphere on their Jetbikes and landspeeders, ready to send the enemies of the God Emperor to hell, where traitors and heretics burn for all time.

They were not prepared, however, for the true madness of Gengrat's machinations. From the churning wheels of the fortress arose a monstrosity of twisted diaphanous wings and rough iron tentacles dripping with ectoplasm. A thousand eyes pockmarked what could be called its skin, watching a thousand directions. On its forehead, dripping red with blood, was a crucified man. From his skull a million red neurocables spanned fell like hair into the depths of the monstrosity. The Great Beast had been summoned, vilest of the technodemons. The infantry forces of the Angels of Light which had been pushing toward the fortress were pushed back as the Beast spewed up gobs of sticky plasma upon them.

Alexios' pantheon charged at the Beast from above. The Multi-melta arrays of the Quadriga melted molten holes in the flesh of the Beast, but it seemed to barely notice. The multilaser guns of his jetbike managed only to singe the monstrosity's flesh. Amid the chaos of battle, Eulodius Rex recited the Litany of Light.

"The God Emperor is my beacon, with him I cannot be lost. The God Emperor is my shield, with him no foe can best me. The God Emperor is my libram, with him no task is too great."

The Emperor smiled on Eulodius' steadfast faith and bravery, and chose him as his champion. The light of the Empyrean buzzed about him like a thunder cloud, and his armor changed to the pure white of the sun. His jetbike vanished and instead he grew wings of glorious soft down. His eyes were the blazing fury of a vengeful god, and in his hand he held the lightning of a raging storm. Eulodius swept down upon the Beast, striking him with lightning and screaming the God Emperor's fury. The battle was monolithic in scope, and many soldiers on both sides died in the blood-soaked sand beneath the titans. In the end, Eulodius Rex speared the beast through the heart, and banished it back into the warp.

The God Emperor's aspect faded from Eulodius, leaving him a lone Astartes, collapsed and exhausting in the warp-rifted crater which was once the Bohemoth fortress. For the rest of his days Eulodius Rex was honored among the Legion, and he served as Sebastokrator of the First Cohort until the year 0.892.402.M34. It is said by those who served under him that in battle, if you looked closely, you could still see the blazing light in his eyes.

Contact at Kythera, Beginning of the XIIth Crusade

The wind whipped through Ionnas Komnene's hair. He wore no helmet, and the furry, matted curls of his hair roared about his head like the mane of a lion. His armor was a bright blue, trimmed in white. On his shoulder was an Gryphon sigil, gilded and decorated with precious gems. The other shoulder was bare of ornamentation, but bore the purple hue which only a Captain was permitted to wear. He sat in the command seat of a Storm pattern Land Speeder, a three-man gravship painted the same bright blue as Ionnas' armor. To Ionnas' left and right were his Excubitores, Symean and Zynobius, loyal officers who had served on the same speeder with him for decades. Flanking the ship in a flying v pattern were twelve riders. They rode warbikes with treads capable of crushing stones, and the far bikes on each flank had sidecars with mounted melta turrets. On the control array in front of Ionnas, an auspex showed Alpha squadron twelve kilometres to the west, and Gamma squad twelve kilometres to the east. No other signals appeared, the three dots sitting quietly on the dark plane of the auspex.

The world around Ionnas was flat and barren. White silicate sand covered this planet end to end, with only the occasional wadi or oasis offering haven for Imperial colonists. Ionnas' squadron, Beta squadron, sped through the night at high speed. They were, after all, on the hunt. Six ships had broken through the blockade and entered this system, called Kythera. Six enemy vessels, carrying unknown passengers or cargo, had made their way from xenos space into this system. This system, which had been officially bestowed upon the Gryphon Wing chapter by the White Angel himself. That insult could not be allowed. Ionnas' lord had tracked at least two of the ships to Kythera 2, and had dispatched three squadrons to investigate.

"Sir," said Zynobius, "We are approaching Camp 15. No signs of xenos landing zones. Should we proceed through to Camp 16?" Ionnas pondered for a moment, then replied, "No, Brother sargeant, I think not. Bring us into the camp." The squadron rolled into the low canyon of Camp 15, one of the few successful settlements on the surface of Kythera II. Camp 15's buildings were dug into the canyon walls of a deep gully, living off seasonal flooding to feed their sparse crops. Those same crops were churned under the treads of Ionnas' squadron as they came to a stop in the center of the camp. Symean brought the speeder to full-stop, settling it into the dust. As it touched down, Ionnas and Zynobius dismounted, making their way toward the houses.

An Old Crone of a woman sat on the stoop of her sandstone hovel in front of the squadron. Where all the other colonists had hustled into their homes at the roaring of the bikes' engines, this woman stood resolute. Ionnas approached her, his shadow blocking out the sun. "Where are the ships, Matron?" said Ionnas, his voice silver smooth, "What have your people seen?" The Crone did not look up upon the Astartes' face, only sput out her chew and muttered, "You been ridin' the desert fer hours, yeh?" It took a moment for Ionnas to understand her accent, and he replied, "Nine hours, since we left Camp 14. What of it, crone?" The crone continued, "Seen the ripplins' on the horizon? Reflectin nothin at nothin?" Ionnas eyed the woman keenly, unsure at her point, "You mean Mirages? A world as flat as this with an albedo so high should cause many of them, I presume. What is your point, madame?" The woman finally turned her head upward, making eye contact with the Astartes, "'Taint Mirages, m'lord. Them's shadow-shields, twisting of the light, yes, but twisted by hands, not by nature, no, not by nature at all..." Ionnas' eyes widened as he began to understand. "Mount up!" he cried, hustling back to his command seat.

