Inquisitor files: The War Of A Thousand Sins

[The 13th Goat]

The War Of A Thousand Sins

The hive world of Pulsa was pitched on the edge of the Arcanis sector. Remote in location and alone in its system, when the distress beacon reached segmentum command the captains were all to aware of what might transpire on such a backwater world. When the attached message describing the nature of the distress was eventually decrypted, a special astropathic message was immediately sent to Titan, for the eyes of the Ordos Malleus. Within 2 weeks an Inquisitor was within the system and preparing to investigate the situation. What he found shocked even him.

The sky's all over Pulsa had darkened to a constant smog, with red lightning arching throughout the skies. Blood wept from the sky, and Imperial iconography seemed to crack and glow with unnatural light. Upon further investigation, the Inquisitor managed to uncover a terrible truth. The corrupt ruling class had become so obsessed with decadence they had decided to call forth a being from their world's ancient myths, supposed to grant wishes. The Inquisitor instantly recognised the Djinn mentioned as a Deamon Prince the Ordo had been unable to defeat 800 years prior, the monstrous Cha'taresh. This deamon was dedicated to the Slaaneshi way, and was known to harbor many Emperor's Children Traitor Marines within his employ. The Deamon was here, recollecting its strength, and if the ritual was completed he would attain a strength that could devastate entire systems.

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Aware time was not on his side and the Deamon Prince would have forces at work above his ability, he sent out an astropathic message for help. As the Grey Knights were disposed fighting in the recent Black Crusade, he prayed to the Emperor for enough support to stem the tide of evil that was about to be released on Pulsa. The Emperors response was not one, but three battle forces of Astartes. The two closest sectors offered up the warriors from the Storm Talons and Omega Marines, and a passing White Hand Battle Barge, the Veneratio, had also heeded the call. All arrived for one purpose: to stop the Emperor's Children.

The War

Almost as soon as the marines entire the system Pulsa descended into chaos. The wealthy ruling class took to the streets in an orgy of decadence and emotion, letting lose wild beasts and kidnapping the terrified working class. The local Aribites were quickly annihilated as a wall of horrific sound smashed into their precincts, courtesy of the Emperor's Children. The Inquisitor himself was forced to retreat into hiding in the outlaying forests, communicating desperate co-ordinates for landing parties to the rallying Space Marines. Three weeks after announcing distress, Space Marines had landed on Pulsa.

Fighting became thick and fast once the assault began. Marines battled traitors in the streets and civilians still loyal died in the cross fire. Whole hive were scorched and destroyed due to the sheer intensity of the fighting. Seven full companies of Space Marines fought brutally to capture supply points and uncover the location of the Deamon Prince. But the Deamon Prince had his own plans. By warping the armour of the destroyed Arbites, the deamon prince was actually creating more traitor marines, duplicating their deformed geneseed using sorcerous magics. For every traitor that fell, two more would appear days later. Things were looking bleak.

The Inquisitor had been playing his own part. Operating behind enemy lines within the corrupt palace, he gleaned information on the location of the ritual. Knowing the Deamon Prince would have to be near, he quickly contacted the commanding captains and formed a plan to break and kill the Deamon Prince. The marines at this point were severely battered. The two companies of Omega Marines were stuck on the other side of the planet caught in hive fighting, one of the Storm Talon companies had suffered severe casualties extracting civilians out of the hives and the White Hand Company was pinned performing a similar operation. The Inquisitor new it was a desperate gamble, but it was the only way.

The plan was simple. The Inquisitor would stop the ritual, escorted by an accumulation of Storm Talon Terminators and a 20 man White Hand squad led by a Brother Superior named Tobun. They would siege the great forge where the ritual was taking place, halting the Deamon's increasing powers. The remaining forces would lay siege to the palace the Deamon Prince was hiding in. Splitting the forces was risky, but the only way to divide enough attention to potentially complete both tasks.

The Forge

Brothers of the Ember

After the combined Terminator Storming of the Geraiu Super Forge during the War Of A Thousand Sins, many tactical dreadnaught suits were lost amongst the debris. In a mark of respect to their fallen brothers, the chapter's remaining terminator armour was adorned with a Silver Right shoulder adorned with flames. Over the course of the clean up some of the brothers were recovered, most dead. A handfull had survived the collapse of the forge, and were granted Dreadnuaght honours. These brothers had their sarcphogai wreathed in flames also, as a mark of respect.

