Search the Community

Basically what if the Forces of Chaos hold no punches against the Loyalist (instead of holding back 99.999999999999% of its power). Every weapon and dirty trick is put to use. Siege of Ulthwé or the Imperial-Ork-Eldar Slaughterhouse: -Before the Heresy starts Horus orders the Lion to take the Bulk of the Dark Angels plus a massive Imperial Army/Navy force with elements of the Mechanicus/Skitarii/Knights (those 100% loyal to the Emperor, hand-picked by Horus) to attack Craftworld Ulthwé -Corswain leads a much smaller group to attack the Gordian League. Dark Angels take several times the number of deaths they've suffered in Canon and take much longer to exterminate the Gordians -Ulthwé receives massive aid from Biel-tan, Iyaden, Saim-Hann, Alaitoc plus two dozen minor craftworlds. Phoenix Lords, Harlequins, Corsairs and Commoragh also aid. Orks are bribed or mislead to be the first wave of defending ships. (Dark Eldar aid Ulthwé for selfish-pragmatic reasons. The Craftworld Eldar take the Imperium's heat/attention away from the Dark City) -Lion's massive Armada arrives and immediately engages the Eldar traps/space mines and the large Ork fleets causing horrific destruction in just the 1st phase of the battle alone. Each Phoenix Lord, Drazhar/Arha, Lelith Hesparax and the King of Mandrakes go on a teleporting-rampage across the insides of Imperial ships. -Too many Imperial Army ships so they attack the combined Eldar fleet and engage the defenses of Ulthwé allowing Dark Angel and Mechanicus ships to be mostly undamaged getting close to the Craftworld. Phoenix Lords, Mandrake King, Lelith and Drazhar teleport back to the outskirts of Ulthwé and start attacking transports and slsughtering the landing Dark Angels, Solar Auxilia, Guardsmen, Combat Servitors, Combat Techpriests and Skitarii -The Carnage is enormous. Billions of Eldar, Trillions of Orks and even MOAR Trillions of Humans die in the Siege. Ulthwé is decimated and countless Soul Stones are destroyed, many Dark Eldar permanently die. Lion, Zagreus Kane, Eldrad plus many others die. -Eye of Terror expands and Daemons invade. Ulthwé is devoured along with all the Eldar souls and the Lion's body. Craftworld Altansar's defenses crack and they too are consumed. N'Kari leads a humongous Daemonic invasion of Iyaden -Avenging the lost of so many Eldae Craftworld Biel-Tan invades Fenris. Russ, Space Wolves, Valdor and his Custodes and Jennita and his Silent Sisters forced to defend Fenris. Captain Polux leads the Imperial Fists fleet to aid them. This battle alone ensures Horus/Chaos Gods win the Heresy before it even starts with the direct side-effects, not mentioning the indirect side-effects that each give the Traitors the absolute chance of victory! Destruction of Solemnace: -At the same time as Lion's invasion Horus orders Vulkan to invade Trazyn's Tomb World with a much smaller Imperial Army and Mechanicus force. The Warmaster also orders Guilliman to send 1/5th of the Ultramarines under Gage to aid Vulkan. Corax secretly sends 1/8th of thr Raven Guard to assist as well. -Almost everyone dies. Trazyn is slowly dying but manages to PERMANENTLY KILL Vulkan. Close to death and with most of his Collection and Army gone he begs the Chaos Gods to give him power in exchange for eternal service. He is transformed into a Daemon Prince. Major Side-effects: -Another Loyalist Legion is ambushed by the Iron Warriors in the Battle for Phall -Another Loyalist Legion has to deal with Konrad, Night Lords and Traitor Titans at Thramas. Without the Tulchucha Engine the Loyalist Legion would suffer just as severe losses as the Night Lords. -ANOTHER Loyalist Legion has to deal with the Thousand Sons on Prospero with the TS fleet already returning and with Ahriman taking control of the Legion, fortifying Prospero. -Forgeworld Diamat is taken by the Traitors. Pumps out soldiers and weapons for Horus' side throughout the Heresy -Battle of Calth is much more bloody for the Ultramarines -There are no Shattered Legions. Salamanders wiped out at Solemnance. Corax dies on Isstvan V. Drop Site Massacre pretty much wipes out the Raven Guard and Iron Hands. -Much more Daemonic Hordes manifesting and invading Loyalist worlds overstretching and decimating the Imperials -Typhus gets the Tulchulcha Engine for the Death Guard. Mortarion and his Legion brutally ambush and mostly exterminate the White Scars. -Knights-Errants go to Deliverance to mass-produce new Geneseed. Unfortunately Alpha Legion/Dark Mechanicum forces aided by the Changeling deceiving Imperial Army Regiments into fighting for Horus take the planet and kill all the Errants. Deliverance becomes a Daemon World while ALL the Traitor Legions can mass-produce Raptor-styled Geneseed. -Unless someone stops Bile he will mass-produce New Men (Imagine 275k Terata fighting for Horus on the Siege of Terra!) -Bodt keeps mass-producing Geneseed and Marines for the World Eaters (Imagine the WE Legion EIGHT TIMES LARGER when they are fighting on Terra!!!) -With Zagreus Kane dead on Ulthwé much more of the Mechanicus defects to Kelbor-Hal's Dark Mechanicum -Horus' Traitor Imperial Army and Dark Mechanicum VASTLY OUTNUMBERS their Loyalist counterparts -Traitors/Daemons easily win the War within the Webway. More numbers and much stronger Daemons

“We are different, you and I. You are Farsalan, rash and untested. I am Terran, patient and tempered. Though we are not the same, by our father's will we fight together. Our culture and styles of war are merged. We are the Tempest Reavers and nothing more and nothing less.” - Fels Vili Alsan Lepiax to new Farsalan recruits. Tempest Reavers Numeration: XIth Legion Primogenitor: Ezharion Kulas Cognomen (Prior): Ranging Hawks Observed Strategic Tendencies: Shock Assaults, Ambush Warfare, Melee and Ranged Skirmishes, Long Range Infiltration, Defensive Guerrilla Operations and Mobile Warfare Noteworthy Domains: Farsalus (Primary), Farsalus Sub-Sector (Secondary, Training Grounds and Legion Muster Sites) The Tempest Reavers, formerly known as the Ranging Hawks, are the XIth Legiones Astartes, one of the famed Space Marine Legions forges by the Emperor for the undertaking of bringing the Galaxy to heel under the Imperium of Man during the grand campaign known as the Great Crusade. This Legion became renown for their contradicting cultural dynamics and unique style of warfare post reunification with their Primarch. Unlike many other legions, which had a seamless blend of cultures, the Tempest Reavers had two similar yet equally contrasting cultures in the Terrans and Farsalans. The Terrans, patient and calculating, skilled in the art of reconnaissance and marksmanship and the Farsalans, hot blooded and savage, specialists in ambushes and sudden overwhelming assaults. Led by their Primarch, Ezharion Kulas, they spent the decades of the Great Crusade building a reputation for rapid compliances and resounding military victories. Yet, their loyalty was only assured by the Emperor, and with his disappearance, they are unchained and in question. As the Imperium hangs in the balance, the Tempest Reavers stand on a knife-edge, poised to decide the outcome and success of any side in the coming Ruins. Tempest Reavers Armorial with Legion Iconography Tempest Reavers Legionary

The Halcyon Age The Halcyon Age was a common nickname for the period between the Vanishing and the First Ruin, though sometimes it is applied to the entire period of the Alexandrian Regency. Starting in 001.M31, it does begin with the disappearance of the Emperor. The name comes from the legion of the High Regent, Alexandros Darshan VonSalim, Shield-Lord of the Halcyon Wardens. It was hoped, in spite of the galactic disaster that was the Vanishing, the Imperium would recover and continue towards the golden age of Humanity promised by the Emperor and the Great Crusade. The Halcyon Age can be divided into three phases if one limits the term to a pre-Ruin timeframe. The first phase covers the years 001 to 004. These years would be spent in repairing the worst damages of the Vanishing. Although some aspects of the physical destruction of the Vanishing inflicted would last well into the next century, the most critical consequences would be addressed and resolved in some way by the end of 004. 005 to 007 would see the Imperium come closest to the hoped for golden age. These three years would see a general sense of security and prosperity spread across the Imperium. The final phase is recorded as 008 to 011 when the First Ruin occurs. These final years before the incoming cataclysms were known for the simmering strife as political forces broiled both in support and against the High Regent. As mentioned elsewhere, its other, less common, use was to simply refer to the Alexandrian Regency. As such, this other use begins with the same date, but it ends with the conclusion of the Fourth Ruin. Regardless of use, the Halcyon Age was used in less disrespectable fashion during the years in which it referred to. The age part of the term was often used in a demeaning manner by critics of the Alexandrian Regency. After the end of the Alexandrian Regency, the term shifted to a more glowing and nostalgic emphasis towards those precious few years before the Ruins.

Crimson Lions “Barbarians. Backwards brutes with no understanding of science and technology, clinging to superstition rather than embrace the modern age. Yet for all that, they are dangerous brutes and loyal in ways that put us all to shame. So do I fear the Second? I'd be a fool if I didn't.” - Absalom Vaughn, Primarch of the Black Stars Numeration: The IInd Legion Primogenitor: Hectarion Mycenor Cognomen (Prior): Blood Wolves Observed Strategic Tendencies: Heavy Infantry Assaults, Defensive Shieldwalls Noteworthy Domains: Mycenae (Primary), the Dominion of Mycenae Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus Warriors of rage yet of shields, the Crimson Lions stand tall among their cousins, both literally and metaphorically. For when the Crimson Lions appear on the battlefield, it is always with a roar, always advancing behind their shield walls. Yet, within their Primarch's empire of Mycenae, the Crimson Lions have shown the discipline and patience necessary for administration. Each Crimson Lion marches forward into battle with the history of his service on his skin as they add tattoos to represent their growing records of service with their veterans covered from head to toe in red pictograms. At the head of this legion of clans is Hectarion, a Primarch of warrior's prowess and berserker's rage. That very rage would become a temptation as their enemies sought to use it against them. Crimson Lions Legionary

The Star Lords "Who do we serve? -The Emperor for he is eternal! What are we? -We are the Emperor's will made manifest! What is our purpose? -To bring the Emperor's wrath to his enemies! Who are we? -We are the Star lords! We rule the stars! And through us the Emperor's foes will fall! --Battle Chant of the Star Lords Numeration: XVIIIth Legion Primogenitor: Caelum Vigilat Cognomen (Prior): Knights of the Sun Observed Strategic Tendencies: Ship-borne Assaults and Boarding Operations, Close Quarters Actions, and Linebreaker Assaults Noteworthy Domains: The Omega-17 Administrative Domain (a semi-autonomous political realm under the direct supervision of the Star Lords by writ of the Emperor's own hand, comprising a region of space designated by Lord Vigilat's origin point). Primary Legion Headquarters occupied the Omega-17 orbital facility from which the Star Lords oversaw nine different star systems, eighteen secondary recruitment systems, and dozens of watch-outposts and minor garrisons. Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus Star Lords Armorial with legion iconography Star Lords Legionary

The Five Ruins The apex of the Great Crusade was fast approaching. The costly Rangdan Xenocides has come to an end, leaving the Galactic North to fall into the Imperium’s hands in due time. Victory after victory suggested the Emperor’s vision of a united galaxy under humanity’s rule was no longer a question of if, but when. It is in this final phase that the monstrous Orks of Ullanor surged forth to threaten the Imperium’s very heart in Segmentum Solar. Warp storms that had provided a check had faded away, allowing the greenskins to pool their strength against outsiders. As virulent as this new assault was, the Emperor called for the greatest of his Sons and generals to join him in purging this threat. That would be the last anyone would have seen of him. At some point in transit to the Ullanor front lines, the Emperor simply vanished. Bereft of his incredible might, the War Council and the Primarchs fought the Ullanor Orks to a bloody stalemate as Malcador launched investigation after investigation into the whereabouts of the Master of Mankind. It was during this time, for a mere Terran hour, the Astronomican failed. Millions of lives and hundreds of ships were lost into the tempest of the Warp. How the guiding light of Terra was restored, none know. But warzones on the verge of success were thrown into disarray as promised reinforcements never arrived. As the years of the Emperor’s absence built upon each other, new threats emerged. Some bold, others subtle. With each additional stress, the Imperium weakened, until one fateful day when one of the Emperor’s own sons chose a new master. Message to Viewers Hello everyone! Welcome to the Five Ruins, the newest Alternate Heresy from the Brotherhood of the Lost group. The premise is 20 new Space Marine legions that get scattered as happened in canon, a Great Crusade, and then on the eve of the Ullanor Crusade the Emperor vanishes. From there everything slowly goes to hell, and is a very different kind of Heresy than Horus' in that there is not a single Heresy and push for Terra, but five phases of conflict that become known in Imperial History as the "Ruins". We are super excited working on the project and story for our legions, as we work towards producing Forgeworld-style books with both narrative and rules. We are always open for new people joining the project, whether you are a writer or an artist or a modeller or you have any other skill that improves the project, and there is a lot of potential to our galaxy for people to explore. We hope anyone viewing our work enjoys it, and watches or even participates as our narrative unfolds. Some of the threads and posts on this forum are rather old at this point, and are from the Icarion Insurrection, the Brotherhood of the Lost's first project. There are some legions and threads that are being carried forward and so contain information from the previous universe, but the older ones are there so you can see the history of the Brotherhood. We have a wiki we are working on, and it is growing pretty rapidly and is constantly being updated: https://the-five-ruins.fandom.com/wiki/The_Five_Ruins_Wiki Sincerely, simison, Project Leader and writer TrajantheGreat, Writer and rules maker TheBlindPrimarch, Member Darkcommander, Member and vehicle creator Sigismund229, Member Jimars, Member Lord_Ikka, Member Chaplian Belphoron, Member The Wolfguard, Member Phantom38, Member Tobias, Member Antus, Member NorikSigma, Member The Legions Iron Revenants Numeration: The Ist Legion Primogenitor: Araphel ‘the Colossus’ Cognomen (Prior): Steel Blades Allegiance: Fidelitas Tenebrae The First are relentless, cold and ruthless. They’re a legion that before the Ruins was known for its generalist style of warfare, with a form of adaptability that was horribly rigid in its nature. Often choosing to be dropped into the worst war zones possible as a method of proving themselves, they are highly competitive due to their position as the First Legion, and their Primarch’s position as First found. Warfare is often a mathematical equation, a way for them to quickly conquer a planet, reform it in the image of the Emperor and move on quickly. It was only after the Vanishing that the true extent of their paranoia started to become apparent to the other legions. Crimson Lions Numeration: The IInd Legion Primogenitor: Hectarion Mycenor Cognomen (Prior): Blood Wolves Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus Warriors of rage yet of shields, the Crimson Lions stand tall among their cousins, both literally and metaphorically. For when the Crimson Lions appear on the battlefield, it is always with a roar, always advancing behind their shield walls. Yet, within their Primarch's empire of Mycenae, the Crimson Lions have shown the discipline and patience necessary for administration. Each Crimson Lion marches forward into battle with the history of his service on his skin as they add tattoos to represent their growing records of service with their veterans covered from head to toe in red pictograms. At the head of this legion of clans is Hectarion, a Primarch of warrior's prowess and berserker's rage. That very rage would become a temptation as their enemies sought to use it against them. Black Stars Numeration: The IIIrd Legion Primogenitor: Absalom Vaughn Cognomen (Prior): The Marauders Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita Among the Legiones Astartes, none are as controversial as the Black Stars and their primogenitor, Absalom Vaughn. Born as a Legion of rampant raiders and brutes that were candidates for eradication, Absalom ruthlessly purged his Legion's of imperfections and moulded them anew in the form he desired. Now one of the most illustrious Legions, the Black Stars, driven by their Primarch's