Rangdan Xenocides: any info from Inferno?

[Spaced Hulk]

Not sure if starting a new topic is the best way to ask this question, but I was wondering if anybody who already has HH: book 7 would be willing to share any new information it reveals about the Rangdan Xenocides? I'm sure I've read somewhere that the Space Wolves background section covers the Xenocides, but I haven't been able to find any additional details.

 

Thanks in advance! ☺

[Runefyre]

Here's a bit from @LetsYouDown that he posted in the SW's subforum:

 

The Dark War, where they end up fighting in the Rangdan Xenocides alongside the Dark Angels. When it's over, both these Legions are also tasked with the "clean-up," purging populations that are even remotely suspect of harboring any of the mind-controlling horror of the xenos fought in the Xenocides. Both Legions earn a dark reputation from this, and especially the Wolves. This widens the rift between the Wolves and some Legions that didn't fight as much in the Xenocides (Horus & the Luna Wolves are one). Horus and those Legions are then in a perfect position to win praise and accolades, as their Legions are fresher and the Imperium is desperate for good news. There's a section here that speaks of both the tandem rivalry and comradery that fosters between the Ist and the VIth because of sharing that dark history

 

That's all the information I'm aware of.

[m_r_parker]

I believe Alan Bligh also commented during one of the Weekender Seminars that this is the conflict that changes a couple of the Legions as a direct result, mainly the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves. In particular, the Dark Angels go from being the largest Legion (as a result of being the first of the Legions, and the others not having caught up) to a mid-sized Legion due to the insane level of casualties that were taken. 

[depthcharge12]

Yeah it makes Horus sound like a big wieny because the Imperium could have been destroyed, and he's off winning glory instead of fighting and sacrificing against the xenos threat.

 

Though it makes you wonder if it was such a threat why they only launched two legions at the Rangdan...?

[Runefyre]

Yeah it makes Horus sound like a big wieny because the Imperium could have been destroyed, and he's off winning glory instead of fighting and sacrificing against the xenos threat.

Though it makes you wonder if it was such a threat why they only launched two legions at the Rangdan...?

Because between the two of them, the Wolves and Dark Angels can beat anyone

The Wolves and Dark Angels are very ying and yang, both in personality and tactics, and both complement each other.

[Sandlemad]

Yeah it makes Horus sound like a big wieny because the Imperium could have been destroyed, and he's off winning glory instead of fighting and sacrificing against the xenos threat.

 

Though it makes you wonder if it was such a threat why they only launched two legions at the Rangdan...?

 

The other FW books do mention World Eaters, Death Guard and (at the last minute) Alpha Legion being involved too. Also multiple titan legions and knightly houses.

[Brother Aiwass]

If the Rangdan is done, do you think that will be some xenos army list (because is not marine vs marine) or will be just relegated to the fluff section?

[Baluc]

If the Rangdan is done, do you think that will be some xenos army list (because is not marine vs marine) or will be just relegated to the fluff section?

 

I'd really like to see an Eldar, Corsair, Orks, and some non-imperial traits for Militia done for HH. Open up HH to Great Crusade style campaigns.

[Brother Aiwass]

Well, I was thinking more about the Slaugth rather than your everyday xenoscum, as they're heavily hinted to be at Rangda. But yeah, those races deserve to present in the Great Crusade/Heresy.

[1ncarnadine]

Yeah it makes Horus sound like a big wieny because the Imperium could have been destroyed, and he's off winning glory instead of fighting and sacrificing against the xenos threat.

 

Though it makes you wonder if it was such a threat why they only launched two legions at the Rangdan...?

 

They don't comment on it much.  It's very much up to your own discretion to decide if maybe Horus positioned himself and his Legion to not get dragged into the meat-grinder, or if there was actually another serious, legitimate threat that had to be taken care of on the other side of the galaxy and he and the core of some other Legions had to do it.

