Alternate Heresy Community Project

[Conn Eremon]

Oh, derp. When you said 'about his world's rise up against him,' I was thinking you were responding to the other idea I put forth about Barbarus itself.

[Wade Garrett]

No, that idea I kind of like. The industry and mining Barabbas used to create his rule and supply his Legion have turned it from a death world to a dying one, with its one remaining resource its people.

 

Given that the XIII Legion gene seed is notoriously stable and can take in recruits from almost any world (post Corruption I imagine the gene seed to be almost like a virus or cancer in its ability to gestate in and remake an iniate's body) then let those fools in the Imperium exult in a waste of time and bolt rounds as they assault it.

[Conn Eremon]

Interesting visual for their later recruitment methods, I like it.

 

Now I am imagining the Infernal Guard tossing aspirant a into open flames to be burned and reborn from the ashes, the White Scars carving hexagrammic icons into their flesh to make sure the gene-seed takes, the Angels going through a mixture of the canon Space Wolves/Exorcists methods using Daemonblood. Red Corsairs might not ever recruit more Marines, but they will drag you screaming to be chained to their ships forever.

[Wade Garrett]

Been thinking some more about the Post Heresy Imperium.

 

A large divergence from canon is that instead of Roboute Guilliman setting the Imperium in order, we have the feuding Jonson and Angron, each with their own ideas of how things should be.

 

Canonically, the big players are the Administratum, Inquisition, Mechanicum, the Ecclesiarchy, the Guard, and the Navy.

 

I propose that with Jonson and Angron deadlocking, Rogue Trader Dynasties, Navigator Houses, and the odd exceptionally capable "ordinary" aristocratic family (The Glaus, anyone?) expand into a lot of the space the canon Administratum occupies.

 

The Imperial Army remains unified, but it is a much smaller and more elite force than in canon. The bulk of the armed forces are the nobility's levies and the militant members of the Three Faiths.

 

Thus, being a Warmaster in M41 requires a far more political touch than in canon, as you must rally your support from among the nobles, Astartes, clergy, and the Ordo Dracul, instead of simply contacting the Administratum and saying "I need billions of men in Leman Russes in Segmentum Pacifica on Tuesday. Make that happen, okay?"

[Conn Eremon]

The idea of the Army being the elite has its merits, and could be fun to play around with.

 

I am worried that it may limit their greatest strength, which is an unending horde of bodies.

 

But running with it, I can see that making the Imperial Army more like modern day Marines. First in, last out. Mixed with rapid response units, in that these regiments patrol the Imperium within and without, allowing them to respond to the enemy with greater haste.

 

Planetary Defense Forces, local levies, entourages, militant frater, these can provide the immense hammer of unending numbers, that are gathered, collected and thrown at the enemy being held in place.

 

Interestingly, this might lead to a higher value of a soldier's life. For the Imperial Army, their heavy use coupled with lower numbers and more veteran status, makes commanders wary of throwing them wholesale into the grinder.

 

Likewise, with commanders lobbying for forces outside of their direct control, they might find themselves equally unwilling to simply throw away men and women that can just as easily be taken from their command.

 

That said, there should remain plenty of other forces that they can just toss in and flood the enemy. Fanatics, lowborn armies, backwater world PDFs.

[Wade Garrett]

I see the levels of professionalism/expandability being something like this:

 

1. Professional Imperial Army

Green Beret, SAS, Spetznaz Hoo-rah snake eater types. Loyal to the Imperium over all else,

 

Most like the canon:

Cadians, Catchacans, Elysian Drop Troopers

 

2. Household Troops

Every Trader Dynasty and noble House must maintain a set amount number of troops, a set percentage of which must contribute to the defense of Imperium overall.

 

Training and equipment vary from House to House. If the quality falls too low, there will be questions. However, they tend to be more tied to their local rulers than the Imperium at large. And DON'T put troops from two feuding dynasties in the same theatre!

 

Most like:

Vostroyan Firstborn, Mordian Ironbloods. ANACHRONISM HOOOO!