narcissism and envy for his brothers, wage war not only to protect the Imperium, but to also prove their supremacy. Victory is not enough, for every battle must serve a testament to their skills, and the Galaxy must bear witness. However, the IIIrd's obsessive quest for excellence has earned them the scorn and enmity of their peers in the Legiones Astartes, who view them as self-serving, arrogant and untrustworthy. As the Great Crusade progresses and the Black Stars' fixation is intensified, it becomes evident that their Path can only lead to Ruin. Red Eyes Numeration: The IVth Legion Primogenitor: Theoderaf Cognomen (Prior): Golden Brothers Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita There are few legions who embody duty and devotion more than the Red Eyes, being molded and molding themselves to be the Emperor’s executioners, his wrath made manifest and the ultimate punishment to the foes of the Emperor. They quickly established their unique style of warfare, savage yet precise strikes and large scale propaganda campaigns, with the areas and then worlds they conquered becoming some of the most compliant. Their reunion with their Primarch Theoderaf did nothing to change this, in fact it intensified it with Theoderaf’s and the new recruits from Certus Minor’s faith in the divine Emperor. Little did anyone at the time realise that this laid the groundwork for future events to shake them to their core. Halcyon Wardens Numeration: The Vth Legion Primogenitor: Alexandros Darshan VonSalim Cognomen (Prior): Storm Riders Allegiance: Fidelitas Totalis The defenders of the Imperium, the Halcyon Wardens serve as one of the most noble of Legions. Always seeking to protect the common man, the Wardens often place themselves between their charges and danger, forming a living wall to push back the threats to Mankind. Leading them is none other than the High Regent, Alexandros. As the chosen guardians in this era of anarchy, the Halcyon Wardens stretch themselves thin to both stabilize once-safe systems and to prevent the opportunistic enemies of Man from gaining a foothold. Alas, threats from within threaten to undo everything the Wardens have set out to accomplish. Shadow Warriors Numeration: The VIth Legion Primogenitor: Rang Talyc, ‘The Ash-Blooded’ Cognomen (Prior): Saturnine Raptors Allegiance: Traitoris Maximus A bold and controversial legion, the Shadow Warriors strive to match the high standards they set for themselves. Bound by their strong commitment to mastering combat and an intense sense of community within the legion, the Warriors were always at the forefront of the Great Crusade. These commitments also came with downsides, as the Shadow Warriors put their community above all others, particularly non-Astartes, and within the legion individual Aliite had their own sense of community that promoted independent action. It was this independence that would lead the Shadow Warriors following a dark path that none of them could have predicted. Monastic Ascendants Numeration: The VIIth Legion Primogenitor: Tenzin Cognomen (Prior): Thunder Knights Allegiance: Socius Sollicitus Lauded as a legion of contemplative thought and efficient action, the VIIth Legion Monastic Ascendants have chose to take on the duty of constantly self-improving and encouraging all those around them to better themselves, human and transhuman alike, for the sake of building a harmonious Imperium in the name of the Emperor. Renowned for their prowess with the machine as much as their ability to adapt on the battlefield, their extensive use of electronic warfare and guerrilla tactics on the battlefield has been the deciding factor in toppling many regimes during the many Compliance actions of the Great Crusade. This pursuit of technological advancement would force the Monastic Ascendants to forge their own path in the galaxy, breaking from all established tradition. Godslayers Numeration: The VIIIth Legion Primogenitor: Koschei Kharkovic Cognomen (Prior): Imperial Marchers Allegiance: Socius Solicitus What defines the Godslayers most is their utter dedication to humanity, willingly laying down their lives to protect them and holding them in the highest regard. Whilst earning derision from some of their brother legions, they are loved by their mortal allies and subjects. On the battlefield, the VIIIth wage methodical and cautious warfare, preferring close combat yet not being blinded by personal glory to seek engagements in unfavourable circumstances. Bolstering their ranks are their unique brand of psykers, known as Warp Suppressants, nullifying the psychic powers of their foes. Koschei and his legion's unbridled love of humanity and the struggle to reconcile that with the Imperium at large would lead the legion towards uncharted territory and ever more conflict. Thousand Sons Numeration: The XIth Legion Primogenitor: Magnus Cognomen (Prior): None Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus Obsidian Guard Numeration: The Xth Legion Primogenitor: Lukas Keath Cognomen (Prior): None Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus The Obsidian Guard specialise in siege warfare, . Surprising, or unsurprising depending on your point of view, for their specialty the Obsidian Guard they find a common kinship with the mortal forces that fight beside them in the mud and blood of the trenches they often occupy. The Obsidian Guard take a methodical, calculating approach to their craft, drowning the enemy fortresses with infernus and phosphex shells before advancing into the bombed out husk behind massed formations of Breachers. The fires of the Ruins would prove the ultimate testing ground for their nature, whether they would be broken or come out stronger than ever. Tempest Reavers Numeration: The XIth Legion Primogenitor: Ezharion Kulas Cognomen (Prior): Ranging Hawks Allegiance: Socius Solicitus The Tempest Reavers are renown for their contradicting cultural dynamics and unique style of warfare post reunification with their Primarch. Unlike many other legions, which had a seamless blend of cultures, the Tempest Reavers had two similar yet equally contrasting cultures in the Terrans and Farsalans. The Terrans, patient and calculating, skilled in the art of reconnaissance and marksmanship and the Farsalans, hot blooded and savage, specialists in ambushes and sudden overwhelming assaults. Led by their Primarch, Ezharion Kulas, they spent the decades of the Great Crusade building a reputation for rapid compliances and resounding military victories. Yet, their loyalty was only assured by the Emperor, and with his disappearance, they are unchained and in question. As the Imperium hangs in the balance, the Tempest Reavers stand on a knife-edge, poised to decide the outcome and success of any side in the coming Ruins. Fire Keepers Numeration: The XIIth Legion Primogenitor: Niklaas Cognomen (Prior): None Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus The Fire Keepers are the renowned fortification specialists among the Legions. Their strongholds litter the entire galaxy as they have worked hard to strengthen the Imperium from within. This skill with the forge and hand extends to their own equipment. Working with an unrelenting practicality that has earned the admiration of the Mechanicum, the Fire Keepers have created weapons and tools to sustain their war efforts. Although loyal to the Imperium, the relationship between the legion and the Emperor has always been a mixed one. For though the Fire Keepers have fought with duty and honour throughout the Great Crusade, like their gene-sire, Niklaas, they distrust the witch and the psyker. To be a Fire Keeper psyker is to be condemned to a life of quiet suspicion. It is these strengths and weaknesses the Fire Keepers would carry when Ruin would come for the Imperium. Sky Reavers Numeration: The XIIIth Legion Primogenitor: Aato Väyrynen Cognomen (Prior): Void Seekers Allegiance: Socius Solicitus The fast moving lords of the air, the Sky Reavers aim to dominate the sky above any battlefield before committing to any ground operations. Their superior aerial skills, combined with the numerous modifications they have made to their aircraft, makes them highly mobile foes who can strike from any angle. Their primarch, Aato, is a caring and scientifically-minded Primarch, looking to form close bonds with his brothers and protect his homeworld above all. This love of his homeworld would fuel his scientific experiments, as he began obsessed with finding a way to travel vast distances without the need for the warp to guarantee the survival of his home system. It was this obsession that would lead him and his legion down a path away from the light of the Imperium. Dune Serpents Numeration: The XIVth Legion Primogenitor: Azus Bahmut Cognomen (Prior): None (Officially), Sightless Fourteenth (Unofficial) Allegiance: Fidelitas Scindere Illusive and cunning, the Dune Serpents reveal themselves to their enemies only when they choose to. Before that point, enemy armies suffer sabotage as their communications are jammed, their officers go missing in the night, and their supplies are poisoned. It is only well after the Dune Serpents' venom has worked its way through the veins of their enemy do they finally strike from afar. For Azus, the Ghost of the Sands, views close-combat as a wasteful, vainglory endeavour. The only Primarch to wield an archeotech sniper rifle, Azus would have every opponent dead several kilometres from his lines, ideally without ever knowing his position. It is in the shadows the Serpents thrive. It is in the shadows, they die. The Riven Numeration: The XVth Legion Primogenitor: Morrigar Cognomen (Prior): None Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita The Riven are a brutal, methodical war machine. Known for their rigorous insurgent suppression campaigns and heavy use of psychic legionnaires, the Riven have been assigned to maintaining the internal stability of the Imperium. A glimpse of dark green and bronze armour will send waves of terror through rebels and dissidents, heralding waves of destruction and then psychic reconditioning that are the trademarks of this feared and mysterious legion. The use of psykers and mental powers has made the Riven ripe for rumour, speculation, and mistrust as to their motives and true allegiance. World Shakers Numeration: The XVIth Legion Primogenitor: Daito Ueyama Cognomen (Prior): None Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus Jovial, and generally good natured like their gene-sire, the World Shakers are fond of laughing, and sharing in each other's camaraderie. Well known for their more humanitarian tendencies, the World Shakers will often put themselves at risk in order to protect innocent lives, and also avoid collateral damage when possible. The World Shakers excel in utilizing line breaker tactics, supported by armour. They're also known to be able to endure more punishment than many of their peers, mainly due to their increased size and density. The Ruins would test the Shakers' endurance to the limit alongside the rest of the Imperium. Warriors of Peace Numeration: The XVIIth Legion Primogenitor: The Jade General Cognomen (Prior): None, Imperial Light (Unofficial) Allegiance: Socius Solicitus Warriors who have emptied themselves of emotion before battle, the Warriors of Peace fight not as many but as one. Every marine, every squad, every company is expected to fight as a single unit, operating in perfect coordination with their brethren, drawing strength from one another as they battle in near-total silence. The eerie movements of these Legiones Astartes is further enhanced by their Pariah officers which unsettle enemy combatants to weaken morale. They are commanded by the Jade General, a Primarch who tossed his natural name long ago as he devoted himself to studying Pariahs. Making war with a scholar's mind, the Jade General is an extremely dangerous martial artist who slays his foes with only his hands and feet. His and his sons’ path has always been one of choosing the most logical choice to his strange mind, whether it be loyalty, traitorhood, or something else altogether. [REDACTED] Numeration: The XVIIIth Legion Primogenitor: NA Cognomen (Prior): None Allegiance: NA Midnight Host Numeration: The XIXth Legion Primogenitor: Kejene Teward Reiner Cognomen (Prior): Forlorn Legion Allegiance: Fidelitas Scindere The Midnight Host are a Legion that strive to prove themselves. Emerging from a dark history of being sidelined and looked down upon, the Legion has found a new identity since the discovery of their Primarch Kejene Teward Reiner in being guardians of their new homes in the stars and a new common identity as brothers of a Legion they can be proud of. They are boisterous and brotherly, and while they will claim to not care what other Legions think of them, in truth they do care that other Legions should see them as equals. Though individually weaker than Astartes from the other Legions, the Host use any means they have to make up for their shortcomings and get the job done. In battle, the Host make use of Combined Arms as much as possible, integrating specialist Astartes into their units at all levels and utilizing armoured and air support to wear down and harass the enemy. Many would think them an easy target as the Ruins descended, and the Host would strive to prove them all wrong. Alabaster Order Numeration: The XXth Legion Primogenitor: Gustave Dunant Cognomen (Prior): Amathame Brotherhood Allegiance: Socius Solicitus As the XXth and last legion, the Alabaster Order have always been predisposed towards support roles, yet they have embraced this and focus on humanitarian aid. This would eventually lead to their censure by the Emperor as Gustave Dunant turned the legion too far from their combat purpose. Many of the legions don't understand the mindset of the twentieth, but the courage, and unwavering discipline of the legion is beyond question, earning them the respect of several legions and the Imperial Army. The other aspect that the legion is most well known for is their unique organisation, being split into two arms. The Alabaster Order is the medical and humanitarian focused arm, and the Amathame Brotherhood is the combat and defence arm. Although they sought to do no harm, and benefit mankind first and foremost, they would eventually be a source of much greater harm and damnation.

The Return Just five more minutes, five more minutes. Holdoth nursed his hot drink, just hot and disgusting enough to keep him awake. He took another sip and felt the acidic sting hit the back of this throat. Just five more minutes. He began slowly packing up his few pieces of equipment, hoping to be able to leave the facility the exact moment his shift was over. Why do they even need a void scan overseer at this time of night? No one would come to this nowhere colony, much less at this time of night. If they do, it’s probably above my paygrade anyway. He checked the clock one more time, and decided that if he walked slowly enough, he could start leaving. As he stood up from his chair and turned to leave, a bleem sounded behind him. Holdoth stopped, pausing to listen. Please not another bleem. A second bleem. And then a third. And then several bleems. Holdoth span around to look at the monitors, hoping there was a mechanical error. The scans were detecting a huge fleet approaching, too large to be civilian vessels. Holdoth turned to the servitor in the room. “Hail the fleet and establish their intentions.” Holdoth bit his nails as the Servitor and the scanners rattled with the effort of transmitting. He kept his gaze upon the scanner, seeing what looked like nearly a hundred vessels approaching the planet. Finally, the Servitor responded. “Fleet. Identified. As. Imperial. Expeditionary. Fleet. 421. Admiral. Skataslan. Morvonus. Requesting. Refuelling. Permission.” Holdoth exhaled, steadying himself on the console and then taking a deep breath. He straightened up, smoothed his hair and left the room. He pressed a button on the console and static came over the vox-caster. “Coordinator Fatanus, the scanners detect that Expeditionary Fleet 421 is approaching Ophidia. They wish to refuel.” There was no response for a few seconds. “Expeditionary Fleet 421? We do not have refuelling facilities to service an expeditionary fleet. I am on my way to check these scans.” … The remains of the world of Ophilia were rediscovered five years later, the human population having completely disappeared. Not a single corpse was found, not even skeletons. The weapons batteries showed signs of a limited struggle, ammunition still found in storage. The machines of the planetary government were systematically excavated, the last message still remaining unfinished on the governor’s communication device. R.A.N.G.D...

This is a long terms project that I started, based on the Tarot Primarch Theory and kick started by some other Alt Heresy projects that I had been reading. Thought could benefit from the input of a dedicated space marine fanbase. Looking to start with the Legions, then look at the Great Crusade, and finally the Heresy itself (or schism/Primarchomachy/War in Heaven2.0 as it turns out to be. Heresy is being used as a stand-in until that's sorted). Aiming for the style of the Black Books. Hoping for some constructive criticism or whatever other insight people might have. The Legions developed so far are at what I'll call ''public alpha' stage, and revisions will almost certainly be needed in light of what is written for later Legions and possibly the GC.