The battle into the great forge was horrific, with death and agony screaming down on all sides as the battled their way into the building. The Ritual itself was situated on the open roof, overlooking the palatial grounds. Stationing the Storm Talon's to Guard their flank, the Inquisitor and the White Hands ascended the building, storming floor after floor in their constant need to to get higher. The building was failing, its concrete not designed for such heavy fighting. By the time they broke onto the roof, the building was ablaze, with hordes of traitors and deamons racing after them, stemmed only by the dwindling Storm Talons. The sight that greeted them on the roof was hideous. The kidnapped victims had been violated and mutilated in ways to horrific to speak, and the wealthy were naked and writhing in the dead's entrails, relishing it in unfathomable ecstasy. Versed in understanding the of these rituals, the Inquisitor quickly smashed the surrounding lanterns that had been channeling their psychic power. In an eruption of psychic backlash, the roof and building began to collapse. Thrown by the sudden movements, the Inquisitor joined the wealthy cultists i sliding off the roof. In a bid to save the flailing Inquisitor the Brother Superior of the White Hands lept off after him. Catching him in mid fall and repositioning himself, the Marine crashed through the plane glass windows first, splashing down into one of the palatial pools frequented by the ruling class. All around them the falling cultist landed, splashing safely into the water. By the time the cultists had made it poolside, the Inquisitor and Marine were holding weapons and ordering them to get out.

They were the fortunate ones. Those stuck on the Forge knew the place was coming down around them. The way off had quickly become unusable, and they knew they were trapped. Facing Death head on, the remaining Storm Talons and White Hands rushed into the oncoming hordes, defiant to the last. As the walls and ceiling came crashing down, each Marines armour was scorched and wreathed in flames, their hatred and righteous fury burning bright admit the black chaos of their last moments.

Cha'taresh

The palace had been designed to offer full protection against worst an enemy could through at them. The Space Marines overcame these defenses in 8 minutes, rushing into the compound with cold determination and fury unrelenting. Walls and monuments were shattered and smashed as the Storm Talons and White Hands desperately tried to reach the throne room, home to the monster that had caused all their pain. Traitor marines littered the corridors, forcing long and brutal confrontations that saw many die. By the time the grand doors to the throne room opened, three men stood alone and drenched in blood; Master Gravin Vaspar of the White Hands, Chaplain Ares Inexus & Librarian Epimethrius Traou.

Separated from their brothers and acutely aware of their almost non-existent chances, the three marines challenged the Deamon Prince. Keen to taste the exquisite blood of his enemies, the deamon lept into the dual. Inhumanly tall and slender, his muscles bulged and writhed beneath his luminous skin, and a horse like mouth bearing and insect like maw of teeth sprouted plums of incense both delicate and noxious. In both hand huge swords shaped like dancing figures twinkled with unnatural light. Combat was fierce and fanatic. Traou desperately tried to pin the deamon with psychic attacks, while Vaspar and Inexus nimble dodged sweeping blades. Summoning up unearthly flames, the deamon prince ignited the room, belching out his own green flames at the marines. Inexus managed to protect most of them with his rosarius, but unfortunately Traou was glanced, and witnessed to his horror his hand melt away.

Suddenly, as if stuck by lightning, the deamon buckled. The rituals psychic backlash flooded the room. Seeing their only opportunity, Vaspar waded thought the flames and beheaded the deamon. What happened next is unclear. An unearthly scream filled the hive and an explosion ripped the room apart. Only Inexus carrying Traou on his back emerged from the devastation, carrying Vaspar's sword.

The Death Of Pulsa

After the death of Cha'taresh, the traitor marines seemed to be sucked back into the warp. The surviving wealthy ruling class were escorted to the palaces main conference room and shackled together to the floor. Some pleaded for their liefs, others howled at their unfulfilled dreams, some tried to bargain and a few, perhaps knowing what was to come, remained deathly silent. The Inquisitor, consulting how he was to return 376 criminals to titan, was taken aback when the Chaplain Inexus walked into the room, armour sparking and smashed, blood dripping still unclotted wounds. Walking over to the Inquisitor, he quietly demanded 30 minute alone with the cultists. Unsure of the reasoning, and unnerved by the leering chaplain, the Inquisitor left to requisition more transports for the traitors.

Upon leaving the doors locked, Storm Talons took up guard positions. Almost immediately the screaming started, deafening in its volume. Quickly spinning and launching back towards the room, the Storm Talons blocked his path, despite the Inquisitor giving them direct commands. Turning to the White Hands, he saw they too seemed unconcerned with the horror flooding out of the room. For 30 minute the Inquisitor heard what to him sounded like a human meat grinder. Finally, the sound died and slowly the doors opened Inexus walked out, blood washing out at his feet. Behind him was a seen of pure brutality, blood and organs spread through every corner of the huge room. Not one piece of flesh remained intact. With a silent nod at the Brother Superior currently holding Vaspar's blade and a glance the shocked Inquisitor, the Chaplin and the remaining Storm Talons left Pulsa.

Pulsa was subsequently deemed tainted. The Omega Marines and White Hands had manage to evacuate some during the war to their ships, but the rest faced exterminatus. The War Of A Thousand Sins was brought to a bloody close.

[Skirax]

I like it very much, but I thought that, considering the title was War of a Thousand Sins, it would be relatively close to the Thousand Sons, maybe then the title would have fitted.