 

Shrineguard/Frateris Militia:

 

Comes in three flavors: pseudo knightly militant orders of the Catheric Church; ninja and samurai of the Enumerations, and for the Lectio...I'm trying to ease off the muhadihjin analogues, possibly by adding a hefty dose of Mormonism.

 

Don't mock, this creed gave us John Moses Browning. That's enough to deserve grimdarkification in my book!

 

Lowest Tier:

Act of Conscription is passed, Imperial Army strips underhives and feral worlds of every able bodied man and woman they can find and throws them in the grinder. You want a lasgun? Nope. You can pick a lasgun up from the dead guy in front of you!

 

Trader Dynasties and the Faiths are immune to these press ganging actions due to long standing privilege.

[Wade Garrett]

Regarding the Coup:

 

Corax is voted Warmaster by his brothers, and takes the reins of the Great Crusade. With Lanista providing unity and leadership, the resurgent human powers in the East are swiftly crushed, and the Imperial juggernaut is soon gobbling up worlds once again.

 

But Lanista's tenure is not without its critics. With Lorgar, Angron, and Perturabo the loudest voices.

 

Jonson of Mundus has nothing to say...but what he's doing is building up his forces and fortifying his Palatinate, preparing to go war with somebody.

 

(Thought: Maybe the Cabal and Chaos both make plays for Jonson, and while he won't align with either of them their manuvering sends him into full blown paranoid I Primarch mode. Like Guilliman in "Rules of Engagement" he's getting ready to take on EVERYBODY).

 

Something sends Corax over the edge. He decides to wipe out the I, IV, XII, and XVII (And takes steps to secure the loyalties of his other brothers).

 

At first everything is working well:

 

He amasses four Legions (Chainsworn, Blackened Fists, Minotaurs, and the Astral Wolves) to destroy the Palatinate, arranging matters to pull the Iron Hoplites into a trap as well.

 

And then it all goes to Hell. Dorn wrecks the trap on Vilamus, and while the IV are bloodied, it is the X and VIII Legions, whose strength he was counting on, that are truly shattered.

 

As he convenes with Lupercal to

discuss the next move, more news arrives:

 

The Red Corsairs announce the death of Lorgar and the end of his Legion, but that happy missive is overshadowed by the next bit of information.

 

Fulgrim has taken control of the Sol system with the aid of the Fabricator General, and named Lanista a traitor. Fulgrim, whom he trusted to hold the Palace in his absence. Who he defended when Ferrus set in with his ravings about xenos taint.

 

Lanista tells Lupercal to do what he can to keep Jonson occupied, promising to send additional support as soon as he can, and takes his Legion out of the Palatinate.

 

It's the subplot with Magnus, Anubis, and the cure for Dad that's tripping me up.

 

By the time the Siege rolls around, Corax intends to sacrifice what's left of Emps to fuel his own godhood. Okay. Well and good.

 

But when things first start going wrong...why does he react to Anubis's cure by ordering an assault on Prospero? Wouldn't he expect the Emperor to be pleased with how he's grown the Empire in his absence?

 

All I've come up with is the idea that his inaction on Ullanor is not resting easy with him, perhaps to the point that he thinks the Emperor, in the moment of his death, KNEW Corax abandoned him to his fate.

 

That would certainly be a reason to toss Barabbas at Anubis without even an attempt to win the Tigers to his cause.

[Conn Eremon]

I like that change-up, having Fulgrim be the one who reacts to Corax’s actions outside of Sol rather than the instigator and trigger for them.

 

Having Jonson be the one approached by the Cabal is fine, and certainly provides the rationale behind his stance if it occurs well before the conflict arises. I suppose he qualifies for such a consideration by the Cabal, given that he can be as pragmatic and secretive as the Alpha Legion, which seemed to me to be the leading traits desired by the Cabal. Having him decide that no matter what happens, he will be the one who survives the coming war, is a good idea. It could mean that his borders don’t technically close themselves off by a single order following Corax’s pre-emptive strike. It would be a more subtle, long-term affair, of the worlds slowly becoming more isolated and insular. Of the flow of trade, of populations, beginning to dwindle slowly away. A slow period where reports and acknowledgements become more brief, less detailed.