The III Legion, The Black Stars Cognomen (prior): none, unofficially called the Marauders or the Madmen by their fellow Astartes Homeworld : Skandra Prima Numbers: 150.000 Primarch: Absalom Vaughn Flagship: Antares Combat Doctrine: general warfare, combined arms warfare, tactical preparation and complex strategic planning, decapitation strikes Warcry: May the Stars witness our glory! Colours: Yellow and black. Right pauldron and left kneepad act as company markings Symbol: A black shooting star Notable Domains: The Kingdom of Skandra, comprised of seven planets: Skandra Prima, Antire, Fyressy, Liva-Sar, Talanis, Kestram and Riudal. Antire has since been converted into a Forge World History After the Emperor's Primarchs were scattered by the Ruinous Powers, the III Primarch landed on the planet of Skandra, a fertile and rich world which stood as the capital of a kingdom comprised of 4 planets. The infant primarch was taken in by the royal house of Vaughn and raised as the crown prince, receiving the finest education and martial training the kingdom had to offer and becoming a patron of the arts as well as a gifted duelist, tactician and politician. Over the course of his rule he greatly expanded the kingdom. On his 27th year on the planet the Emperor of Mankind visited the planet and met with his lost son, who recognised him and accepted his role as a general of humanity's armies. He named his legion "the Black Stars" after the legendary warriors of the first King of Skandra, who conquered his enemies and greatly expanded the kingdom Primarch Absalom Vaughn, the Amber King, is a controversial figure among the Primarchs, for where others see a highly skilled man always striving for perfection, fiercely loyal to the Emperor and zealous in his attempts to build a better future for the Imperium, others see a creature of arrogance, uncontrolled ambition and greed. Landing on the feudal world of Skandra, the infant primarch was found by farmers and taken to the King Roland, who adopted the child from the Stars as his son and heir to the throne. Growing up, young Absalom lived in a royal environment of opulence, and was educated by the kingdom's most brilliant scholars and scientists, while renowned fighting teachers, military instructors and generals mentored him in dueling and tactics. Gifted in martial matters, the young Prince became a hero to the people when he led the Skandran armies in defence of the kingdom when they were attacked by an alliance of the hostile planets Antire and Fyressy that had always posed a threat to Skandra. After defeating the invaders, he was crowned King in place of his father who had died during the invasion and orchestrated a counterattack on the enemy planets and conquered each of them in a year. By the 30th year of his life on Skandra, Absalom had become a beloved idol to the people through his charisma and beauty, and the prospects of the young prince ruling the kingdom thrilled the populace. It was then that the Emperor of Mankind came to the world to claim his son. Meeting his true Father for the first time, Absalom was impressed by his majesty and his noble cause, and gladly accepted his duty as a Primarch. Unfortunately for him, the IIId legion was known as one of misfits, unruly warriors that often disobeyed orders and fought more like a rag-tag force of mercenaries than an organised army. As a result, they were held in contempt by the other legions and their combat records were underwhelming. This, along with the fact that he was the youngest Primarch and consequently had significantly less achievements than his other brothers, deeply disturbed the young primarch. Combined with his pampered noble upbringing and, according to some anecdotal accounts, his heated confrontation with some of his brothers, which was sparked by his arrogant boasts and resulted in his rebuke using his and his legion's lack of successes as evidence, created a deep feelings of insufficiency and envy in his heart, and he vowed to lead his legion to greatness, surpassing his brothers in glory and in the favour of the Emperor, who he deeply admired as the ideal ruler. Driven by his ambition, Absalom greatly reformed his legion's command structure, sometimes using brutal methods such as the execution of uncooperative officers, and moved recruitment to Skandra. From that point on the old third died and the Black Stars were born, a legion that can serve as an example of discipline, organisation and martial excellence. As a result, the Stars have rapidly achieved a large number of conquests and other victories that rival or surpass those of other Legions, and they are respected and loved by the Imperium. Absalom's relationships with his brothers are mostly respectful, though he does not boast close relationships with any of them but Theoderaf, who shares his deep loyalty towards the Emperor. Some of his brothers that he deeply dislikes are Alexandros who he envies for his success and the respect he receivesrecieves from the other Legions and the Jade General, not only because, despite being the last Primarch to be found, has had a very successful track record, but also due to rumors that claim the General has authored traitorous treatises that claim the Emperor himself can be replaced Absalom's appearance mirrors that of his planet's natives, with tanned skin and dark brown, almost black hair. His eyes, yellow as the armor of his sons, shine with a spark of cunning which some claim to hide malevolence Greatly alarmed by the disappearance of the Emperor, Absalom fears that without Him guiding the Imperium forward it will collapse, since no one else is fit to rule it in his eyes, and especially Alexandros, who is by many considered the most possible candidate Wargear: Algol: Absalom's mastercrafted mace, forged by the finest smiths of Mars at the request of Fabricator-General Kelbor-Hal as a gift to the Primarch of the IIIrd, who so generously offered one of his worlds to the Mechanicum. The weapon combines functions similar to a thunder hammer, storing a large amount of energy that is unleashed on hit with devastating results, emitting a blast of sound and brilliant light. When the power field is active, a corona of light surrounds the mace's head Serrenlás: A gift of the Skandran people to the Emperor, this exquisite twinblade was crafted on Antire soon after it was reborn as a Forge World. Equipped with a customised power field that coats the blades in a dazzling glow and can cut through the toughest armor, Absalom utilises it in awesome displays of murderous skill Verovaar: A relic of the royal house of Vaughn, this archaotech firearm was claimed as a trophy of the defeated lord of a conquered planet, who was using it as part of his exoskeleton's armaments. Of course, Absalom's size and superhuman strength allows him to wield it as a normal pistol. This mastercrafted energy pistol boasts incredible power and accuracy, and it can also fire its 6 barrels simultaneously in devastating concentrated blasts with reduced range The Maega Mail: Named after the twin suns that shine over his homeworld, Absalom's personal suit of artificer armor trades protection for agility and great freedom of movement. Coloured in the bright yellow and black of his Legion and decorated with a striking engraving of the Twin Suns of Skandra as well as flowing mantles, it is as much an armour as it is a work of art. The Amber King's panoply is fitted with an advanced shield generator that turns any absorbed damage into blinding flashes of light, making the Primarch seem like a pulsar star flashing brilliantly in the battlefield Legion Culture and Combat Doctrine As a result of Absalom's stern leadership, the Black Stars are one of the most disciplined legions. Astartes of the Stars are expected to perform brilliantly in all situations, and to that end their training is a lot harder than standard and aims to prepare each marine to fulfil any possible role in the battlefield. Even before induction, aspirants are submitted to excessive tests of purity and aptitude and then go through additional tests of physical and mental prowess before selection, in order to ensure that only the best of the best make it into the legion. Furthermore, even after their training is completed and aspirants graduate as full fledged marines, Absalom and the legion command cultivate a culture of intense competition among the Battle-brothers in order to motivate them to better themselves constantly. Because of this though the bonds between the marines of the Black Stars are not as strong as those found in other legions, a fact that other legions secretly pity them for. In combat, the legion takes to the field after studying the enemy's army, tactics and positions, having created a plan that will swiftly defeat their foes while leaving them few ways to fight back. The Legion's plans are often unorthodox and sometimes even excessive, evidence of their intention to impress and display their excellence. The IIId makes wide use of tactical and heavy support squads, as well as artillery and armored vehicles, and embrace the use of librarians as a powerful weapon to their arsenal. Specialist formations Ochranic Cavaliers The elite warriors of the Black Stars and the personal guard of the Primarch. Personally selected by Absalom himself, upon ascension they must leave behind all ambition and personal aspiration and dedicate their lives to honing their skills and serving their gene-sire as his blade and shield. Befitting of their rank and prestige, they are outfitted in the finest wargear available to the Black Stars. Each Cavalier is clad in mastercrafted artificer armor forged personally, tailored to his specific needs, and armed with the legendary Khomíte Swordspear. Each weapon a priceless relic, the chosen of Absalom use them to fearsome effect in battle, shredding through opposition like a falling star Valkten Chosen Terminators On the eve of combat, the Ochranic Cavaliers kneel before Absalom, their heads bowed in reverence. Then, he chooses those among them that will serve in the Valkten for the next battle. This selection, although temporary, since it only lasts for a single battle, is viewed as a great honour, an acknowledgement of a Cavalier's skill by their Primarch, who rewards them above all their peers. Adorned in relic Tartaros terminator armor in resplendent black and gold, armed with mastercrafted weapons, they follow Absalom to war, the aftershocks to the Amber King's earthquake. There is also a hidden purpose to this practice; the cultivation of intense competition in the ranks of the Cavaliers, the contest for their Father's fickle favour grueling and never-ending. By using this subtle manipulation, Absalom ensures that his elite warriors will never stop honing their skills and improving. Boetar Penitents In the Black Stars, failure is a crime that is punished harshly. And there is no punishment harsher than joining the Boetar squads, for such a fate means being condemned to death. Forced to relinquish their names, identity and livery, they are equipped with older patterns of power armor painted entirely black, signifying their sins and their grim fate. Their weapons are the result of brilliant, if cruel artifice, twin pistols created based on designs from the Dark Age of Technology, firing deadly projectiles saturated in deadly radiation, causing even a glancing hit to be potentially lethal as the target is exposed to terrible rad-energies. Not even the wielders are safe from their weapons' fearsome effects, and each Penitent is sentenced to die a slow, agonising death as his body falls apart, his cells destroyed by the radiation he employed against the enemies of mankind. For only in death will they have finally atoned for their failures. And when the time comes, and their hearts have stopped beating, the bombs implanted in their chests will explode, making sure they take as many foes as possible to the other side Raitelic Outriders Desiring a fast attack formation to function as the battering ram in offensives, Absalom and his officers formed the Raitelic Outriders, deviating from the standard Legiones Astartes assault bike in favour of a curious, if effective, replacement; the Raitelic charge headlong into enemies formations on cybernetic mounts, horses of iron muscles whose mouths spew deadly promethium. Armed with long power spears, they harass the enemy flanks and break their formations, leaving them easy prey to their fellow warriors Homeworld The Primogenitor of the IIIrd hails from Skandra Prima, a world of sunshine, deep blue seas and lush forests. Fertile and boasting with an ideal climate thanks to the fact that it served as a holiday retreat for the upper classes of the Dark Age of Technology, the planet would be classified as a pleasure world were it not a legion homeworld. The planet, and the kingdom in general is ruled over by the King, or Konaag, as is the title in the skandran language, who is an absolute monarch. Absalom Vaughn holds this title currently after the death of his adoptive father king Roland Vaughn, who died during the invasion. Absalom's brother Gregor holds the title of Viceroy and rules while his demigod brother fights for the future of mankind. A benevolent king, Absalom has gone to great lengths to ensure a good, safe life for his subjects which has earned him their adoration and deep loyalty. The rest of the Kingdom's planets are very similar to Skandra in climate, except of Riudal, whose large distance from the system's stars, irregular trajectory and slow moon cycles have given it very cold temperatures, and Antire, which was handed over to the Mechanicum to become a Forge World, as an act of good faith officially, but rumours claim the true motive behind this "gift" was Antire's continued resistance to Skandran rule and the fact that it was Antiran spies that assassinated killed King Roland

Hello everyone, this is the first of our new legions, the Blood God's chosen! Enjoy. The Red Eyes Numeration: The IVth Legion Primogenitor: Theoderaf Cognomen (Prior): Golden Brothers Observed Strategic Tendencies: Psychological Warfare, Terror Tactics, Intense Propaganda Campaigns followed by Teleport Assaults Noteworthy Domains: Certus Minor (Homeworld), Aumet Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita - Khorne Symbol and Colours: A Circle ringed by jagged claws; Gold and Red with Black faceplates Inspiration: Visigoths and Ostrogoths Tactics: The Red Eyes will start by blocking all communications on the planet and sending fake reports to sow confusion and hinder organising resistance. Once the blockade is complete, the Legion will use the hijacked communications to send Imperial propaganda to the inhabitants every moment of every day for several weeks, promising the glory of the Imperium or utter destruction. Throughout this period, supplies will be destroyed and intense reconnaissance will be done until the entire planet’s government and military structures are understood. Then, once preparations are complete, the Legion will begin The Cleansing, where the legion will descend onto the planet en masse, slaughtering all officials and soldiers and any civilians that resist. Personality of the Legion: The Red Eyes are the most fanatic followers and enforcers of the Emperor in the Imperium, and treat his word as gospel. The legion seeks to restore the Imperium to its full glory, and will do whatever is necessary to do it. They are generally admired for their effectiveness by other legions, but their fanaticism puts off many. When they get into combat, they let their rage take over and will slaughter any enemy that gets in front of them, but they never let their anger come out until that point. Geneseed: The Red Eyes are named after their main genetic flaw – their red isises. When in battle or angry, their whole eyes glow red with increasing intensity. Their helmets are designed to allow the glow to come through, looking like their eye lens are burning in order to strike fear into their enemies and friends alike.