 

There's another thing in the VIth Legion section of Inferno mentioning that tons of Titan Legios, Knight Houses, Taghmatas and even Space Marine Legions were destroyed while the Rangdan Xenocides were ongoing. Note that wording, as it caps the timeline on the IInd and/or XIth Legions but doesn't strictly say they were destroyed in or by the Xenocides. But probably. We know that they have an internal timeline with the missing Primarch discoveries too, so it makes sense that they had an "end date" as well.

[depthcharge12]

Well, I was thinking more about the Slaugth rather than your everyday xenoscum, as they're heavily hinted to be at Rangda. But yeah, those races deserve to present in the Great Crusade/Heresy.

Careful...brother...all those xenos deserve is a swift death at the end of a bolter round or the hot steel of your blade.

 

Thought for the day: "kill the xeno, they have no birthright on Mankind's domain."

[RedFurioso]

Rangdan Osseivores were mentioned in Inferno:

 

 

These menaces, such as the Enslaver Alpha-incursions, the Rangdan Osseivores and the Hellespont Void-forms, all of which had taken the lives of millions of Imperial soldiers and thousands of star vessels to combat, and had broken whole Expeditionary Fleets and Titan Legions in the past, were menaces to which no sure counter existed save that of  Exterminatus.

 

Also quote from Massacre:

 

 

When Vulkan came to his Legion, it was in the hour of their need. The XVIIIth, led by their  Lord Commander Cassian Vaughn, had become embroiled in the rear-guard defence of a cluster of colony worlds near the Taras Division against a wave of Ork marauders. With the bulk of the Legiones Astartes either engaged with the Expedition Fleets breaching space towards the Eastern Fringe or committed as reserves against the horrors of the Rangda Incursion from the Halo Stars to the Galactic North, the XVIIIth was the only Space Marine Legion able to respond to the crisis.

 

[Brother Aiwass]

 

Well, I was thinking more about the Slaugth rather than your everyday xenoscum, as they're heavily hinted to be at Rangda. But yeah, those races deserve to present in the Great Crusade/Heresy.

Careful...brother...all those xenos deserve is a swift death at the end of a bolter round or the hot steel of your blade.

 

Thought for the day: "kill the xeno, they have no birthright on Mankind's domain."

 

Indeed, that's why they deserve to be there; to have the chance to be purged. Where is the glory on the Great Crusade if we don't have the chance to free mankind of the Xeno Tyranny?

[Dantay VI]

Maybe no xenos so far because this is the Horus Heresy and not the great crusade? :P

[Kol Saresk]

Yeah it makes Horus sound like a big wieny because the Imperium could have been destroyed, and he's off winning glory instead of fighting and sacrificing against the xenos threat.

 

Though it makes you wonder if it was such a threat why they only launched two legions at the Rangdan...?

It sounds pretty early in the Crusade, so it was probably a matter of "which legions can we send into this, that have a chance of surviving." This might have been around the same time the XII Legion were getting off their feet and killing renegade Thunder Warriors while the VIII Legion was still kind of small, and so on so forth.

 

To me, the bigger question would be why the Emperor and his Custodes didn't thunderbolt into the mess, and the logical answer that comes to mind is that the Imperium might have underestimated the threat at the beginning, thus giving it room to grow into the major disaster it did.

[Brother Aiwass]

Maybe no xenos so far because this is the Horus Heresy and not the great crusade?

Wasn't Rangdan before the Heresy? xD :P

[Lord Blackwood]

thats his point ,  the series centers around the Imperial Civil War , not the culling  of the xenos and unification of mankind that happened beforehand in the great crusade. 

[Xenith]

There's another thing in the VIth Legion section of Inferno mentioning that tons of Titan Legios, Knight Houses, Taghmatas and even Space Marine Legions were destroyed while the Rangdan Xenocides were ongoing. Note that wording, as it caps the timeline on the IInd and/or XIth Legions but doesn't strictly say they were destroyed in or by the Xenocides.