 

One of the things that made Corax more of the favored, dutiful son than he is portrayed as when the traitorous Warmaster is that his devotion to the Emperor stems from his belief in him as a greater being, right? At first, upon Nuceria, he sees himself as such. The Emperor gives him meaning, purpose, and an ideal to strive for. The Emperor’s existence, the Emperor’s power, gives depth and meaning to his own.

 

As such, I can see Corax having a variation of that feeling sons tend to have of their fathers, that they are immortal supermen, the rocks upon which everything is anchored.

 

Until Ullanor. Upon an immense plateau, overlooking a war of millions, the Emperor confronts an Ork of greater dimensions than any other seen, before or since. Elsewhere upon the battlements of the immense fortress upon the plateau is Corax, leading his Chainsworn against the Ork’s elite Nobz. But as Corax sweeps the great fortress clear, he steals glances towards the climactic duel that rages on. The Ork was large enough to bodily toss a Warhound Titan from the plateau edge, sending the great machine tumbling down into the ferocious melee below. With dynamism of spirit and power, the Emperor seemed to match the beast in stature. The two battle amidst burning ruin, as lesser beings of their species fight and die about their feet. Powered klaw and primitive cleaver met burning blade and eagle’s claw.

 

Corax would have aided the Emperor, had he been anyone else. He would have fought at the side of a brother, or come to the rescue of a son, of an Astartes. But Corax couldn’t fathom the idea of the Emperor needing aid. For here was a being who surpassed him in every way. Which is why, when the Emperor had requested they fight together, he had instead stated that he would be more needed elsewhere in the battle. Which is why, when the giant ork’s fist whips the Emperor’s head back, causing his fiery sword to tumble free of his grasp and over the edge, Corax has to pause to take that blow in. He merely looks on, stunned, as the Ork raises his great, rusted cleaver into the air and with one blow slices an outstretched arm clean off. Frozen in place as a living god screams his pain. It is when the Ork grasps the Emperor about the throat with the thick blades of his powered klaw, lifting him off the ground that Corax begins to move. He is not thinking, he is not aware that he is running, but he is.

 

But it is already too late. When Corax, screaming, tackles the great Ork around the midriff (along with, perhaps, an equally distraught Konrad?), it is already too late. Hundreds of yards below, the teeming hordes of green monstrosities tear into each other for the chance to reach the limp, golden form tossed into their midst.

 

At first, Corax blames himself and sees himself as weak for failing the Emperor. Eventually, he will come to realize that it was never his fault for the Emperor’s fate, but the Emperor’s own. His own hubris, pride, and fallibility saw to it.

 

But over the years, one thing forever sticks with him. Even on the day Terra burned. When he entered the Throneroom, intent on murder. When he fought and killed his brothers to maintain dominance over whoever was left. Even when he had discarded everything the Emperor had ever stood for, one image would forever remain ingrained within his mind. That of the Emperor, seeing him so near, reaching out. And being cut down.

[Ace Debonair]

Random thought, which happens to almost fit with the topic of the last post.

When the Primarchs are debating what should happen next after the Emperor is cut down, Fulgrim should be the first person to back Lanista as the new Ultimate Authority.

They're both good pals after all, and Fulgrim would be confident that as well as being a supremely capable leader, Corax has grown out of his earlier a-god-am-I stage in recent years.

Not that Fulgrim is always the best judge of character.

Just another reason for both of them to believe the other one is a traitor when they next come face-to-face, too.

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

Idea on the Chainlord's ordering an attack on Prospero, maybe he is worried that Anubis would attempt to manipulate/turn the emperor against him, as the humanitarian Onyx lord would have been unlikely to support a leader who didn't hold entirely to the lighter ideal of the great crusade. Could also use the old "Tis witchcraft, burn them!" excuse. 

[Nomus Sardauk]

Idea on the Chainlord's ordering an attack on Prospero, maybe he is worried that Anubis would attempt to manipulate/turn the emperor against him, as the humanitarian Onyx lord would have been unlikely to support a leader who didn't hold entirely to the lighter ideal of the great crusade. Could also use the old "Tis witchcraft, burn them!" excuse. 