Death of Unity - The Fulgrimian Heresy History of the Heresy Pre-Heresy- In the late 30th Millennium the Emperor of Mankind united Terra, known in antiquity as Earth, through war and diplomacy and set His gaze upon the stars. To reclaim humanity’s birthright, the Emperor created twenty “sons” called primarchs that would be the generals of His armies in the planned Great Crusade. They would be genetically, physically, and intellectually superior to any other being excluding Himself. Before the Great Crusade could be launched, disaster struck. The Ruinous Powers, the foul evil beings that resided in the Immaterium and fed upon the chaos of the material plane, were fearful of the Emperor’s plans. To disrupt these, the Dark Powers kidnapped and sent the twenty infant primarchs out across the galaxy for each to land and grow up on a human world, far away from their father and His guiding influence. Without the primarchs the Emperor’s plan to unite the galaxy under an Imperium based off science, logic and justice was threatened. But as He had done for millennia the Emperor adapted and created from the genome of each of his sons a Legion based off their genetic code. With twenty Legions of genetically and physically enhanced, highly trained warriors the Emperor embarked on His Great Crusade to unite Mankind and to find the scattered primarchs. For over a century and a half the Imperium expanded and eventually the Master of Mankind discovered all of His sons. The first found was Horus and the last was Alpharius. With His unique and powerful progeny found, and their Legions returned to them, the Imperium rapidly expanded with thousands of Imperial expeditionary fleets and armies across the galaxy fighting the alien, purging the mutant, and reuniting the lost fragments of humanity that had been isolated since the beginning of Old Night. In the early years of the 31st Millennium the Great Crusade was nearing an end. It was a time of legend, of hope; the Golden Age of Man was at its peak. In the Ullanor Crusade Imperial forces led by the Emperor Himself and several primarchs defeated the largest known concentration of Orks that had come into contact with the Imperium of Man at that time. After the end of the Ullanor Campaign the Emperor held a massive celebration, forever remembered as the Triumph of Ullanor, that recognized all the accomplishments of the men and women that had fought, sacrificed and died to create the greatest empire ever forged. The world of Ullanor was transformed into a trophy-world of the Imperium, renamed Mundus Tropaeum on all galactic star charts. The Triumph was attended by elements of fifteen Astartes Legions alongside eleven of the demigod primarchs. The Emperor Himself, at the conclusion of the Triumph, praised all those that had fought and died during the Crusade and declared that Horus, favoured and first found son, would be bestowed the title of Warmaster, supreme commander of all Imperial military forces in the Emperor’s name. Following this historical announcement came another of equal importance. To the shock and disbelief of many the Emperor stated that He would be returning to Terra to conduct a project for the benefit of all humanity but none other than this was given, much to the consternation of many. Council of Nikaea- With Horus as Warmaster and the Great Crusade nearing its conclusion, the Imperium’s future seemed bright and assured. However, disputes over the use of psykers were brought to a head shortly after Ullanor. Before the Emperor returned to Terra, He called a conclave on the distant world of Nikaea to resolve the matter once and for all before the division over the issue threatened the nascent empire. The Council of Nikaea would be attended by several primarchs alongside other key Imperial commanders and leaders. One faction called for the disbandment of the Librarian corps in its entirety and the study of what many called sorcery. Spearheaded by Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, the unspoken leader of this anti-psyker faction declared that all those with psyker abilities, particularly Magnus the Red and his Thousand Sons, should be prohibited from using their psychic powers and return the Librarians back to normal frontline duties. Russ threw accusations at Magnus and his Legion, claiming they were delving into dangerous magicks and foul rituals that were damning them, which, Russ vehemently stated, would threaten the Imperium if it was allowed to continue. While Russ specifically targeted the XV, Primarch Corvus Corax of the Raven Guard vocalised his general distaste of psykers and how harmful they had been in history, discussing and describing hundreds of worlds his Legion had found either ruled by a ruthless psyker elite or destroyed in the aetheric fires of warp-energy. As the council became more and more heated with violence nearly breaking out, several Space Marine Librarians approached the Emperor at this critical juncture, asking if they could speak. The Emperor granted them permission and the Astartes spoke logically and convincingly of how psykers were not evil in and of themselves, but instead education, discipline and training resulted in how they fared. Without the powers of psykers, the Imperium would be disarming itself of one of its greatest weapons, both offensive and defensive. The Astartes called that the Librarians remain, though they agreed to concede to more supervision and stricter reins on what could be researched and practised. After several moments of deep thought the Master of Mankind agreed with this line of thought, calling it the Librarian Compromise. It would allow the Librarius to remain and that they would continue in their duty to serve and protect the Imperium. Though psykers would remain a valuable tool, the Emperor did censor the XV for its pursuit of forbidden and arcane knowledge. He claimed that the Thousand Sons pried too deeply into matters they understood little of and were ignorant of the inherent dangers. So while the use of psychic individuals and Astartes would continue, access to certain fields of knowledge would be stringently denied by Imperial Edict. To the sons of Magnus, and especially the Crimson King himself, this was a great dishonour. The implication that they could no longer be trusted nor allowed to seek out any and all knowledge for the betterment of Mankind was detrimental to their morale and self-image. Magnus had lost allies and gained critics at Nikaea's end, inflaming the already severe distrust between many in the Imperium towards the scions of Prospero. Although many within the upper hierarchy of the Imperium supported the Librarian Compromise, Corax was openly unhappy with the Emperor’s Edict. The most vocal of the anti-psykers, the Ravenlord was persistent in his disagreement and was surprised to find his brother Mortarion, a fierce anti-psyker himself, supporting their father’s judgment with little qualm. The Death Guard Primarch commented that his personal reservations paled when compared to the needs of the Imperium and the Emperor’s wisdom. Seeing that he had few allies, the Deliverer subjected himself to the Emperor’s will. Even Russ, who was not entirely happy with the Compromise, accepted it without question as it put many needed restrictions and strict overview on psykers, helping limit their threat to the Imperium while still reaping in their usefulness. His primary purpose of exposing and censuring the Thousand Sons worked, and the Wolf King believed from henceforth that Magnus would learn from his mistakes and embrace the more restricted guidelines of the Compromise. Despite the hope he held for his Prosperian brother, Russ noted Magnus’ poor reaction to the Edict and became wary. The Sixth Primarch dispatched many spies to monitor the Fifteenth Legion closely as they returned to their homeworld ashamed, angry, and simmering with discontent. Fall of the Warmaster- On the world of Davin an uprising against lawful Imperial authorities occurred. Horus, upon hearing of this, ordered his 63rd Expeditionary Fleet to the rebellious world to expunge it of traitors and bring it back under Imperial rule. During the ensuing battle the Warmaster was gravely wounded by the rebel governor with a sword that bore a powerful contagion, a contagion so virulent it put Horus on his deathbed. Later Imperial historians and Mechanicum Biologis tech-priests would note with hindsight that the contagion and weapon were of Nurgleite origin. Only the quick thinking of one of Horus’s Mournival captains, Garviel Loken, ensured the survival of the Warmaster. Loken’s suggestion of having the Warmaster be interred inside a stasis pod was likely the only thing that saved Horus. First Captain Abaddon quickly ordered that the Sixteenth Legion would journey towards Terra to have their gene-sire healed by the Emperor, for if anyone could heal Horus Lupercal, it would be the one who had created him. With the Emperor forewarned of the Favoured Son’s impending arrival He prepared to heal the stricken Warmaster. Such was the Emperor’s worry for Horus’ well-being that He called upon Mortarion to assist. The Death Lord’s knowledge of poisons and toxins was second only to the Emperor. With Horus incapacitated, the Crusade was now leaderless. Before the Emperor could appoint a temporary replacement, further, more dire news reached Terra. First, the Space Wolves had attacked Prospero, burning the homeworld of the Thousand Sons to a cinder. Secondly, the Night Lords, led by their sadistic and disturbed primarch, raised the flag of rebellion and had laid waste to a dozen populated Imperial worlds, the death toll reaching billions. The Emperor was disturbed at these events. He had ordered Russ and the Sixth Legion to arrest Magnus and bring him to Terra for questioning following the Crimson King’s recent actions, notably the apparent psychic attack on Terra, and allegations of continued sorcerous activities on Prospero. The sanctioned extermination of the Thousand Sons had not been given, but had been carried out nonetheless. A miscommunication on such a scale was disastrous and would have to be investigated. Though of critical importance, the Burning of Prospero took second place as confirmation of Curze’s recent actions reached the Throneworld. With the Night Haunter and his sons having gone rogue, the Emperor commanded Dorn to bring the Eighth Primarch and his butchering progeny to justice. Dorn, as the Emperor’s Praetorian, ordered five Legions to hunt down the VIII. To lead this Imperial Armada, Dorn chose Sanguinius. The Ninth Primarch, nicknamed the Angel, was chosen for his highly developed tactical and strategic acumen, excellent relations with many of his brothers, and shared Dorn’s sentiments of Curze. Sanguinius accepted the command and stated that their murderous brother would pay for his genocides. On that note, five Legions sought after Curze and eventually cornered him in the Bellanor System, a backwater in the Segmentum Tempestus. Here, the Angel declared, history would take place that would forever change the Imperium. Unfortunately, the Blood Angels Primarch did not realise how true those words would become. Betrayal at Bellanor- The first to arrive in-system were the Blood Angels. The next were the Salamanders, fresh from victory against a Dark Eldar fleet, and the Emperor’s Children. The Third Legion had arrived from their homeworld, departing immediately from Chemos when word reached them of Curze’s actions. The tentative friendship between Curze and Fulgrim was known and raised questions whether or not the Third Legion would have the determination necessary to take part in the battle to come, but the Phoenician’s visible fury at the Lord of Night erased any doubts as to Fulgrim’s dedication in destroying the Night Lords. The martial World Eaters arrived a day later, delayed due to increasing warp storms that were beginning to wreak havoc with interstellar travel across the galaxy. The last of the Armada to arrive were the legionnaires of the Death Guard, humourless and dour since their primarch’s abrupt departure to Terra. As the Armada assembled over Bellanor IV, the world the Eighth Legion had fortified their forces upon; another fleet emerged from the warp to the surprise of many. Primarch Lorgar of the Word Bearers had arrived with fully half of the XVII in tow. With six Legions now assembled to throw their military might at the Night Lords, victory was assured though as of yet unattained. When the Imperial warships entered high-orbit, a war council was called and after much debate and planning a strategy was adopted. Sanguinius, with the invaluable assistance and insight of his trusted brother Fulgrim, crafted an offensive that would break and crush the Night Lords within a day. The operation called for the Blood Angels and Salamanders to drop to the surface in their full strength, while veteran elements of the World Eaters and bulk of the Death Guard would assist them. After this first wave the remainder of the Armada would descend. All agreed to the plan, and readied themselves to eradicate the sinful VIII. The strength of so many loyal Astartes might have seemed overwhelming but was deemed necessary as it would show to the galaxy what the Imperium did with traitors. It was to be a lesson that none would ever forget. At the scheduled time, the Armada’s forces launched their offensive. Blood Angel and World Eater drop-pods landed amidst Bellanor IV’s capital, Rose City, suffering higher than expected casualties in their attempt to disrupt the Night Lords communication and supply network while the bulk of the IX, in conjunction with the XIV and XVIII, landed in wave after wave of dropships and bulk-landers. Within hours, near three hundred thousand Astartes had made planet-fall and were securing the outer sectors of the city. The Death Guard and Salamander elements were to protect the rear and flanks, while the World Eater and Blood Angels surged forward to decapitate the VIII command hierarchy. After hours of harsh, bloody combat, a signal came from Fulgrim’s Pride of the Emperor: the second wave was inbound. A majority of the Death Guard and Salamander Legions began to withdraw to secure resupply and repair, and to allow the newly arrived Astartes a taste of combat and glory in the battle. What these Astartes found at the landing zones was not relief nor allies, but rather base treachery and turncoats. The Death Guard loyalists were fired upon by the Word Bearers and their own traitorous brethren, led by First Captain Typhon, who from this day onward would be known as Typhon the Black. The Salamanders suffered the wrath of the Emperor’s Children and the traitor World Eaters. Within minutes, thousands had perished. The broken remnants of the two Loyal Legions withdrew into the city to join with the Blood Angels and loyal World Eaters. began to withdraw into the city itself, though this trapped them between the Night Lords, who were now unleashing their full might upon the loyalists, and the other traitors. Sanguinius, realizing that they would not last long in the meat grinder that was Rose City, rallied and led the Throne-loyal forces to the capital’s sole spaceport. The capture of Serenity Spaceport was bloody with thousands dead but in doing so ensured that thousands more would live. Anything and everything in the spaceport was used to evacuate the Imperial Astartes from the surface to the beleaguered warships in orbit, ranging from modern dropships to archaic mass cargo haulers. The Bellanor Exodus, as it is called, lasted into the night. Traitor elements consistently harassed and interfered with the evacuation, forcing many brave warriors to sacrifice themselves for the majority to survive, attempting to delay the traitors for as long as possible. The most famous of these were the three hundred World Eaters led by Captain Ehrlen that held off their treacherous primarch and kin long enough for the last dropships to depart the planet. While the massacre on the ground had been brutal and devastating, the void massacre was, if anything, even more destructive. Dozens of loyalist escort and capital ships were destroyed before a proper defence formation could be formed. The remainder positioned their warships above Rose City and took in any and all transports carrying warriors that held true to their oaths. After the last dropship, carrying Sanguinius and a mortally wounded Vulkan, boarded the Ninth Primarch’s flagship the Red Tear, Imperial forces broke their way through the besiegers and made way to the nearest Mandeville point and escaped into the warp, wounded and aching with loss. As the bloodied Imperial fleet left and the Dropsite Massacre finally concluded, the traitors assembled for council over the blood-drenched world. Fulgrim was disappointed that any of the loyalists were able to escape his trap, but he was pleased with the final results nonetheless. The Ninth Legion had lost a third of its total force, escaping the most intact amongst the loyalists thanks in large part to its tactical positions in the early stages of the Massacre. The Death Guard lost all but six thousand Astartes, while their traitorous brethren lost pitifully few. The World Eaters had been purged of any that dare not follow Angron into rebellion, and the Salamanders numbered only fourteen thousand, barely a sixth of what the noble XVIII had arrived with to Bellanor. It was at this council that Fulgrim announced that the Third Legion was no longer the Emperor’s Children but now the Sons of Fulgrim, reborn from the ashes of old. It was also here that Lorgar, in a move to garner support for Fulgrim and to appeal to the many trillions of people unhappy with the Emperor and His Imperium, called for Fulgrim to be elevated to official leader of the rebellion. His rank was to be War Commander, a title that would echo through history as a herald of doom and despair. This was to be a largely propaganda ploy, but was also done to give the traitors a semblance of a command structure, as well as set goals and objectives. Out of the Traitor Primarchs, only Fulgrim held widespread popularity in the Imperium and was arguably one of the better tacticians amongst his brothers, making him the perfect candidate for leading the Traitor Legions to Terra. His two staunchest supporters were Lorgar and Ferrus Manus, both committed to elevating Fulgrim to monarch of the galaxy-spanning empire once victory was achieved, though for different reasons. The Heresy- As the fires of betrayal cooled on Bellanor, Fulgrim readied the traitor war machine. With Fulgrim now bearing the rank of War Commander as a symbol for the rebellion, countless billions flocked to the traitors’ banner. The Phoenician’s rebellion spread through the Imperium like a plague. Eventually two-fifths of the Imperium would join him, while a third of the Martian Mechanicum would break their oaths of allegiance to Terra following the assassination of