Index Titanicus: Legio Illustris

[Iron_Aquilifer]

Legio Name:  Legio Illustris

Alternative Designation:  Emerald Sword

Homeworld: Forge World Salregius

Founding:  Pre-Heresy

Allegiance: Imperium of Man

Colours:  Dark green; green; silver

Strength: Believed to be sitting around fifty-seven operational, with another five in maintenance.

Battle Cry:  Only The Keen

 

Notable Characters:

-Aquila Rex: Reaver class titan, responsible for the taking of Fergyl’s Redoubt and landing the killing blow on the Crimson Daemon during the battle of the Gods of St Halmacrox

-Profor Interventus: Warlord class titan, responsible for the taking of Fergyl’s Redoubt and taking the brunt of the firepower of two chaos titans, allowing its brother Aquila Rex to land a killing blow

-Athletam Suum: Warlord class titan, was one of only three of the Legion’s titans to claim a kill on a traitor titan during the Horus Heresy, destroying a Warhound-class warmachine as it attempted to rampage through the lines of Space Wolves

-Victrus Maximus: Warlord class titan, successfully subjugated the independent world of Gloin-III by destroying the governor’s residence with a single shot.

-Iere Furor: Warhound class titan, defeated at the hands of Maleficent Denial during the Battle of the Gods of St Halmacrox, later repaired and re-joined the legion.

-Canticum Ultionis: Warhound class titan, presently deployed to the surface of Armageddon, successful kills on a dozen super-heavy vehicles in the Ork ranks.

-Tempore Iracundiae: Reaver class titan, presently deployed to the surface of Armageddon.  Due to severe damage, has to fight only as long-range support.

-Orationem Liberatorius: Warlord class titan, presently deployed to the surface of Armageddon.  Was one of three titans to claim a kill on a traitor warmachine during the Horus Heresy, destroying the Warlord Electorate Exalted on the plains of Yopheros.

-Illegitimi Non Carborundum: Warhound class titan, presently deployed to the surface of Armageddon where it is responsible for protecting Tempore Iracundiae

-Pugnus Imperator: Warhound class titan, victory of the Cermael Marshwar, liquidator of masses, currently on Salregius for vital repairs

-Sanctus Ignus: Warhound class titan, sacrificed itself in an attempt to save Iere Furor from the aggression of the Crimson Daemon.

-Vigilantia Aeternam:  Warhound class titan, single-handedly defeated the Reaver-class titan of the same name during the Horus Heresy, one of three titans to claim a kill during the war and the only one to kill a warmachine of a greater class than itself.

 

History:

The Imperial records on Legio Illustris are minimal regarding its conception, leading many to believe that it was founded long before the Age of the Imperium, during the dark days of the Age of Strife.  It is a veteran of centuries of bloody conflict, waging war before the Great Crusade.

 

During the Great Crusade, Legio Illustris served closely with the Space Wolves, making the Astartes’ ferocity with their own.  This long-standing relationship never blossomed in to true friendship, but there was a strong sense of respect between the Titan Legion and their Astartes counterparts.  This was shown in numerous campaigns before the end of the Great Crusade, where the Space Wolf commanders would coordinate with their Titan counterparts before an assault, taking their opinions in to consideration.

 

Illustris were not present for the Burning of Prospero, something which the Legion seem to have deemed an oversight by the Space Wolves.  Even to this day, they maintain that they would have been invaluable to the fighting.  During the rest of the Horus Heresy Illustris served alongside the Space Wolves, battling against the Alpha Legion whenever the traitors could be brought to bear.  They rarely met their traitorous brethren in open conflict, and when they did, it was never in large numbers to warrant much glorification.

 

The Scouring saw Legio Illustris becoming the backbone of numerous campaigns, spearheading every attack against the traitor holdouts.  They were one of the few legions present during the Heresy to have emerged largely unscathed, a fact which not only sat ill with the legion itself but also with the other loyalists.  For a long time a few vocal commanders and rivals challenged Illustris’ loyalty.  However when they witnessed the unchained savagery unleashed upon the traitor holdouts, these voices were stunned in to silence.  It did not stop the rumours from spreading, but it did allow the legion to operate without having to look over their shoulders.

 

With the traitors thrown in to the Eye of Terror, the Legion returned to their Forge world.  From there, they have operated out primarily on the Eastern fringe, battling the encroaching Tau and the oncoming Hive Fleets whenever they dared enter Imperial space.  During these recent wars and campaigns, the legion has sustained many losses, irreplaceable for centuries.  The future of Illustris is in doubt, as is the rest of the Imperium.

 

Homeworld:

Salregius is a vast planet, complete with sprawling factories that have encroached upon every free space above sea level.  Even the mighty mountain ranges which were once a vivid scar from orbit have been consumed by modern industry.  Belching forth vast plumes of chemicals in to the sky, these factory complexes have rendered anything resembling a natural ecosystem non-existent.  The world is trapped in almost perpetual twilight, clouds covering everything in a grey haze.

 

Significant battles:

Fergyl Redoubt – M38:  A demi-legion of Illustris was deployed alongside the combined strength of fifty Imperial regiments from the over-populated Hiveworld of Plaetry to the traitor world of Mycrax.  There, the Titans Aquila Rex and Profor Interventus were called upon to breach the renegade’s fortifications surrounding the de facto capital of the rebel forces, St Halmacrox.  Against the wishes of the Imperial commanders, who advised to target one of the weaker sections of the enemy defences, Princeps Bartisch Kessler and Camilla Regimius chose to take on the bastion Fergyl’s Redoubt.  That stronghold was garrisoned by the traitor marines of the mercenary warband Thousand Guns.  Previous to the Titan’s assault, a hundred thousand loyalist Guardsmen had sacrificed themselves to simply clear the trenches before the fortification itself.  With insufficient aerial and artillery support, the two Titans led a rag-tag battlegroup in to the teeth of seven hundred chaos space marines and the heaviest batteries available to the enemy.  The ensuing battle lasted only a few hours, Aquila Rex being the first loyalist to step in to the Redoubt since its fall to the renegades.

 

Gods of St Halmacrox – M38:  While Aquila Rex and Profor Interventus continued to lead their costly assault on Fergyl’s Redoubt, the Warhound Titans Sanctus Ignus and Iere Furor deployed in the breach created by their larger brethren.  They raced in to St Halmacrox before the enemy could muster up any serious defences, secured as they were in the resilience of Fergyl’s Redoubt.  Once within the city, however, the two titans chanced upon the presence of one of their traitor brethren.  The Banelord known only as the Crimson Daemon emerged from its lair in the heart of the hive, pouncing on the smaller Titans it faced.  Sanctus Ignus fought valiantly, allowing Iere Furor to escape back to seek the support of the incoming Aquila Rex and Profor Interventus.  However, it was in vain, for the Crimson Daemon was not alone.  Rising as if from an eon of slumber, the Reaver Titan Maleficent Denial set upon the fleeing Titan with unrestricted glee.  When its larger brothers entered the fray, Iere Furor had been sent tumbling to the ground.

Battling among the towering spires of St Halmacrox, the four vast war machines traded blows so fierce that the earth itself shook with each strike.  The Imperials emerged victorious only because of the lack of cooperation of the two daemon-controlled titans.  It was later revealed to be friendly fire which brought low the ancient titan Maleficent Denial.  When it was laid to rest, the Crimson Daemon was swift to follow it.