 

This line of thought seems promising to me, perhaps Corax hears of Anubis's search for a cure and in his paranoia (not helped by Sanguinius whispering all sorts of nasty things in his ear) fears that if Anubis does find a cure and succeeds in reviving the Emperor Corax will lose his support and position as Warmaster. Perhaps he might even consider trying to steal the cure to use himself so he can take the credit for resurrecting Dad and remain in power.

 

Regarding the Coup:

 

All I've come up with is the idea that his inaction on Ullanor is not resting easy with him, perhaps to the point that he thinks the Emperor, in the moment of his death, KNEW Corax abandoned him to his fate.

 

That would certainly be a reason to toss Barabbas at Anubis without even an attempt to win the Tigers to his cause.

 

I like the idea of Corax being haunted by Ullanor and thinking the Emps blames him, it would drive his fears of the Emperor coming back to punish him to incredible heights and would tie in nicely with what Rune Priest Ridcully said. Also it would lead extra weight to my suggestion above that Corax might try to steal the cure and revive Emps himself to try and earn his forgiveness (though I imagine Sanguinius would inevitably manipulate things to prevent this).

 

I like that change-up, having Fulgrim be the one who reacts to Corax’s actions outside of Sol rather than the instigator and trigger for them.

 

Having Jonson be the one approached by the Cabal is fine, and certainly provides the rationale behind his stance if it occurs well before the conflict arises. I suppose he qualifies for such a consideration by the Cabal, given that he can be as pragmatic and secretive as the Alpha Legion, which seemed to me to be the leading traits desired by the Cabal. Having him decide that no matter what happens, he will be the one who survives the coming war, is a good idea. It could mean that his borders don’t technically close themselves off by a single order following Corax’s pre-emptive strike. It would be a more subtle, long-term affair, of the worlds slowly becoming more isolated and insular. Of the flow of trade, of populations, beginning to dwindle slowly away. A slow period where reports and acknowledgements become more brief, less detailed.

 

One of the things that made Corax more of the favored, dutiful son than he is portrayed as when the traitorous Warmaster is that his devotion to the Emperor stems from his belief in him as a greater being, right? At first, upon Nuceria, he sees himself as such. The Emperor gives him meaning, purpose, and an ideal to strive for. The Emperor’s existence, the Emperor’s power, gives depth and meaning to his own.

 

As such, I can see Corax having a variation of that feeling sons tend to have of their fathers, that they are immortal supermen, the rocks upon which everything is anchored.

 

Until Ullanor. Upon an immense plateau, overlooking a war of millions, the Emperor confronts an Ork of greater dimensions than any other seen, before or since. Elsewhere upon the battlements of the immense fortress upon the plateau is Corax, leading his Chainsworn against the Ork’s elite Nobz. But as Corax sweeps the great fortress clear, he steals glances towards the climactic duel that rages on. The Ork was large enough to bodily toss a Warhound Titan from the plateau edge, sending the great machine tumbling down into the ferocious melee below. With dynamism of spirit and power, the Emperor seemed to match the beast in stature. The two battle amidst burning ruin, as lesser beings of their species fight and die about their feet. Powered klaw and primitive cleaver met burning blade and eagle’s claw.

 

Corax would have aided the Emperor, had he been anyone else. He would have fought at the side of a brother, or come to the rescue of a son, of an Astartes. But Corax couldn’t fathom the idea of the Emperor needing aid. For here was a being who surpassed him in every way. Which is why, when the Emperor had requested they fight together, he had instead stated that he would be more needed elsewhere in the battle. Which is why, when the giant ork’s fist whips the Emperor’s head back, causing his fiery sword to tumble free of his grasp and over the edge, Corax has to pause to take that blow in. He merely looks on, stunned, as the Ork raises his great, rusted cleaver into the air and with one blow slices an outstretched arm clean off. Frozen in place as a living god screams his pain. It is when the Ork grasps the Emperor about the throat with the thick blades of his powered klaw, lifting him off the ground that Corax begins to move. He is not thinking, he is not aware that he is running, but he is.