Kelbor-Hal, the Fabricator General of Mars. These Traitor Adepts were led by Kelbor-Hal’s strongest supporter, Adept Lukas Chrom, who blamed the assassination on the Imperium and its Mechanicum supporters. Nearly every Imperial organisation, ranging from the Imperial Army to the Officio Assassinorum, experienced varying degrees of treachery within their ranks, causing incredible destabilisation to the Imperial government and armed forces in the early years of the civil war. To ensure that the loyalists could not unify their forces and potentially stop the rebellion in its infancy, Fulgrim ordered the Word Bearers to Ultramar where the Iron Hands were already beginning to cripple Guilliman’s Realm following the successful surprise attack over Calth. The White Scars were dispatched across the Imperium, wreaking havoc, crippling supply lines and killing billions, all in the name of the Dark Prince and the War Commander. The Alpha Legion was sent to intercept the Dark Angels and prevent them from joining forces with the other Loyal Legions. The Night Lords were to act as the vanguard to the main offensive which would be led by Fulgrim himself, with the World Eaters, Typhon’s newly formed Black Legion and the remnants of the Thousand Sons in support. After these initial deployments the War Commander began his drive towards Terra, but it would be years before he was ready to invade the Sol System. During those years, crucial and costly battles were fought, with victories and defeats for both sides. The Battle of the Abyss, the Calth Atrocity, the Night of Silent Knives, the Underground War, the Shadow War, the Arcurean Crusade, the Nightingale Ambush, Siege of the Perfect Fortress, the Desolation of Tallarn, the Purge of Calaxxes Prime, the Heavy Worlds Campaign, the Battle of Gharran, the Invasion of Deliverance, the Murder of Murdock, the Battle of Molech and many more occurred; leaving wounds in the Imperium that would take centuries to heal. Siege of Terra- In the seventh year of his Heresy, Fulgrim deemed he was strong enough to finally invade the Sol System itself. Leading an armada comprised of elements from every Traitor Legion the traitors quickly captured many Imperial installations and outposts in the outer reaches of the star system and pressed inwards with unwavering vigour. The Arch-Betrayer ordered Magnus the Red, the Chosen of Tzeentch, to create a warp veil that would surround the Sol System that would disrupt all Imperial astropathic communication from Sol to the rest of the Imperium, blinding and muting the defenders of Terra. Fulgrim ordered his massive fleets to neutralise Battlefleet Solar, centred on Terra and Luna. After thirty hard fought days of vicious void combat, this was achieved with over half of the Imperial ships destroyed or captured, with many of the remainder heavily damaged. The survivors would retreat to the Sol System’s outer halo to enact emergency repairs and wait for an opportunity to return to the fight once more. With Mars still embroiled in civil war between those adepts that sided with the War Commander and those that remained steadfast to their oaths to the Emperor, the full might of the Traitor Legions fell upon Luna and Terra. Terra’s moon fell within days, as the traitors used their Assault Companies with great effect, breaking the back of Imperial defences there soon after landing. On the surface of humanity’s homeworld itself traitor forces landed via drop-pods adjacent to the two major spaceports near the Imperial Palace. Within hours the Lion’s Gate and Eternity Wall Spaceports fell to the Arch-Traitor’s forces and with those in hand the bulk of the Traitor Legions were able to land on the surface to begin the Siege of the Imperial Palace. Directed by Ferrus Manus, Primarch of the Iron Hands, the traitor armies began forcing their way inside the Palace. Every block of stone, every stairwell, every hallway was fought with an unbreakable willpower, neither side relenting and the loyalists only withdrawing when defeat was inevitable, falling back to another predetermined point of resistance that would cost the traitors dear to overcome. The Satumine Gate fell to the rebels on the twenty-third day of the siege. As the battle continued, Fulgrim became frustrated by slow progress, calling upon more and more daemonic assistance to break through stubborn Imperial defence. The daemons, led by the Bloodthirster Ka’Bandha, swarmed loyalist lines causing the Ultimate Gate to fall on the fifty-seventh day. Despite these defeats, hope came to Terra in the form of the Raven Guard. The Nineteenth Legion had stealthily arrived over the Throneworld and deposited its Astartes cargo before joining in the continuous void war over the Cradle of Mankind. Corax and his veteran sons would enter the Palace while the majority of his Legion fought the traitors across the globe, attempting to protect the populace from the cruel pleasure-seeking killers of the White Scars and to harass rebel supply lines. With the two outer gates secured the traitors made their way to the final gateway that would lead to the Inner Palace. The Eternity Gate was the last bastion holding back the traitors and the loyalists knew it. They fought with skill and valour that would be remembered for generations to come, even ten thousand years later. The Iron Hands used their forbidden technologies and blasphemous creations to create cracks in the Eternity Gate. For weeks this continued, destroying the Gate piecemeal until on the ninety-third day of the siege a large crevice was created, allowing the traitor hordes to rush the gap in Imperial defences. Instead of swarming through and overwhelming the defenders, the traitors instead were stalled. They were met by three primarchs: Horus, Perturabo and Corax with their legionnaires in support. The three primarchs, with the assistance of their valiant sons, would hold the gap for hours, without faltering, killing traitor legionnaire after traitor legionnaire. Eventually Bloodthirster Ka’Bandha, wishing to kill such a worthy foe and claim his skull for the Blood God, charged Horus Lupercal. After an intense battle that drew the eye of all present, the Warmaster was able to defeat the powerful daemon by breaking its spine over an armoured knee. With the daemon banished back to the warp, the traitor Astartes retreated and the hole in the Eternity Gate was bulldozed shut. Shortly after Manus’ report to Fulgrim that the assault on the Eternity Gate had failed, the Crimson King informed the War Commander that he had looked beyond the veil covering the Sol System and saw that the Ultramarines, Space Wolves, Dark Angels and Blood Angels Legions had broken through the Traitor Legions’ lines; they were only days away from Terra. The Cyclops warned that while the veil around the Sol System interfered with Imperial communications, it would not stop the Imperial ships from arriving and tipping the scales of battle drastically in favour of the Emperor. The Gorgon informed the War Commander that it would be another week, if not longer, before the Eternity Gate could be forced open once again. A week the traitors did not have. Fulgrim was furious. His gambit had failed, and if he remained his armies would be destroyed, but if he fled the momentum he had gained would be wasted away and his Heresy would be broken. Not all was lost however. The Twentieth Legion’s elusive and secretive primarch was summoned by Fulgrim for a daring operation. On the ninety-fifth day of the Siege, the Inner Palace’s advanced shielding that protected it from a variety of threats suffered a cataclysmic system’s failure. With no shield to prevent teleportation the War Commander, followed by his Phoenix Guard and other veteran elite, teleported inside the Inner Palace and, having bypassed the bulk of the loyalists and the Eternity Gate, made their way to the Throne Room to confront the Emperor. The Throne Room- As the Arch-Traitor and his foul ilk approached the Throne Room, they were blocked by the Emperor’s Custodes, Imperial Fist Huscarls and Rogal Dorn. The Emperor’s Praetorian had been in the Throne Room helping orchestrate the planet-wide defensive war and was the last line of defence protecting his father. It was War Commander versus Praetorian, the Phoenician versus the Vigilant, brother versus brother; it was a battle that would echo through the ages. Fulgrim at first tried to win Dorn to his side but the Lord of the Seventh Legion was neither weak-willed nor gullible to the foul lies of the Ruinous Powers. His devotion and loyalty to the Emperor was too great for the temptations of Chaos. Dorn and Fulgrim would fight a brief but destructive battle until the Imperial Fists Primarch had injured but not killed his brother. Fulgrim had grown powerful in his role as Champion of the Primordial Annihilator. Throughout his seven years of rebellion he had grown stronger; Dorn on the other hand was weak in comparison. The Unyielding One was killed by the War Commander's Fireblade. The Emperor arrived in time to see His Seventh Son, his noble, dutiful Rogal, be thrown onto the ground, dead and lifeless before His very eyes. Seeing Dorn die before Him, the Emperor’s face became one filled of anger, sorrow and steeled resolve. The Emperor and the Arch-Betrayer would clash in a titanic battle of both sword and mind. In the end the Emperor was forced to use His psychic might to destroy not only the body but the soul of Fulgrim as well, to prevent the Arch-Traitor from being brought back to life by the Chaos Gods. While the Emperor emerged victorious it was not without cost, He had been mortally wounded by Fulgrim and lay dying. As the Emperor lay between His dead sons, the surviving Astartes of the War Commander’s strike team were dismayed but quickly retrieved their gene-sire, intent on returning to the Pride of Chemos. Warmaster Horus, Corax, and Perturabo, along with their bodyguards, reached the gates of the Throne Room and were shocked by what they saw before them. Acting quickly, they recovered the bloodied corpse of Dorn and the crippled body of the Emperor, intent on putting their father upon the life-preserving Golden Throne per His instructions. Following Fulgrim’s death the resolve of the Traitor Legions broke. Their rebellion had failed and the loyalists fought with renewed vigour and fortitude, as once the War Commander died the warp interference around the Sol System dissipated, allowing the loyalists to detect that reinforcements were soon to arrive. The Traitor Legions gathered up all their surviving Space Marines, as well as many Traitor Army and Dark Mechanicum forces as their warships’ holds could carry and fled the Sol System, hounded by Imperial ships until the defeated rebels entered the warp. The Imperium had defeated its foes and won the Fulgrimian Heresy, but it was at best a pyrrhic victory. As the traitors broke and ran, Horus Lupercal, Perturabo, Corvus Corax, Captain-General Amon Tauromachian of the Legio Custodes, Fabricator General Kane of the Adeptus Mechanicus, along with other crucial Imperial leaders, listened to the final words and instructions of the Emperor of Mankind before He would be interred onto the Golden Throne for the next ten millennia. The Emperor denounced the Traitor Legions, calling them forever tainted and ordered that the Imperium be purged of them and for the borders of the Imperium to be restored. He issued several other declarations before the Golden Throne made Him physically mute and begun His eternal slumber. Despite the crippling of His body the Emperor’s mind was strong. His psychic powers would forever remain vigilant, protecting the Imperium of Mankind from the Dark Gods of the warp as best as He was able. Shattered Dreams- Despite Fulgrim’s Heresy having been defeated, the Traitor Legions were still very much a threat and held vast swathes of the Imperium. With the interment of the Emperor onto the Golden Throne, the Loyalist Primarchs were the individuals that had to reorganise the Imperium and reclaim all that had been lost. For a year the wounded Imperial military recovered, reassembled and readied themselves for the inevitable retaliation against the traitor-held domains. Shortly after the first anniversary of the rebellion’s conclusion the Great Scouring began. Led by the nine surviving primarchs, with Warmaster Horus at their head, this galactic-spanning counter-attack quickly reclaimed much of the territory and would spend the next seven years beating back the Traitor Legions and restoring the Imperium’s pre-Heresy borders. In the aftermath of Fulgrim’s death, several of the Traitor Primarchs remained loosely allied against the resurgent Imperium. United in a loose confederation, these primarchs formed the Syndicate Chaotica, an alliance that wished to preserve the territories conquered by them. And for four years it did so, slowing Imperial progress to a crawl in dozens of sectors. But following Guilliman’s killing of Alpharius on the world of Eskrador with assistance from the Grey Knights, the Syndicate began to fracture at its seams. After their primarch’s death the Alpha Legion withdrew from the unholy alliance and proceeded to splinter itself into hundreds of autonomous warband-cells to scatter far and wide across the galaxy, giving the Imperium trouble for millennia on end. Following the departure of the XX, the other three members dissolved the Syndicate to follow their own paths. The Word Bearers left for Colchis, stripping their homeworld bare of recruits, weapons and resources. They would leave for the Eye of Terror to find themselves a new homeworld, never to return to their old one. The Iron Hands withdrew to their domain centred on Medusa, proclaimed as the Ferrum Dominion by the Gorgon, and fought to the bitter end of the Scouring until their world was destroyed by the Iron Warriors Legion. This would be the First Iron War between Manus’ and Perturabo’s gene-lines, but certainly not the last. The Night Lords, unique among the traitors, remained a cohesive, united force for over a century following the Scouring. Despite this continued perseverance, the VIII’s base of operations, Tsagualsa, would be assaulted and destroyed by the Imperium in the second century of the thirty-first millennium. This defeat forced the Night Haunter and his progeny to relocate to another world, far from the Emperor’s vengeful armies. After the Great Scouring ended, the Imperium began a multitude of reforms to better adjust itself to the reality it found itself in. The greatest of these, the Codex Astartes, penned primarily by Guilliman, though with significant contributions by several of the other primarchs including Horus, Sanguinius and Perturabo, dismantled the Legiones Astartes and in their place the Adeptus Astartes was born. The Legions were no more; instead smaller-sized units called Chapters replaced them. The Astartes would no longer be the principal military force of the Imperium as this would be inherited by the newly-created Imperial Guard. Instead, the five thousand Astartes-strong Space Marine Chapters would act as a quick reaction force, elite shock troops and the speartip of Mankind’s armed forces. Another of the major changes made was the creation of the Iron Cages; these were the brainchild of Perturabo. The Iron Cages were extensive fortifications created around the borders of warp storms, specifically the Fracture, the Maelstrom and the Eye of Terror as well as more. Manned by Astartes Chapters as well as countless Guardsmen, these Cages represented the first line of defence against Chaos invasions and have weathered some of the bloodiest fighting in Imperial records. Not only were these Cages built by both Perturabo and Dorn’s gene-lines, working together as well as they did during the fortification of Terra, but nearly half of the Chapters assigned to the Cages and the star systems that border Chaos domains are Successor Chapters of the Fourth and Seventh Legions. Dark Millennium- It is now ten thousand years after the Fulgrimian Heresy and the Imperium finds itself in dire straits. While the third Tyranid invasion armada, Hive Fleet Leviathan, has been successfully contained since late-998.M41, this large quarantine requires hundreds of billions of soldiers, tens of thousands of ships, and over two hundred Astartes Chapters to keep the Tyranids from breaking through into the heart of the Emperor's Domain. Despite the Tyranids being quarantined, the amount of resources and soldiers put into this continued containment is sorely needed elsewhere as the millennium comes to a close and more threats continue to appear. To add to this growing list of threats faced by the Imperium, various Ork empires, particularly Warlord Snagrod’s Charadon and the vast Waaagh! of Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, are becoming bolder as the Imperium’s vast military might has been stretched thin in recent centuries, leaving significant portions of Imperial space vulnerable to invasion, all of which have become tempting targets to many Ork warlords. Across the galaxy the Necrons have awoken on their Tomb Worlds from their long slumber and seek to eradicate all life in the galaxy in their quest for dominance. On the Eastern Fringe, the young, virulent, and technologically advanced Tau Empire continues to spread at a methodical rate, threatening scores of border worlds and weakening the Iron Cage around the Maelstrom, allowing traitor forces within to raid and reave over a hundred worlds. To add to the destruction and terror sweeping the galaxy, the Dark Eldar in 999.M41 have launched thousands of attacks and raids on hundreds of worlds, enslaving and pillaging. Although a major threat, the Dark Eldar are among the least of the Imperium’s worries. The Traitor Legions, broken but not destroyed during the Heresy and the centuries since, had retreated to the Eye of Terror from which they would launch continuous raids and invasions into the Imperium. The most infamous and devastating of these assaults have been the Vengeance Crusades led by the Champion of Chaos Undivided, the Heir of Fulgrim and a former lord commander of the Third Legion. His name echoes through the warp, whispered by daemons and prophets alike: War Commander Tyberius Sakaeron, commonly called Sakaeron the Deceiver. Sakaeron has already launched ten Vengeance Crusades, each more devastating than the last. As the closing years of the 41st Millennium fast approach, the Forces of Chaos are once again ready to invade the Imperium in numbers not seen since the Fulgrimian Heresy. The enemies of the Imperium are many and all have been encroaching on it, weakening it century after century. If the Chaos Legions, led by Sakaeron and his Sons of Fulgrim, launch their Eleventh Vengeance Crusade and break through the Iron Cage centred on Cadia then it is likely to reach the Segmentum Solar and a Second Battle of Terra might very well spell the end of the Imperium of Man.