Beta Squadron sped through the waning daylight. Ionnas kept his eyes on the horizon, scanning for any signs of disturbance. His eyes found what they were looking for, a glimmering shadow easily mistaken for a natural mirage. He diverted the squadron to a circular route around the target. Ionnas spoke into the vox transmitter on his armored gorget, "Orbital command code Epsilon Pi, subcode Beta, request drop." The vox crackled for a moment before responding in the robotic voice of a servitor helot, "Drop request confirmed, beta squadron. Report coordinates and await confirmation." Ionnas nodded to Symean, who calculated and transmitted drop vectors to the orbital command vessel in orbit. It was not long before they could hear the whistling cry and golden streaks of fire which foretold a Drop Pod attack. As the drop pods descended from the sky, Ionans sped his squadron into tubrodrive, turning directly toward the target. Facing the objective, and getting closer, Ionnas could see the foe more clearly. Behind the shimmering shield was a rock-crete domed building. Surrounding that building were five towers with some sort of mounted gun platforms. Ionnas' heart beat loudly in his chest, and with each beat his landspeeder accelerated. "FOR THE GOD EMPEROR!" shouted Ionnas in a resonating harp-like voice, "MAY HIS ANGELS KNOW NO FEAR!" replied his men in unison.

The Drop pods crashed to the ground ahead of Beta Squadron. The pods' angular structure was decorated with golden arches, and their surfaces painted with images of the Emperor's many Saints. The Paintings drew back with the doors, and from the pods spewed a cohort of the Gryphon Wing's comitatenses. The soldiers fired upon an enemy Ionnas could not yet see. The towers opened fire upon Ionnas' brothers, spewing icy-hot plasma down at them. Ionnas gave the order, and the multi-meltas of Beta Squadron opened fire. Beams of heat brighter than a star bore holes through the robotic turrets. As the dust of the drop pods' landing cleared, Ionnas could finally see the true foe. Ionnas had just enough time to say "That cannot be!" before his squadron crashed into the enemy.

Their armor was the same pale white of the sandy desert around them. Their design patterns were altered significantly, more angular and with increased mechanosupport, but Ionnas recognized them all the same: Astartes. Four of Ionnas' squadron crashed into the enemy, their bikes knocking down the mecha-paladins just long enough for their riders to recover. Sidearms and Power Swords drawn, the dismounted Gryphons engaged the enemy with their comitatenses brothers. The remainder of Ionnas' squad rode through the town, strafing what enemies they could with their bolters and melta guns. Ionnas' speeder itself unloaded its heavy bolter sponsons, pockmarking the armor of the Paladins with thousands of impact craters. The Paladins opened fire with their own xeno-enhanced fusion cannons, burning any of the encircling marines who got too close. From within the domed structure came reinforcements for the enemy: two squads of blue skinned caste warriors with plasma rifles. Ionnas pulled his squadron around for another strafing run. Turning to his Excubitores, Ionnas spoke, "Brothers, I mean to dismount and face the enemy. Fight well from the skies!" In a hailfire of bullets and plasma, Ionnas leapt from the landspeeder as it zoomed by. He drew his blade, and as he fell he plunged it into one of the paladins. "Traitors!" Ionnas boomed, "You dare turn against the Imperium of Man? You would side with the Xenos against your ancient kin? I will have your head for this!" The largest paladin turned to face Ionnas. Its blocky shoulderpads were painted with grey sigils, visible only up close. Ionnas' eyes widened as he took in the sigils. "The Sigil of Kor, as if I had not already known! You will not be the only ones who die for this treachery, but you have the honor of being the first. May you burn in hell." He pulled his hand-flamer from its maglocked holster, and fired it at the ground before the paladins. The promethium burned the sand, turning it to glass.

The Paladins fired, and the Gryphons closed in from all sides. Bolter shells exploded among the fire warriors even as assault marines crashed in among them. The Paladins killed marines by the score with their fusion guns, but one by one the Multi-Meltas of Beta Squadron tore them apart. Ionnas struck one of the paladins with his sword, dousing him with promethium and kicking the armored form to the ground. As the paladin within cooked in his armor, Ionnas knelt down and calmly examined its helmet. He pulled on a catch, and the armor plating opened to reveal the marine within. His nose was like that of a snake's, and his skin was as pale as his armor. The paladin hissed at Ionnas, "Your people have burned the stars for centuries!" Its voice was shrill and resonated with vibrato, "Not here, not anymore. This world is protected, and you shall spread your madness no further!" The mutated creature spat on Ionnas, uttering curses at him. Ionnas placed the head of his hand flamer into the Paladin's armor, and doused the fiend in the God Emperor's holy promethium.