 

But it is already too late. When Corax, screaming, tackles the great Ork around the midriff (along with, perhaps, an equally distraught Konrad?), it is already too late. Hundreds of yards below, the teeming hordes of green monstrosities tear into each other for the chance to reach the limp, golden form tossed into their midst.

 

At first, Corax blames himself and sees himself as weak for failing the Emperor. Eventually, he will come to realize that it was never his fault for the Emperor’s fate, but the Emperor’s own. His own hubris, pride, and fallibility saw to it.

 

But over the years, one thing forever sticks with him. Even on the day Terra burned. When he entered the Throneroom, intent on murder. When he fought and killed his brothers to maintain dominance over whoever was left. Even when he had discarded everything the Emperor had ever stood for, one image would forever remain ingrained within his mind. That of the Emperor, seeing him so near, reaching out. And being cut down.

 

Woah, that was... Deep. I like it.

[Conn Eremon]

We will try to avoid the ol "witchcraft" excuse for Prospero, only because the Legion sent there has no qualms with its use. In fact, the Sons of Barabbas find it quite use.

 

But I like the idea of using another facet of the canon assault, that SanguiniusReborn has hinted at. The idea of having one goal, twisted into another.

 

Perhaps Corax does want the cure. Maybe not to revive the Emperor himself, or maybe that is so. Barabbas is sent to retrieve it, but at some point along his aeons-long voyage Barabbas decides he will destroy it. I would say Sanguinius lays the seed for this, but perhaps I put too much on his shoulders.

[Wade Garrett]

No offense to you, Cormac, but I'd rather this be a decision Barabbus arrives at own.

 

Probably as a paralell to how he killed his other father. The Necromancer was an impediment to the smooth running of the realm, so he had to go.

 

The Emperor was overly tolerant with his sons; allowing soft hearts like Angron and Perturabo or fanatics like Magnus and Lupercal to dilute the focus of the Great Crusade.

 

Barbarus taught the XIII Ptimarch many lessons, and one of them was that sentiment and regrets are a luxury that cannot be allowed in the fight for survival.

 

The Emperor is a relic who couldn't provide the Imperium with the focus it needed. So let him remain dead.

 

I've also been thinking about the Sons "theme", because I was starting to think that that "relentless infantry assault" veered too sharply into the First Legion's territory.

 

The Death Guard as we know them reacted to Barbarus with "When the going gets tough, the tough get going", by which I mean they learned to grit their teeth and endure poisons, venoms, and so on.

 

The Sons are likewise difficult terrain specialists...but instead of an unyielding toughness this is due to their superlative skill at military engineering.

 

Something like this quote from Bruce Catton's history of the Civil War:

 

"But Sherman's army had special qualities. It contained men who lived close to the frontier, backwoods people who could use the axe and who could improvise their way through almost any obstacle, and these men came up through South Carolina almost as rapidly as they had gone across Georgia, corduoying roads, building bridges, and fording icy rivers as they came".

 

(Decision to give my grimly destructive Nurgle Primarch and his Legion qualities of William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant in no way influenced by my innate Southerness, I swear :p ).

 

Which gives me some more ideas for their specialized Legion tactics. The Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, for instance...

[carpediem]

I've been a long time admiring lurker, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to point out a plot hole: why is the Emperor, most powerful human psyker ever, the bloke who had the chaos gods crapping their metaphysical pants etc. etc. getting his arse handed to him by an ork?

 

Possible answers:

1) NvN Emps isn't throwing around nearly the same amount of power as his cannon counterpart (or as much as everyone would like to think).

2) It was a test of Corax's loyalty gone horribly wrong (and on some level Corax knows this, which is plenty good reason not to want dad back again).

3) Chaos or the Cabal did it (Ork + Anetheme?)

4) A warp resistant Ork.

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10989) Cocked up suicide attempt..........?

[Conn Eremon]

I've been a long time admiring lurker, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to point out a plot hole: why is the Emperor, most powerful human psyker ever, the bloke who had the chaos gods crapping their metaphysical pants etc. etc. getting his arse handed to him by an ork?