THE GUILLIMAN HERESY Greetings to one and all, to the second Guilliman Heresy thread. ShasVa, Cormac Airt and myself would like to present to you what we have so far, and continue our project hopefully unto fruition. What with the first thread developing into somewhat of a lumbering behemoth, we believe a new thread was in order to avoid the usual confusion to newcomers had when they began reading thread number one. First of all, here is the timeline as of it's last update in the previous thread: Welcome to the Guilliman Heresy. A project started by a Frater called ShasVa and then subsequently handed over to the two main contributors: Myself (fka Olisredan) and Conn Eremon (fka Cormac Airt). This project has been going now, on and off, for over five years. Five. Years. Wow, does time fly. Unfortunately, since we were elevated to Modhood we haven't had the time to sit down a just keep on bashing out material for this project. There's also other community projects that have eaten up our time since then too (such as the Liber Cluster, the Corax Coup and several others). But, with the contributions of various Fraters and the odd poke every now and again, we plan to keep on trucking until this beast is done. We're turning and burning again, brothers and sisters. Expect this timeline to be updated a little more regularly! Timeline Mid to Late M30 - The Unification Wars - Using military and diplomatic means, the Emperor of mankind builds an empire on Terra with his army of super soldiers - the Thunder Warriors. These were later superseded by the Legiones Astartes, who were far more reliable and stable than their earlier cousins. It's during this time that the Emperor creates the Primarchs - a group of genetically engineered post-humans with abilities that far outstrip normal humans, both in body and mind. Late M30 - The Great Crusade - Ranging from Terra itself to the very farthest reaches of the known galaxy, the two hundred and fifty year long campaign to reunite humanity brings much of the galaxy under the aegis of the Imperium. At the forefront of this Crusade are the Primarchs, the Emperor's genetic progeny and his most valued generals, who lead the space marine Legions. Over time, two of these Primarchs and their Legions are lost with records pertaining to their fate expunged. 869.M30 - Compliance of Molech - The Knight World of Molech is conquered by a multi-Legion force and a garrison of great size is stationed there. Both the Ultramarines and the Blood Angels are amongst this garrison. 964.M30 - Submission at Monarchia - In an attempt to stamp out the deification of the Emperor by the citizens of the Imperium, an example is made of those most vocal and influential: Lorgar and his Word Bearers Legion. With dramatic flair, the Ultramarines Legion was tasked with destroying the capitol cities of the world of Monarchia, site of the Word Bearers' greatest success in their early days. With the Ultramarines and their Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, watching, Lorgar and his Word Bearers were brought to their knees by the sheer force of the Emperor's will in the dust and ash and pledged to forswear their religious devotion to him as a God. The Word Bearers have taken their pledge to heart by all accounts. Following a Legion-wide Pilgrimage to re-discover themselves and their place in the Imperium, Lorgar takes a personal journey that leads him back to Terra and the Emperor. What is said in those hallowed halls none know, but once Lorgar emerged he declared his Legion would once more be the Heralds of the Imperial Truth, never again the Bearers of an ill-conceived Word. Though there were minor problems in getting his Legion sons to follow this new path, including the death of the first chaplain and the disappearance of Kor Phaeron, in a decades' time the Custodes watching over them report to the Emperor that the Imperial Heralds are as pure and loyal to the Imperial Truth as they ever were to their former Word. 976.M30 - Occupation of Dwell - Brought into compliance and garrisoned by the Ultramarines, Dwell was settled by the natives of Molech during the Dark Age of Technology. The information repositories there would remain undisturbed for another eighty years before historians from the five hundred worlds would chance upon data that would be of great interest to the Primarch of the Thirteenth. 981.M30 - The Final Pieces -The Alpha Legion Legion is reunited with their gene-father, Alpharius Omegon. The final Primarch has been found. 994.M30 - Victory on Isstvan III - The Raven Guard pacify the Isstvan system, bringing it into compliance. This would remain so for little more than a decade. Early M31 - The Triumph at Ullanor - After the campaign to eliminate Urlakk Urg and his empire, consisting of many space marine legions and millions of Imperial Army troops, the Emperor orders a great triumph to be held in recognition of the campaign and the Great Crusade. It is here that the Emperor retires from the front lines and cedes command to Horus, who he promotes to the new title of 'Warmaster'. At the same time, the Luna Wolves would be renamed to the Sons of Horus. 000.M31 - Pacification of the Olamic Quietude - Space Wolf companies, alongside other Imperial forces as a part of the 40th Expedition, decimate the Olamic Quietude but stop short of destroying the civilisation wholesale. The Space Wolves assume control over the shattered Quietude as part of their overall fiefdom. The Quietude would eventually become a demesne of the Technocracy, after the Heresy. 000.M31 - Destruction of the Laer - The Third Legion cleanses Laeran. Their Primarch, Fulgrim, executes an Exterminatus order on the world. 001.M31 - War with the Interex - After Kor Phaeron steals the Anathame Kinebrach blade from the Interex, they assume Horus' delegation are agents of Chaos. They attack Horus, and are subjected to an Imperial campaign of compliance. The Interex civilisation is, for all intents and purposes, destroyed. 001.M31 - The Nikaean Council - Despite the utter necessity of human mutations to the Imperium, such as the Navigator Houses and Astropaths, many powerful figures of the Imperium resented their place and status. None were hated or feared more than the cyclopean Magnus, Primarch of the sorcerous Thousand Sons. With pressure coming from all sides to censure them for their extreme approach to warpcraft, the Emperor decided to end the matter once and for all in a council that would take place on an unstable, volcanic world known as Nikaea. There, an untold number of complaints were levelled at the One-Eyed Witch-King. However, the Imperium was still in a state of war during the Great Crusade, and the opinions of its commanding generals were paramount. Those who opposed Magnus counted dearly on the support of Leman Russ and Mortarion, Primarchs of the Space Wolves and Death Guard, but no aid came from that quarter. Mortarion, though hateful of psykers, had a respect for the powers of the Emperor and had come to recognize its presence in himself and his brothers. It should have came to no surprise to anyone who knew the Reaper Lord that his decision was to be silent and watch. Russ, however, was as bombastic as ever. Though originally supportive of those who opposed Magnus, the arguments set forth by Lorgar of dark, all-powerful entities that resided in the Warp that would twist and corrupt Magnus and his Legion hit the wrong chord with them. Putting such faith in pointless, ancient superstitions as the only true cause to oppose a brother Primarch's efforts to improve humanity enraged Russ. Instead of opposing Magnus, he used his time criticize those who opposed him. By the end of the council, following the personal pleas by those of the Librarian order, the Emperor came to his decision, to silence them all. To be censured, simply for being a psyker, would limit the Imperium and cripple it. After all, the Emperor himself was a psyker, the most powerful human psyker to have ever lived. If Magnus should be censured, then would it not mean that the Emperor must also be censured? Over the centuries that follow, this will be referred to as the Vindication of Magnus. 004.M31 - Tragedy at Davin - Horus, most beloved of all the Primarchs and Warmaster of the Emperor's vast military, falls in battle from the poisoned blade of a traitor upon the moon that orbits the world of Davin. After exhausting every avenue that science and medicine could provide them in the extensive laboratories on their flagships, the desperate Sons of Horus transported their comatose Primarch to the feral lodges of Davin. There, promises were made, deals were struck, and rituals enacted. If the Imperial Truth could not save Horus Lupercal, then perhaps the occult can. As expected, however, their efforts are ultimately in vain. In rage borne of grief, the Sons of Horus take their pain out on the Davinites. Though a planet of the Imperium, the Sons of Horus set it aflame. With the Warmaster fallen, the title will be assumed by the Guilliman to keep the Crusade united in effort. 005.M31 - The Re-Compliance of Isstvan - The First Legion, directly led by Lion El'Jonson, puts down the secessionist rebellion of Isstvan III. The Lion uses this victory to express his displeasure over Guilliman's claim to the former mantle of Horus, reasoning that Horus could not keep Isstvan under control and that Roboute Guilliman, having never even tried, is unworthy of it. 006.M31 - Mark V 'Corvus' Power Armour - The Corvus suit of powered armour battle plate, after initial trials with the Raven Guard and the Iron Warriors is completed and shipped out to front line units. The initial series of suits are incrementally improved over time, and by the time of the Heresy have become a mainstay for several Legions, supplanting the Mark IV 'Maximus' units. 018.M31 - Failure of the Codex Astartes - With the Codex Astartes complete, Roboute Guilliman puts forth his magnum opus to his brothers and his father. It is almost universally dismissed as a whole, even though it includes doctrines and tactics codified by many of his brothers. With his great work rejected, Guilliman returns to Macragge and broods. 018.M31 - The Warmaster Proclamation - Following his sons' designs on Horus' old title, the Emperor declares there shall be no new Warmaster. Both the Lion and Warrior King react badly to this, vocally objecting to the edict and temporarily withdrawing their sons from the wider Great Crusade. Though they do still take part and prosecute their own campaigns, much of their contributions would be in their own self-interests. In the years to come, Guilliman focuses wholly upon his Legion and the five hundred worlds, turning his sons into the largest Legion and his domains into a fortress. 050.M31 - MkVI 'Aquila' Power Armour - As further research and experimentation leads to design advances and armour improvement, a new suit of power armour is trialled with the Sons of Horus and the Dark Angels. Designated the 'Aquila' suit, it is characterised by the Imperial Aquila adorning the breast plate - an embellishment approved of by the Emperor himself. 050.M31 - The Guilliman Heresy - After their botched attempt to turn the Warmaster, the Ruinous Powers turn their attentions to the two Primarchs who struggled to obtain such a powerful, commanding role. In the time since Guilliman's last appearance on the galactic stage and his resurfacing on Miral, the Ultramarines expand to an unrivalled size. With the might of over half a million Astartes behind him, the Warrior King sets his plans in motion, wresting half the galaxy from Imperial control. Dissenting elements in the Five Hundred Worlds are silenced in turn as long-established plans are set in motion. 051.M31 - First Blood at Miral - Either concerned or enraged over Guilliman's continued use of the title of Warmaster in spite of the Emperor's decision, several of his Primarch brothers convene on Miral to assess his loyalties. To their dismay, the combined forces of the Iron Hands, Emperor's Children, Salamanders, Alpha Legion and War Hounds find that the descending Ultramarines, more numerous than their hosts combined, had no intention of talking. The Ultramarines, now traitors of the Imperium, assault the planetside Imperial forces and cause great confusion and havoc amongst the fleet in orbit. In the ensuing chaos, Ferrus Manus is mistakenly slain by Fulgrim, Vulkan disappears and the loyalties of Angron become doubted. 051.M31 - The Apothecarion Edict - In light of the casualties on both sides of Miral, Guilliman calls on all apothecary specialists under his command to harvest gene-seed from whatever source they find on the battlefield so that he may further bolster his forces. This is grimly lampooned later in the war as the Imperium discovers it and is colloquially dubbed the 'Carrion Edict.' 051.M31 - Shadow War - The Alpha Legion, following Miral and Alpharius' public announcement of loyalty to the Emperor, embarks on behind-the-scenes operations against various covert traitors on an unprecedented scale. These wars were fought in the shadows and only a fraction can ever be known though they continued unabated throughout the Heresy, disrupting and misdirecting the rebel forces on multiple occasions. 052.M31 - The Namn Massacre - The Raven Guard are ambushed by the treacherous Salamanders following Corax's refusal of Vulkan's attempts to entice him over to Guilliman's cause. Vulkan and his Legion of Slaanesh worshippers, their first action since the disappearance of Vulkan on Miral, massacre the Raven Guard in the heavy jungles of the Imperial world of Namn after forcing them planetside. At the time, the fate of Corax was unknown though later reports state his use of the Primarch Project data in rebuilding his Legion to above full-strength. The Legion and their Primarch vowed "Nevermore" to the atrocities committed by the Salamanders and their treasonous allies, swearing to halt their nefarious ways. 052.M31 - Schadenhold Besieged - Amongst the many outposts and strongholds under assault by the Ultramarines since the on set of the Heresy, Schadenhold remained in loyalist hands for two years. Prior to the outbreak of open hostilities, the Ultramarine Tetrarch Tauro Nicodemus met with the commander of the Iron Warriors, Warsmith Barabas Dantioch, hoping to sway him to the traitor cause by preying on his sense of abandonment from the main Fourth Legion force and Perturabo. Dantioch refused, displaying commendable loyalty, and narrowly fails in killing the Tetrarch. Conducting a system-wide siege, replete with extensive armoured engagements and a vast supporting contingent from the Imperial Army, Tetrarch Nicodemus drives the Iron Warriors from Greater Damantyne back to Lesser Damantyne and the Schadenhold Fortress itself. Even with reinforcements from the 14th Grand Battalion under Warsmith Krendl, the Iron Warriors can only fight a delaying action. In a last, desperate gambit Dantioch and his remaining men teleport aboard Nicodemus' ship with an entropic charge, the resulting explosion destroys the ship and a portion of the fleet. Dantioch himself is mortally wounded, though recovered by loyalist elements. The Schadenhold Fortress, now in the hands of the Ultramarines and their mortal allies, is destroyed by charges set and ignited by Krendl himself. 052.M31 - The Loss of Kangba Marwu - Following the imprisonment of the majority of the Crusader Host the previous year, a breakout attempt was made by several members to get to the landing fields beyond the Imperial Palace. This, however, ended spectacularly badly as the Salamanders representative and former Chief Librarian Umojen became possessed while still within and the prison complex was then destroyed upon the orders of Rogal Dorn. No members of the Crusader Host were known to have survived. Several high value prisoners from the Unification Wars also perished. The mountain of Rakaposhi slumps more than a kilometre from it's overall height. 053.M31 - Crisis at Inwit - With the fortifications of the Imperial Palace and other key locations on Terra finally complete, half a century after their recall to the cradle-world of Mankind, the Imperial Fists leave its defences to the Iron Warriors in order to investigate the loss of contact with Inwit, where Rogal Dorn grew to adulthood. What actually occurred there is known only to the Imperial Fists. It is rumoured that Inwit had fallen to the same dark masters as the rebels and had laid a trap for the Praetorian. What is known for sure is that the Imperial Fists fell from grace in Inwit's frozen hives, becoming gaunt, wasted creatures bearing the mark of pestilence and corruption. When they returned to Terra, it was as besiegers, rather than defenders, taking horrendous losses attempting to tear down that which they created. 054.M31 - The Lion and the Warrior King - Following the Ork invasion at Calth, taking the Ultramarines by surprise and destroying an entire fleet nearing completion at its shipyards, El'Jonson sways many of Guilliman's followers into attempting to end the war in one decisive thrust. With the favour of the Dark Gods upon him, the Lion instigates a series of internecine skirmishes among the rebels. The fighting eventually dissipates and the Lion proceeds to lead an assault on Terra, with the intention of slaying the Emperor and breaking the Loyalists. 054.M31 - Maze of Blood Incident - The Blood Angels and War Hounds square off on the desolate parade ground of long-abandoned Ullanor. Blasting craters into the continent-sized granite ground and shattering palatial stands into dusty ruins, the heretical Ninth Legion, led by the blood-mad Sanguinius, assaulted their cousins of the Twelfth Legion and the hardened warrior Angron. Aided by the daemonic, the Blood Angels proved very effective at fighting in ruins and extensive flat lands, killing Angron in what will be called the Maze of Blood Incident, spurring an eternal hatred against Sanguinius and his black-hearted sons. The events of the Heresy curtailed many of the privileges enjoyed by the Iterators, however an unknown Iterator had managed to make planetfall amidst the battle of Ullanor. Keeping herself high above the bloodshed by remaining upon the roof of the colossal citadel where the Emperor and many of his sons had crowned Horus the Warmaster, she had an admirable view of the chaos and destruction below. One particular pict-capture, widespread in those years but long since supressed, showed the primarchs Angron and Sanguinius plummeting from the very same citadel. The pict showed Angron's back, one mighty fist reared back while the other clutched at Sanguinius's neck. Sanguinius, the fallen angel, fought to hold onto his blade with a fierce snarl upon his face. Far below them, the light-grey earth was broken by an intricate network of rivers of blood. 