Very interesting titbit there, is there any more info on the legion losses in the Xenocides?

 

I can see Big E expunging all mention of a legion for simply failing, losing to the alien. To allow the memory of them to persist is to allow knowledge that the alien can be superior.

 

Best to wipe them out, and anyone that knows new what happened.

[depthcharge12]

 

Yeah it makes Horus sound like a big wieny because the Imperium could have been destroyed, and he's off winning glory instead of fighting and sacrificing against the xenos threat.

 

Though it makes you wonder if it was such a threat why they only launched two legions at the Rangdan...?

It sounds pretty early in the Crusade, so it was probably a matter of "which legions can we send into this, that have a chance of surviving." This might have been around the same time the XII Legion were getting off their feet and killing renegade Thunder Warriors while the VIII Legion was still kind of small, and so on so forth.

 

To me, the bigger question would be why the Emperor and his Custodes didn't thunderbolt into the mess, and the logical answer that comes to mind is that the Imperium might have underestimated the threat at the beginning, thus giving it room to grow into the major disaster it did.

Interesting theory but I'm leaning toward all the legions have a decent size by that time, considering the 1st had 150k legionaries at that point, meaning others would be hovering at the 75-100k mark unless they were the 3rd, XVth, XVIIIIth, or XXth legions (due to extenuating circumstances).

 

I understand there were other threats at the time, but like I said, it sounded like the Slaugth/Rangdans were priority number one since the orks and eldar were just mopped up when found. It does sound like the XIIth and IVth helped out though.

 

Interesting the Emps wasn't getting in, but it did say once he unleashed the Labyrinth of darkness something something (isn't that the David Bowie movie? :P), the Rangdan were less of a terror.

 

Edit: also, where in the hell have you been Kol? You disappear into the warp or somefin?

[Kol Saresk]

Eh, sumfin. Just ain't been feeling Warhammer if I'm totally honest.

I'm not trying to say it wasn't important, but rather that it may not have been given the immediate priority it needed to be given at the beginning. It probably started out as just like any other campaign. But then over time, it just started dragging on and consuming resources and piecemeal reinforcements. And then at some point they went "oh crud, this is really serious" and that's when they went ham on a biscuit.

Comparing 30K to 40K, Exterminatus wasn't just thrown around willy nilly. So it probably took Imperial forces more than a few trials and errors to realize that it was actually a necessity to winning the campaign.

It might have been the Rangdan had human slaves that the Imperial forces were trying to save, much like the Nephilim. The difference was that the "noncombatant casualties" were so ridiculously high afterwards that it was hard for the Imperium to consider it a win because 1.)they lost so much persecuting the campaign and then 2.)got nothing out of it.

[Sandlemad]

 

It might have been the Rangdan had human slaves that the Imperial forces were trying to save, much like the Nephilim. The difference was that the "noncombatant casualties" were so ridiculously high afterwards that it was hard for the Imperium to consider it a win because 1.)they lost so much persecuting the campaign and then 2.)got nothing out of it.

 

Strongly suspect this was the case based on the DA and SW's role in the 'clean-up' after. The fact that there were at least three xenocides attested to might suggest that whatever exactly happened, it was difficult to stamp out.

 

Given that previous background on the Slaugth has them infiltrating human societies, the scenario of the imperial forces engaging before they knew the true depth of the threat - and how far behind their own lines it spread - is a compelling one. If the front for the war was the entire northern imperium (insofar as that's possible on a galactic scale), by the time it was in full swing there may not have been a 'head' for the emperor/custodes to cut off.

[Runefyre]

The Rangdan Xenocides would make a great tv show.

[b1soul]

The Rangdan Xenocides would make a great book series

[Lord Blackwood]

I would rather it be a series of books or its own prequel HH mini book.

[depthcharge12]

The Rangdan Xenocides would make a great book series

 

All I hear is Malcharion and co. written by ADB fight a bunch of xeno scum.

 

Sounds beautiful.