 

Possible answers:

1) NvN Emps isn't throwing around nearly the same amount of power as his cannon counterpart (or as much as everyone would like to think).

2) It was a test of Corax's loyalty gone horribly wrong (and on some level Corax knows this, which is plenty good reason not to want dad back again).

3) Chaos or the Cabal did it (Ork + Anetheme?)

4) A warp resistant Ork.

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.

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10989) Cocked up suicide attempt..........?

The same reason as in canon. Really big Ork.

 

I am serious. Look up Gorro. Giant Ork almost kills the Emperor, and would have too if hadn't been for the Sooby Gang.

 

And by Scooby Gang, I mean Horus, who literally saved the Emperor's life. This is the canon Emperor. And if hadn't been for Horus, he would have died.

 

Well, there is nobody around to rescue him this time around.

 

Except Corax. Who froze.

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

Perhaps the Corax also thinking that his brothers (rightly) blame him for their berevement, and wherever or not this is true to all (I imagine a few suspect at least) and this feeds into his paranoia.

[Wade Garrett]

Something that's been bugging me is that our Traitors don't seem to be that much of a threat compared to canon.

 

At our Isstvan V equivalent it is the Blackened Fists and Minotaurs, both of whom are allegedly on Corax's side, that take the bulk of the damage.

 

Bron is beaten on Calth.

 

Jonson drives Lupercal and Melek out of the Palatinate.

 

Boros and Prospero are wins for Red Team, but we're lacking in situations like Phall (Retribution Fleet is gutted), Isstvan (three loyal Legions off the board) and the Shadow Crusade (Ultramarines savaged at Armatura and Nuceria, 500 worlds burning).

[Conn Eremon]

Hm. Well, our Isstvan also accounts for the Iron Hoplites. I think the only reason why there weren't more was because it kept being changed who was there. I think the Executioners were there, but the Emperor's Children were removed.

 

Our Phall is a Red Team victory, with the Red Corsairs tearing into the unprepared Imperial Hounds, and eventually wrecking their home world.

 

I would call our Shadow Crusade a Red Team win. Yes, Angron beats Bron, but his objective is to bloody the Lions and keep them involved elsewhere.

 

Or our Shadow Crusade is the Palatinate, then yeah, it isn't as much a win as it is in canon.

 

I don't know, want the Angel to kill the Ghost Fox?

[Wade Garrett]

My thoughts were:

 

Change Calth so that while Bron is leading the charge the bulk of the forces he commits are daemons (expendable) and while that battle is being fought the rest of his Legion hits other locations in Ultramar, making Angron's victory a bit less clear cut.

 

As for the Ghost Fox, I think both he and Konrad would face attempts by Corax to win their loyalties or take them off the board early on.

 

If I remember correctly, Bron offers Magnus the carrot, with Sanguinus turning up later with the stick. I'm not sure if we've ever given the Executioners anything to do, though.

 

Mentioning Magnus brings up another point:

 

Are we going to have a Nikea equivalent in this verse? And if so...as I understand it, Magnus will be arguing for increased restrictions on psykers in the Legions, with Barabbus and Bron opposing him.

 

Corax rules in favor of the Tyrant and the Worldburner, but what sides would be taken by the others?

[Conn Eremon]

I think we were building to that kind of Nykea, and the Emperor's demise prevented it from actually occurring.

 

As for Calth, the main point of it wasn't that Bron loses, but that he finds out that cornering Angron makes him far more dangerous than he had thought. So long as that is kept, I see no reason why it can't be fiddled with.

[Ace Debonair]

I'm pretty sure the Executioners were meant to get mauled early on, which is why Konrad and company don't really make much impact on the Heresy until the grand finale.

I could be dreaming that up altogether, though.

I totally nominate Corax and the Chainsworn to be the ones to smack the Executioners around, possibly supported (or maybe even subtly manipulated) by Sanguinius and his boys. It'd help build tensions for the rematch on Terra, and any opportunity to make Corax look like more of a badass is an opportunity I think we should pounce on.