057.M31 - War in the Webway - To be expanded upon 057.M31 - The Siege of Terra - The Iron Warriors, bolstered by the Emperor's Children, War Hounds and Imperial Heralds face off against the Lion's terrible assault, supported by the Salamanders, Blood Angels and Imperial Fists. In a combined effort by the Loyalists, through a series of strikes along the Lion's route and within the Sol System itself, the Imperial Fists are successfully separated from the rest of the Traitors, stopped just barely at Luna. With his greatest weapon deprived of him, the Lion finds his assault stymied from the start. The Blood Angels rampage across Terra, the War Hounds struggling to stagnate them, as Vulkan and the Lion assault the Palace itself. Fulgrim meets the Lion in a duel upon the Palace's crenellations. Fulgrim dies at the Lion's sword, valiant though his efforts were. Bloodied by the brutal duel, the Lion was quickly caught into a much greater fight. Seeing Fulgrim fall, his name on his son's lips, the Emperor charged the Lion. In a brief, climactic series of strikes, the Lion was cast from the Palace's walls. With the Imperial Fists in orbit finally being turned back, Vulkan convinces the battered Lion to declare retreat. Covered by the Blood Angels, whose ferocity remained undimmed, the Lion's forces extract themselves from Terra and flee back to the distant borders of the traitors' growing realms. With heavy Loyalist reinforcements en route, it was the Lion's only choice. The Blood Angels were the last to leave, though in truth many among their number never made the attempt and chose instead to die fighting. Sanguinius, however, left with the retreating Lion and Vulkan. 058.M31 - Khan Rebels - With the chaos of recent events coming to light, the disillusionment the Khan has experienced in recent years over the increase in Imperial bureaucracy and spats of violence with both Imperial and rebel forces, the White Scars secede from the Imperium. Loyal only to themselves and their Khan, they choose no sides and seek only to defend themselves and their pocket Empire. The time afforded to him by the turmoil of outside events allowed the Khan to make his position so unassailable that, by the wars' end, he had created a domain from a fifth of the Imperium, encompassing most of the Galactic Core and much of the Galactic North-East. Included within this great Khanate was the Maelstrom, utilized by the Legion as a stronghold to replace their lost homeworld Chogoris. 060.M31 - Guilliman at Molech - To be expanded upon 061.M31 - Ultramar Invasion - Following the Siege of Terra, the Emperor once more assumes personal command of the Imperium's vast armies. Magnus sits upon the Golden Throne to await his return, Russ and the Space Wolves remaining behind to fight against the constant daemonic incursions and relieve the beleaguered Custodes. The Loyalists, bolstered by their victory at Terra, finally cease being on the defensive and go on the offensive, invading the growing Ultramar Realm en masse and in force. 061.M31 - Betrayal at Caliban - Following his defeat, the Lion returns to Caliban to find that his second in command, Luther, had remained resolute in his loyalties to the Emperor. In the ensuing battle, Luther makes the fateful decision to destroy Caliban from orbit, the Lion and his elite chosen still planetside. His remaining followers forced to retreat once more, they fled to those remaining worlds declared loyal to their cause. In concert, perhaps by the sorceries of their Librarians or by the whims of the Dark Gods, these worlds were enveloped by great warpstorms that remained impenetrable in some cases for ten thousand years. Though Caliban was destroyed, a large chunk had an intact Fortress-Monastery. Within, it is said, the Lion was found, alive but unconscious. 062.M31 - Final Voyage of the Reaper's Blade - The Death Guard, led by Mortarion, are the first to enter Ultramar, ahead of other Imperial forces. Though they initially met with success, they are caught in the opening squalls of the Ruinstorm. As a strange warpborne plague tore through their fleets, the Death Guard are all but unable to defend against this mysterious pathogen. Worse still, those killed are animated by its dark powers, aiding it to kill yet more Death Guard. The Death Guard are in mere moments doomed to destruction, the vanguard of the Imperial force entering Ultramar halted in its tracks. Only the actions of the Legion's leadership saves them, as the detonation of the Reaper's Blade's warp engines creates hole back into reality, causing the Death Guard fleet to tumble through as if caught in a whirlpool. In an instant, the terrible disease disappears, and the dead slump still once more. However, the horror does not stop there, as the Death Guard soon find that there are two ships in particular missing: the Reaper's Blade, flagship of Mortarion himself, and the Terminus Est, ferryship of their most elite and veteran. Later, they will be commemorated, Mortarion and Typhon, Captain of Terminus Est and its veteran cohort, on their homeworld of Barbarus. Many years later, in their name, the Death Guard will reforge their homeworld into a safer haven. 062.M31 - The Emperor at Molech - To be expanded upon 065.M31 - Gulliman, Drach'nyen and Uralan - To be expanded upon 066.M31 - The Three-Worlds Campaign - Site of the greatest tank clash Mankind has ever seen, the triple-planet system known as the Three-Worlds on the border of Ultramar was host to uncountable tank battles over many weeks of constant fighting. With the unusual nature of the planets orbiting a common centre of gravity, the war throughout was equally unusual. On both sides, super-heavy vehicles capable of engaging units in orbit used their weaponry to bombard enemies on the other worlds. This made things much more difficult for the invading Imperial forces, whose commanders found themselves engaged on more fronts than they could imagine. In an attempt to circumvent these problems, they struck all three planets at once in an effort to silence the opposition before such artillery could become a severe issue. However, resistance was so strong that they became mired down on all three worlds for months. 066.M31 - The Invasion of Baal - Systematic purge of the homeworld of the Blood Angels and their moons, fought solely by the Imperial Army and without any Legionary back-up. A great victory for the Loyalists, the fall of a highly defended homeworld of a Traitor Legion to a purely mortal Loyalist force. The cost in lives, however, was atrociously high. The War Hounds were especially impressed, and publicly praised the Imperial Army for their victory. 068.M31 - Paradise Lost - Iax, once a verdant world and the jewel of Ultramar, was reduced to a barren wasteland by the Imperium. Viral attacks form orbit reduce the planet-wide foliage to withered stalks and bare stumps. With no living population, Iax is spared the full force of the Ultramar Scouring and, in time, is host to a colony that grows to encompass the world. In later centuries and millennia, Iax is home to Army regiments specialised in desert and wasteland warfare. 070.M31 - The Siege of Macragge - One of the longest battles of the Guilliman Heresy, far longer than the Siege of Terra. The Alpha Legion and Raven Guard are the first to assault the surface of the Ultramarines' homeworld of Macragge. In intense battles across the globe, the masters of the conventional war faced off against the masters of the unconventional. Focused around the military academies scattered across the planet, the two Loyalists slowly forced the Traitors to take up defensive positions behind their great fortresses. Months later, when Imperial reinforcements finally arrive, the Raven Guard and Alpha Legion infiltrated the Fortress of Hera and fought just outside its inner keep. This allowed Imperial reinforcements to land mostly unmolested. Though the outer walls were still intact and defended, the combined might of the Night Lords and Custodes, led by Konrad Curze and the Emperor himself, easily crest their heights. Though Curze falls to an assassin's bullet during the turmoil, the reinforcements succeed in meeting with the Alpha Legion and Raven Guard and together storm the inner keep. As this wages on, elsewhere the War Hounds stand off once more against the Blood Angels to prevent them from reaching the Emperor's forces in the rocky mountains surrounding the Fortress of Hera, while the Sons of Horus remain in orbit above to aid the Imperial Fleet in keeping the traitors at bay. Within the inner keep, however, the Loyalists find not just Guilliman and his Legion but Dorn and Vulkan, both with their Legions at the ready to defend their Warmaster. Centre stage to the most ferocious battle ever staged in this lengthy rebellion, the Emperor and his damned son Guilliman traded blows in their efforts to end the war once and for all. The battle lasted many hours, with both sides tearing relentlessly into each other, none gaining the upper hand over the other. It was one of Alpharius' later attacks that finally broke the stalemate. Facing off against a Champion of Chaos of terrible strength, his no-holds-barred fight against this unknown traitor provided a fatal distraction for the Emperor. Guilliman took advantage of his and clove through his father's heart with his sword. However, his sword arm pinned, he left himself wide open for the Emperor's return strike, smiting the arch-heretic down with a lethal blow that was as much psychic as it was physical. Seeing the fall of their leaders, the fighting withered and the full-on war was replaced with consolidatory skirmishes. In unspoken agreement both sides retired from Macragge, taking their dying leaders with them. The Ultramarines placed their Primarch in stasis, hoping against hope that one day they would be able to revive him. The Emperor is returned to Terra. 070.M31 - The Rubric of Magnus the Red - Fatally wounded, the Emperor is brought back to his Golden Throne, its powerful life support engines the only thing capable of keeping him alive. Freed from its hold once more, Magnus is horrified by what has become of the Emperor, and delves ever deeper into the arcane in hopes of healing him. After much fasting and searching, Magnus finds his answer and enacts a ritual that required the assistance of his entire Legion. The ritual, however, required more energy and power than they had to give. Many of the Thousand Sons, especially those of weaker minds, were burned out. By the ritual's close, only a fraction of the Legion's most powerful remained and it was still not enough. Magnus made a fateful decision that day, choosing to allow himself to be burned out for the boost in power it would give. In one great act, Magnus took upon himself the injuries of the Emperor and used his own life essence, taken as it was from the Emperor himself, to revive him once more. In so doing, the Emperor stood from the Throne under his own power and Magnus was interred upon it in his place. It is said that his Chief Librarian, Ahriman, had somehow failed his Primarch during the ritual, explaining his disappearance following this as an execution or perhaps banishment. 070.M31 to 088.M31 - The Ultramar Scouring - After Guilliman's bid to take command of the Imperium fails, his vaunted Ultramar Empire is put to the sword and fire. The Ultramarines, newly renamed the Omega Legion, flees to the Warp in search of sanctuary under the leadership of its remaining high officers. 077.M31 - The Necropolis Incident - Facing the corrupted Imperial Fists in the frozen hives of Inwit, the Fortress of the Dead (otherwise known as the Necropolis) proved a formidable obstacle to the Iron Warriors tasked with bringing the Fists to justice. As the final buttresses were taken and the deepest dungeons purged, Perturabo confronted Daemon that was once Dorn in his throne room. The fight, though monumental, was too much for the Iron Warrior Primarch. He died valiantly, fighting the plague-animated Rogal Dorn to his last gasping breath. His Legion, on the cusp of victory, forced the remainder of the Imperial Fists and their Primarch to escape Inwit, and melted the ice-bound bastion with their furious fire. 089.M31 - Lorgar's Hunt - Lorgar, the Heresy finally dealt with, turns his attention back to his disowned step-father, Kor Phaeron. Although he pursues the renegade far across the galaxy, he unfortunately loses his trail time and time again. The Imperial Heralds follow him in this task, attempting to finally eradicate the last remaining evidence of how close they came to betrayal. 094.M31 - Creation of the Iteratus Agnostica - Following the drawn out Scouring of Ultramar, Lorgar's reflection on faith and belief and the merits of the Imperial Truth, the Primarch petitioned the reworking of the Iterator Order. Its tasks would not simply be to spread the Imperial Truth to the conquered worlds of man, but to root out cults. Also envisioned to be within their purview is the evaluation of current Imperial culture on established worlds and the right to declare re-compliance. Chief among these worlds were those conquered by Lorgar and his Legion during their days as the Word Bearers. Many of these worlds were forced to burn once more to root out the beliefs erroneously instilled within them. The dedication of Lorgar and the Imperial Heralds to this end was so absolute that there was no world that could escape their wrath should it fall from their standards - not even Colchis, Lorgar's very homeworld. When Colchis refused to denounce their faiths and called Lorgar a false prophet, it burned like all the others. Since then, the Imperial Heralds have become a fleet-based Legion much like the War Hounds. Mid M31- Creation of the Adeptus Arbites and the Investigatus - Considering the disparate forces of justice throughout the Imperium, Konrad Curze posthumously became the metaphorical father to a standardised, Imperial judiciary system. These men and women follow the letter of the law, as codified by Curze, with utmost determination. Often a Night Lord on hand will oversee and advise operations, perhaps even conducting his own brand of law enforcement. As other institutions were established within the Imperium at this time, the Arbites were soon merged with the newly created Investigatus. The higher-ranking Investigators were highly independent and very powerful agents tasked with investigating all signs of anti-Imperial behaviour across the Imperium's worlds and hierarchies. The Arbites retained their original functions but were additionally made the strong-arm forces of the Investigators. Though anyone of appropriate skill could become an Investigator, in its earliest days they were dominantly of the Custodes. Though the rise in talented mortal Investigators increases over the millennia, the Custodes can still often be found as an Investigator. - The Mars-Terra Conflict - With the re-organizing of the Imperium following the Ultramar Scouring, the Mechanicum of Mars itself was tasked with changing its structure and organization according to the Emperor's will. Often the red planet took a neutral side during the Heresy, and for this reason the Emperor had decided to yoke the Mechanicum to his command instead of allowing Mars its independence as an allied state within the Imperium. However, the Martian brotherhood took terribly to this change of alliance. Many forgeworlds remained loyal to Mars over Terra, and the Imperium was once more wracked by wars across the galaxy. The former worlds of the Auretian Technocracy petition the rights to regain their pre-Imperial unity in return for accepting the reforms demanded upon the Mechanicum in their place. So granted, they proved a valuable ally in the ensuing turmoil. Though the war raged across the galaxy, it waged hottest at its very core. For months, Mars was embroiled in intense battles across its red globe. In a terrible twist of fate, the Iron Hands, bereft and lost following the Heresy, chose to defend their Martian brothers and were damned with them. After intense conflicts, the Imperium succeeded in rooting the Mechanicum out of Mars. The Mechanicum fractured greatly. Many fled to the Eye of Terror like the defeated Traitors of before, or to the strong Khanate of the White Scars. Those who fled to the remaining forgeworlds loyal to Mars suffered the worst fates and were slain one by one. The remainder followed the Iron Hands to their homeworld of Medusa. - The Medusa Cull - In an apocalyptic battle of titanic war engines, the mechanical forces of the renewed Auretian Technocracy and the great crawler behemoths of the Iron Hands trade fire across blasted wastelands as the Space Wolves boarded the enemy's Clan-fortresses. With his usual daring, Russ and his retinue teleported directly into their headquarters. It took a full week for the Space Wolves to fight their way to join with him, but they arrived only to find that Russ had fallen in battle against the returned Iron Hand First Captain, Gabriel Santar. It is believed that the death of Leman Russ was the catalyst in a great ritual that allowed Santar to ascend into daemonhood, and for the great warpstorms that came immediately following. The Imperials were forced offworld by the sudden warp activity and many Titan legions left were stranded. Once cleared, the world was not only barren of all life but of all evidence that life had ever been there. The Iron Hands had declared themselves for Tzeentch, who had transplanted them one and all onto a daemonworld deep in the Eye. - Lorgar's Disappearance - After following hot on the trail of Kor Phaeron once again, Lorgar enters Khanate space. Not much is known to Imperial scholars after this except that Lorgar disappears and many of his cohort do not return. He was last seen entering a web portal before the entrance was sealed with explosives, presumably by the traitor Kor Phaeron. Early M32 - The Great Expedition - Following the rise of power of the Auretian Technocracy, an undertaking not seen since the ending days of the Great Crusade was gathered and executed, which would later be referred to as the "Great Expedition." The objective was not to reunite humanity, as the Great Crusade had, but to seek out and locate archeotech relics of the Dark Age of Technology. The greatest finds of all were the STC's, standard template constructs that provided the blueprints for the greatest inventions of humanity. Vast armadas were built and dispatched from the great forges and foundries of Auretia, the equal of any in the Imperium, and backed by the combined might of the Imperial Army and those Legions who remained loyal to the Imperium. From this century long endeavour came advancements in Imperial technology such as the unmanned, intelligent drones and the Crozius Network. Many other findings were made beyond the technological. A major discovery of the biological sciences upon the dead world of Chaladriax IV led to the later Elohim Project. Mid M32 - Via Itineris - The secret project begun by the Emperor during the close of the Great Crusade meets its first substantial success: A fully enclosed, self-sufficient Webway system separate from its Eldar predecessor and protected from the Warp that extends throughout the Sol System. Called the Imperial Route System, this was followed by public announcements and aggressive expansions of the Routes. The Legions of the Thousand Sons and Space Wolves have dedicated themselves to the patrol and safeguard of these ever expansive labyrinths. As such, the greatest nodes from which the Routes grow from outside of Terra are the worlds of Fenris and Prospero. Early M34 - Martian Resurgence/Elohim Project - Mars by then had become an enshrouded prison world. All those who opposed the Auretian Technocracy were collected and left to rot upon the red world. Though given free reign to manage its own affairs, such influence was restricted only to Mars. However, Mars' former status as the Mechanicum meant that despite its current status it remained the greatest forgeworld across the Imperium. It was especially noted for its successes at bringing theoretical work to alpha and beta stages, far surpassing other worlds in this regard. As such, when the Emperor gave his patronage to the Elohim Project, which would enhance the physiology of the Space Marines, only Mars was trusted with its earliest work. After many failed false starts, they did succeed in getting it to the testing stages. However, they refused to release their findings until they could be given autonomy from the Auretian Technocracy and were placed back to their former status. After a brief, minor struggle in which many of Mars were killed by enraged Auretians seeking to take it by force, the Emperor finally stepped in. The Technocracy, he felt, had overstepped its bounds and the Martians were well within their rights to make such a demand. As the Auretian Technocracy was by default subservient completely to the Emperor's will, they could do nothing but stand idly by as they were once more disbanded. The structure of Technocracy would remain in place, however Mars would stand as an equal to Auretia in its governance. As such, the institution was renamed the Scientifica. True to their word, Mars released their findings and the Elohim Project was brought to full fruition. M35 - The Necrons Arise - Following the mass awakening of a significant proportion of the Necrontyr, a series of destructive wars and apocalyptic encounters lay waste to several regions of the galaxy, not least of which revolve around several World Engines and their destruction. During this period, lasting several bloody centuries, the Dusk Raiders, the Iron Warriors and the Lutherian Dark Angels experience losses the like of which had not been seen since the Heresy. In fact, the attrition is so acute that, at one point or another, each of the three Legions teeter on the abyss of destruction. The Necrons themselves eventually bring their attention away from humanity and focus instead upon themselves, becoming embroiled in a power struggle between the Silent King and the Stormlord. - Wars of Secession - The rise of the Necrons caused a significant period of turmoil in the Imperium. Not only did they threaten their great domain but the desperate redistribution of resources to combat them left many of the Imperium far from the front bereft of supplies and defenceless before their long-standing enemies. Chaos incursions, Ork Waaaghs! and pirate raids increased during this time. Many Imperial Commanders, separately at first but eventually unified, chose to withheld their much-needed resources from the Imperium. When the Imperium chose to take these resources by force, whole Sectors declared secession and obliterated these forceful attempts. The Imperium was forced to ignore these traitors while they dealt with the Necrons but once that was over they turned their tired armies and unleashed them upon the secessionists. The Secessionist Wars lasted nearly a century, no thanks to the aid given to the secessionists by the White Scars Legion. Though the Imperium had been successful at restricting the Khanate down to a more manageable size centred around the Maelstrom, the Legion itself was as great a threat now as it ever was. Their true purpose in aiding the secessionists was soon revealed when the White Scars unleashed an unparalleled strike on the Imperial Routes surrounding their small Empire. In a concerted, decisive series of strikes an entire swathe of the Routes were cut off from the rest of the Imperium and sealed off. This was a terrible setback for the Imperium. Not only did they lose in one fell swoop a large percentage of their network to the White Scars but untold damage was done by the Daemonic invasions that found these wounds and wreaked havoc on the network and its personnel. Following the success of their plan, the White Scars ceased their support of the secessionists, allowing the Imperium to finally end their betrayals and replace them with more loyal retainers. Late M37 - Age of Heirarchs - Following the discovery of ancient documents pre-dating the Great Crusade, the Elohim Project is reinstated in light of its advanced sciences. Thousands of Marines from the varied Loyalists are tested and augmented. However, before any findings could be recorded, the Emperor, returned from a recent period of isolation within the Imperial Routes deep in Segmentum Tempestus, brought the Project to a screeching halt. All research and documents were destroyed and the test subject Marines sent back to their Legions. Soon the Emperor's response was to prove prophetic as a period of uncontrollable mutations and mental breakdowns wiped out more than 99% of their number. Almost none survived the following decades, either by rampant changes, death or capture by the Traitor Legions who sought to unlock their secrets. Of the thousands tested, only nine ever lived and stabilized. These nine showed the true potential of the reinstated Project, as they were without peer. To the Imperium, it was as if the Primarchs once more walked among them. These nine quickly rose through the ranks of their respective Legion claiming the titles of Heirarchs, the heirs of their Primarch. They were legends and heroes of the past made flesh once more, and their deeds are recorded in great detail. Three of the Heirarchs were of the Sons of Horus Legion, who led their Legion as the triumvirate Mournival through a series of victories unmatched by any since the days of their lost Warmaster. The ever-expanding Raven Guard had in their Legion two Heirarchs. One who governed and directed the Legion from Deliverance and one who led the largest incursion to ever venture into the Eye of Terror. No other Legion had as many Heirarchs as the Sons of Horus or Raven Guard. Like their long-gone Primarchs, none were immortal and the last Heirarch fell in battle against the Dark Eldar mid M39. To make the loyalties clear, here is a summarised list of the Legions: LEGIONS I - Dark Angels - Split into two factions, similar as in canon except that the Lion turns, Luther stays loyal and it is by no means a well-hidden secret. The Lion aspires to be the new Warmaster, in direct contention with Roboute Guilliman, and stages the Siege of Terra against the Warrior King's wishes. The plan fails and the Lion is forced to flee to Caliban where he is confronted by Luther. Though those who remained true to the Emperor with Luther are small in number, they are ever valiant in tracking down and slaying those brethren who chose to side with the Lion. These traitorous brethren are themselves busy with attempting to find and revive their lost Primarch. II - REDACTED III - Emperor's Children - Remains loyal, with Fulgrim dying during the Siege of Terra at the hands of the Lion. The Emperor's Children and Fulgrim are largely responsible for the positive relations between some Eldar Craftworlds and the Imperium. Though the Legion continues to strive for perfection, it has come to terms with the knowledge that it is unobtainable. IV - Iron Warriors - Remain loyal. The Iron Warriors remain the siege specialists they have always been, however the introduction of a guerrilla warfare specialist Primarch has instead veered their war preferences towards urban fighting, making heavy use of technology and their dual masteries of siege and guerrilla warfare. The Legion replaces the Imperial Fists at the walls of the Imperial Palace and successfully man the Fists' fortifications against the Lion's assault. Perturabo is responsible for Angron's altered Butcher's Nails, changing him to a more lucid, calmer individual. Perturabo is later slain on Inwit attempting to annihilate the fallen Imperial Fists. V - White Scars - Betrayed by Guilliman and later by his own loyalist brothers, the Great Khan and his Legion secedes during the Heresy and forms a splinter empire radiating out to the galactic north-east, originally encompassing a fifth of the galaxy. The Khanate Empire exists as variously sized fiefs and exhibits very similar attitudes and outlooks as the canon 40k Imperium does. The Khanate shrinks over time due to attrition against traitors and Imperials alike and is by the 41st Millennium a very truncated version of what it originally was, centred around the Maelstrom. Though the Great Khan disappeared long ago under mysterious circumstances, rumours abound that he may have returned... VI - Space Wolves - Remains loyal to the Emperor, eventually becoming close comrades in arms with the Thousand Sons. Fenris shines as a beacon of humanity's indomitable will, a would-be death world tamed and shackled to Mankind's destiny. Among the great hives of its sole continent of Asaheim is the Fang, the tallest hive spire in the Imperium and fortress-monastery to the Space Wolves. Though often seen warring throughout the galaxy, the Space Wolves mostly confine their efforts to the aid in expanding the Imperial Routes. VII - Imperial Fists - Turn to Nurgle following a failed attempt to put down a rebellion on Inwit. The defences on Terra serve the remaining defenders well, as the Imperial Fists themselves return to Terra to commit to the Siege. However, they are specifically targeted by the loyalists during their arrival and find themselves too few to overcome the defences they themselves erected. Without the Imperial Fists as a viable force, the Lion fails to take Terra. VIII - Night Lords - Remains loyal and are the primary garrison Legion used during the Great Crusade because of their fractious nature and dedication to law and order. Curze pens the blueprint of what was to become the Arbites before he is slain during the Siege of Macragge. The Legion is filled with vigilantes, ex-enforcers and ex-criminals, leading to its highly divided nature. Though the normally ever-present brotherly bond of Legionnaires is mostly absent among the Night Lords, their dedication to their Primarch and his ideals, or their interpretations of it, is the highest among all other Legions. IX - Blood Angels - Turn to Khorne following the collapse of their Primarch and the Blood God's heavy handed attempts to take the Legion. Though Sanguinius rebels against the change that overcomes his Legion, he is powerless to stop it in his comatose state. Upon awakening, he himself had become a mirror image of his Legion. Though thoroughly fallen, his resentment lingered for some time, during which he exhibited suicidal traits. X - Iron Hands - Decimated during the opening phases of the Heresy, their Primarch is tragically slain by Fulgrim amid confusion over loyalties. Although the Legion essentially sat out the primary warfare and guarded the Mechanicum's assets during the Heresy, they eventually turn against the Imperium during the Mars-Terra Conflict, falling under the aegis of Tzeentch. XI - REDACTED XII - World Eaters War Hounds - Despite initial temptations, the War Hounds remain loyal. Angron later dies at the hands of Sanguinius on the world that would come to be known as Armageddon. Since then, the War Hounds have dedicated themselves to erasing the Blood Angels so completely that none would ever remember them. XIII - Ultramarines Omega Legion - The arch betrayers of the Imperium. Comprising the majority of the traitors on the side of Guilliman, they sway fewer Primarchs to their cause than they had wished and ultimately lose the war before being driven back to the Eye of Terror. Guilliman is believed dead by the Imperium at large, slain during the final climactic fight on Macragge. Prior to the Heresy, the Legion had boosted its numbers unbeknownst to the rest of the Imperium, fielding in excess of half a million Astartes in the opening years of the Heresy. Following the Heresy the Legion reverses their Legion symbol and embarks on the Long War against the Imperium, led by various surviving or newly risen Legion Commanders. Due to the inverted symbol, the Imperium has taken to referring to this Traitor Legion as the Omega Legion. XIV - Death Guard Dusk Raiders - Remains loyal. Due to a terrible accident during an unstable warp transit to assault Ultramar, the Legion loses both Primarch and First Captain. The exact circumstances are known only to those lost. They are commemorated on Barbarus and the Death Guard revert back to their old name of Dusk Raiders, believing that they have failed Mortarion and do not deserve the name he gave to them. XV - Thousand Sons - Remain loyal, though the initial actions of Russ and his Legion could have driven them out much as the White Scars were. Luckily for the Imperium, the two Legions form an uneasy alliance during the Heresy, culminating in a bond of brotherhood that has lasted ten thousand years. Magnus, saviour of the Imperium, sits upon the Golden Throne in lieu of the Emperor. XVI - Sons of Horus - Despite a fractured period following the death of Horus, the Legion remains loyal. Abaddon and his Justaerin revoke their oaths to their fallen lord and the Emperor to join with Guilliman. Though ambitious and powerful, his outsider status keeps him low among the Traitor Legion hierarchies. The Sons of Horus, though perhaps a shade of their former capabilities, strive to remain the best Legion in memory of the true Warmaster. XVII - Word Bearers Imperial Heralds - The Legion to come the closest to betrayal but remain true, the Word Bearers suffer a crisis of faith following Monarchia, when the Emperor himself rebukes them for their ways. Following a Legionary Pilgrimage, and a personal Pilgrimage of Lorgar that leads to the heart of the Imperium of Terra, the Word Bearers come through their penitence crusade newly forged. Renaming themselves back to their former Imperial Heralds name, they have ever been dedicated to the Imperial Truth. XVIII - Salamanders - Vulkan is captured early on in the Heresy and corrupted by Guilliman through obscene torture. Upon his return to the Legion, he spreads the corruption of Slaanesh to his sons. Vulkan goes on to fight in both Sieges, but only to return to his world of Nocturne to find it seconds from death at the guns of the Iron Hands. XIX - Raven Guard - Remain loyal, but are decimated after a surprise attack by the Salamanders at the world of Namn. The Raven Guard rebuild their Legion using genetic data gifted to them by the Emperor and go on to become a driving force after the Heresy. XX - Alpha Legion - Many records of the Alpha Legion are ultimately contradictory. It is known that they publicly declared themselves loyal to the Emperor and embarked upon a secret war against those loyal to Guilliman of similar doctrines. As there are no signs of these organizations existing following the Heresy, it is believed that the Alpha Legion met with success. HUMAN FACTIONS The Imperium The Imperium is a different beast to that of Canon. It does not display the ignorance that the Canon Imperium does, nor does it suffer from the same backwards view on technology either. What with the Mechanicum cast out for their lack of support during the Heresy and the Emperor surviving, certain ideals continue apace, such as the Imperial Truth.<br /> Chaos A similar counterpart to the Canon version of itself, Chaos has it's own 'pet' Legions in the form of the Blood Angels, the Imperial Fists, the Iron Hands, the Salamanders and, of course, the Ultramarines. Also under their control are numerous Mechanicum sects, exiled and persecuted by the Imperium. These sects each have their own goals and beliefs in the 41st millennium, ranging from building an impossibly vast vessel, to physically constructing daemons, to gearing up for war against their persecutors. The Khanate Empire The wildcard of the three human factions, the Khanate Empire is fiercely proud of who and what they are. Each of the many fiefs is controlled by a Khan and looks to itself for it's own defence. The Khanate Empire has clashed with the Imperium on many occasions and has lost much ground in the ten thousand years it has existed. The relationship between the Khanate Empire and the neighbouring Tau Empire is, at least to the Imperium, relatively unknown and can only be guessed at but it seems that an uneasy truce currently exists. This is the last refuge of untainted Mechanicum descendants, many of whom were warmly welcomed by the Khan into his Empire. Many of the old Mechanicum's traditions and beliefs from before the Heresy still exist here. RACES Orks - Remain unchanged. They're Orks, what did you expect? Eldar - Are grouped into two broad factions, one is pro-Imperial whilst the other doesn't want anything to do with humanity. Dark Eldar - Mostly unchanged. Tau - Split into two factions, one xenophobic group exists under Commander Farsight while the other operates mostly as the Tau do in Canon, except they hold a much more vast territory this time around considering Ultramar is pretty much toast by the time they pop up. Tyranids - Will exhibit stronger and more dangerous traits and biomorphs in this universe when they arrive, mostly to provide a better challenge to our version of the Imperium. Necrons - The Necrons awaken much earlier than in Canon, appearing in the 35th millennium and herald a period of great upheaval before getting distracted by a power struggle. I'll point out now that the Emperor survives the Heresy and lives well into the 42nd millennium - his survival is integral to the narrative and will not change, so don't ask. Oh, and loyalties are locked. Please don't ask if we can change Legion such-and-such to a certain god. It won't happen. Now, all of this is subject to refinement and change but, hopefully, we will remain on top of things and keep this post updated. This is, after all, the first post (and there's bound to be details I've missed). Btw, just in case the nicknames confuse you (but I doubt it), here's what we mean; Pyromanders = Salamanders Jazz Hands = Iron Hands Blood for the Blood Angels = Blood Angels Plague Fists = Imperial Fists