[Wade Garrett]

All right, here's some more things I've come up with:

 

With his trap at Vilamus gone awry and Terra rising against him, Corax evolves a new grand strategy.

 

Unlike Horus's all or nothing decapitation strike in canon, the Carrion King's plan is based on a simple tenet:

 

"Divide et impera". Jonson, Fulgrim, Angron, and Magnus will stand and die alone, with none allowed to aid the other.

 

(Perturabo's Legion is shattered, Lorgar is missing and presumed dead, and Anubis languishes in the dungeons of Olympia. Konrad...Corax thinks the Headsman will be on his side, as the legitimate authority against the rebels?)

 

To that end, the Sol system is cordoned off and blockaded (with Sanguinus conjured Warp Storms aiding tremendously. This is when the Black Angel begins his efforts to enlighten the Warmaster?)

 

Mars and Terra are mighty bastions, but without the influx of supplies from the rest of the Imperium they'll still starve.

 

The Cordon is never air tight (Solar Tigers and Executioners slip through in the early days) but several years into the war the Warmaster's talons are clenched tightly around the Throneworld.

 

The Order of Swords, Iron Hoplites, Imperial Hounds, and Effret make a concerted effort to break the stranglehold...and are beaten back.

 

The return of the Infernal Guard and Sons of Barabbus play a key role in this defeat.

 

While it is a major setback for the Loyalists, these reinforcements bring unwelcome news with them.

 

The Palatinate has been wounded, but not killed, and is gearing up to enter the wider war.

 

Worse than that, Barabbas has lost Anubis. Though the entire XIII Librarius sought to erase the knowledge of how to create the cure from the Onyx Lord's mind, it is unknown how successful they were.

 

And if the Emperor is revived, with Fulgrim and Anubis filling his ears with lies... (of course, since he's been chatting with Sanguinus a lot lately, Lanista may have already decided to become the Fifth Chaos God by sacrificing the Emperor.)

 

Terra must fall NOW.

 

Meanwhile, on the Loyalist side, a Red Corsair prisoner asks Lorgar if he's heard from his homeworld lately, while Lorgar turns the dagger the traitor was wearing as a trophy over in his hands, recognizing it as one he gave to his mother long ago.

 

The Hounds withdraw before the Loyalists can make another try at breaking the blockade, earning the emnity of the other Legions as they begin their last voyage to Fenris...

[Conn Eremon]

Having Sanguinius begin influencing Corax then seems a bit too late, in my mind. Canon Lorgar had been at it for decades, and had started down this path decades later than Sanguinius. And Sanguinius had already begun influencing events, with he and Konrad working at odds (without the Executioner Lord's knowledge) over the Emperor's fate. While I am fine with Corax resisting temptations until then, I would say that the Black Angel should begin his whispers as soon as Corax becomes Warmaster.

 

Having Corax's strategy to dividing the loyalists might help Jonson take over later. Before, he was a definite "wait and see" Primarch, who concentrated entirely upon defending himself and those loyal to him. With this, he'd be in little different a position as the others, which might aid him in staking his claim. He is no longer the brother who chose not to aid them, but the brother who was merely separated from them even worse than they were.

 

But we can still keep Jonson's mentality the same, and can certainly it that his brother's more or less see through it. Angron and Konrad especially, with one swallowing the bitter bile to speak in his favor.

 

 

I do like the over all idea. Quite a bit, actually. Corax is in more in control. The Emperor's death isn't a requirement until the very last days.

 

Interestingly, I see the Siege of Terra never really happening. Instead, there are twin assaults that are as much aimed at each other as they are on Terra. The Warmaster's forces hold them at bay in the outer stretches of the System, essentially in control of Sol though not absolutely where Mars and Terra are concerned. When the Loyalist forces finally break through the Warmaster's cordon in the second attempt, both forces will make a grab for Terra, the entire time fighting each other. The Loyalists to claim it, hold it, and repel the Traitors. The Traitors to stop the Loyalists from getting their prize, by either prying it from their cold dead fingers, or setting it aflame by their last breath.

 

There are no saviors of Terra. There is no golden dawn of the Imperial Fists' Phalanx, or the rousing cheer as the Blood Angels march from the walls. There is only death and destruction, and it doesn't matter whose side you are on.

 

Until, at the very end, the Executioner's axe and the Lightning Bearer's glaive cut down the Warmaster, who falls into a heap alongside the still body of the Onyx Prince.

[Wade Garrett]

I wouldn't go as far to as saying there are no heroes and saviors on Terra....

 

All of you have heard the tale. How Fulgrim the Drake Slayer and Konrad of the Axe strode forth and saved us all from the one whose name I will not honor

by remembering it.

 

You have heard a lie. I, who was there. I, Ghota, the one who remembers. I will speak the truth now.

 

The Red Handed Son and the Valiant Heart did strike the killing blows, that is truth.

 

But give no victory chant at their glory, for you do not know what was lost. He Who I Will Not Remember was felled by the blades of many, not only twin heroes. This is the truth I saw, the truth I remember, the truth I speak now. I who was there.

 

Constantin Valdor, the man of stone, who knew not doubt or fear. Arik Taranis, the bringer of thunder, mother's ruin, corpse maker, Glory of Terra, my father and master. Nicodemus, who walked from darkness into the light. Raguel the merciful.

Ancient Oll. The Wolf In Iron. Cyrene the Weeping Lady. All legends. All heroes. Men and women who would have lived a thousand thousand years and never grown old if there was justice.

 

All dead now. All fallen, so the Dead King can sit blind on his cage throne.

 

Where are their songs, their statues? Who remembers them, who fought with gods? I do. Me. Ghota, who was there. I alone remember. I alone tell their tales.

[Wade Garrett]

There are many walls in this great Imperium of ours. Those that surround the citadels of Chemos, for instance. Marvels of technology and architectural aesthetics, that legend says were sung from the earth by the Primarch Perturabo.

 

Somewhat grimmer, although still worthy of note, are the palisades raised by the tribal people of Baal, all sharpened wood stakes and obsidian edges surmounted by bits and pieces of the tribe's fallen enemies.

 

Impressive feats of creation, both of them. Wonderfully and fearfully so. But not the most impressive of all. No, the one I am writing of requires no description or adjectives attached to call its glory to mind.

 

For it is THE Wall of which I speak. None who have not traveled to Terra and viewed it for themselves can understand the impact of it.

 

A superstructure, rising from the foundations of what was once the Imperial Palace into low orbit. From a distance it appears

to be gleaming gold (and, truth be told, a bit gauche).

 

It is only standing beside it that one realizes the true nature of this gargantuan monument. It is made of black stone, with the golden coloration the result of the words and numbers engraved upon it.

 

It is in fact a gigantic headstone,

listing the names and dates of death the billions of ordinary citizens of Terra who perished resisting the Arch Traitor's assault.

 

Brief descriptions of the role the deceased played in defending the Throneworld are carved alongside the names and death dates wherever possible.

 

Some are inspiring, like that of the factory workers of Sapolo in Hy Brazil, who continued to assemble firearms and explosives for use by the Sud Mercan militia companies even as the toxins brewed by the Sons of Barabbus filled their improvised forge. These armaments, later retrieved by volunteers in rebreathers, enabled the scratch companies to fight on for weeks longer than would have otherwise been the case.

 

Some, like the numerous entries for children who died while crawling through the tunnels and rubble to bear messages from one loyal commander to another, are heartbreaking.

 

And a rare few are even humorous, albeit darkly so. For example, one section is devoted solely to the members of the Tunnel Snakes, somewhat more heavily armed than usual peddlers of illicit substances in the Petitioner's Quarter who apparently massacred a division of Ninth Legion cult soldiery in the misguided belief that they were elements of the Imperial Constabulary, and were subsequently slaughtered themselves by the cultists's Astartes minders.

 

Standing by the Wall, looking at it with one's own eyes...only then does one grasp the magnitude of the war that came to Terra, and the contribution made by the ordinary Imperial citizen.

 

Truly, the blood of martyrs is the seed of our Empire.

 

-Sayyid Maccabeus, Imperial remembrancer