The Scouring (Series)

[Felix Antipodes]

Since we will be talking about this series for possibly years - and to stop clogging up the Upcoming topic - I decided to get ahead of the curve and start this topic.

 

To start, there has been plenty of entries claiming nothing happened during this period - “give me the Iron Cage and call it a day”, etc. I don’t believe this is true, especially if it covers the politics as well as the bolter porn, as claimed in the reveal.

In this era (the length of which is something else there are arguments about - does it end when officially declared by the High Lords, 021.M31, Guilliman’s wounding, or with disappearance of the last Primarch (Russ) in 211.M31)?

As for what could be covered?

• The rise of the High Lords from an advisory to a ruling body
• The formation of the Inquisition and how they got as powerful as they are
• The policy of using Heresy fencesitters or those who took advantage to declare independence as meatgrinder shock troops
• The reorganisation/sectioning of the Imperial Army
• The continuing rise of the Ecclesiarchy and the impact of their Militias on society in general
• The Codex Conflict, where the Primarchs almost came to a second civil war, leading to
• The Iron Cage, and
• The Second Founding

 

All this as the Primarchs lead the battles forcing the traitor legions back and into the Eye of Terror, before the disappear one by one.

 

Some of the events of the era have been covered elsewhere (fate of Curze in his Primarchs novel for example) and I hope they just get a footnote rather than a retelling but time will tell where GW/BL goes.

 

For those hoping for a brand-new supporting cast, I think you will be only half happy.  There will be eight Primarchs and nine Legions to cover, and that’s just on the loyalist side.  I also imagine they will start building up the importance of Lucretius Corvo, Ludon, Tulian Aquila, Saur Damocles, Arrias Cordos, Sasebo Tezuka, Eleon Iasis and Fulminos, just to name the future Chapter Masters we know of UM successors.  I’m looking for Easter egg appearances for future IF Chapter Masters such as Brownwin Abermort, Ambrosian Spactor and Kalman Flodensbog(!) to get a mention .  I would settle finding out why Fafnir Rann didn’t get a CN gig until the 3rd Founding.

 

[grailkeeper]

The fall of the Dark Angels.

 

Their story was the biggest thing we knew about the heresy before the book series, outside of the basic events. Theres a reason why they were the first story we got outside of the main story line. 

 

Dark Angels have a good case that they are the legion most let down by the Heresy books. 

 

Seeing the Blood Angels deal with the death of their primarch would be interesting. They're not the only legion to have a primarch die, but we already know a bit about how it effects them. The rage being caused by gene seed recovered from the blood of a corpse. I'd rather it not get a book of its own, but good chance it might. 


One thing generally I'd like is if the entire  series is covered in each book. I'd rather not have reading orders or branching out story lines like the heresy. You shouldnt need a flow chart to know how to read the books. 

[Karhedron]

Just focussing on the Astartes, many Legions/Chapters have significant storylines either in the Scouring or in the handful of centuries that followed.

• Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors: The Iron Cage. This also ends with a reconciliation between Dorn and Guilliman which effectively marks the acceptance of the Codex Astartes. Could also cover Perturabo's ascension.
• Ultramarines and Alpha Legion: The Eskrador campaign (which may or may not have happened). Could reveal the fate of Omegon although I feel this might be better left a mystery. 
• Dark Angels: Fall of Caliban (it would be good to have a bridge to Lion, Son of the Forest).
• Space Wolves: The disappearance of Russ. The new Codex has stated that Russ departed because he believed he was dying. There is also the older lore about his quest for the Tree of Life
• Blood Angels: The development of tainted geneseed based on blood from Sanguinius's corpse (although this may have been retconned into a primarily psychic phenomenon).
• White Scars: There is a big gap for them until Jagatai's disappearance in the Maelstrom
• Ultramarines and Emperor's Children: Fulgrim cutting Guilliman's throat (we might not need this one since it is covered as a flashback in Dark Imperium).
• Ravenguard: Corax's mission to the Eye (although this has been covered to some extent in "Shadows of the Past").
• Night Lords: We have already seen Kurze's fate in his Primarch novel, not sure there is much else written about them.
• Iron Hands: Not sure there is much written about them. There was old lore about a vision message from Ferrus but that is supposed to have happened just after Istvaan.
• World Eaters: The shattering of the Legion by Kharne at Skalathrax
• Death Guard: Not much written about how they arrived on the Plague Planet
• Thousand Sons: the Rubric and Ahriman's exile have been covered already in John French's Ahriman series.
• Sons of Horus: Pretty well covered in ADB's Black Legion series.
• Words Bearers: We have not seen Lorgar's ascension although we have seen his daemon form in "Shadows of the Past"
• Salamanders: Vulkan leaving his legion

Not all of these necessarily merit a book or even a story of its own. Some may simply be side-plots in other stories.

[Felix Antipodes]

Of those mentioned I feel that only the fall of Caliban and the Iron Cage will get their own books, although I would love the DA Crusade of Vengeance (Passage of Angels) to get a book of its own as well.  That would bring in Russ and Corax who joined the crusade after the Lion arrived at Deliverance.

 

It will be interesting to see where they slot the iron Cage in the timeline.  It was once considered to be earlyish (c 014.M31) where as the most recent take is a depressed and guilt ridden Dorn dons blackish armour and departs for crusade until the Codex Crisis (late 020-early 021.M31) sees him come back to confront Guilliman.  This leads to the Iron Cage, Perturabo’s ascension, and Dorn’s acceptance of the breakup.

 

Guilliman is reported to be everywhere during the Scouring, moving from front to front.  I can see a book concentrating on these many battles and their effect/strain on him and his legion.  Eskrador would probably fit into there.  I think it will turn out to be an “I am Alpharius” proxy rather than him or Omegron (whoever they decide wasn’t killed during the Heresy).  The Battle of Thessala (where he was wounded by Fulgrim) wasn’t until 121.M31 so would be a later book if covered at all.

 

The only White Scars storyline I recall from this era is the Hunt For Bile.  After seeing Bile’s handy work after the Siege ended, he decides to head off and bring Bile to justice.  Don’t recall if this was from a book or a codex.

 

I didn’t know they changed why Russ left in the latest codex.  Did they change his departure date as well (211.M31) or the First Great Hunt (218.M31) by Bjorn?

 

Something I’m intrigued by is how the Blood Angels are treated by the Primarchs.  For instance everything I’ve read about the Codex Crisis lists which Primarch was for or against the breaking but fails to mention where Raldoran and the BA stood, as if they didn’t matter.  The same for the Iron Hands.  How did the Imperium handle a Legion now run by a council instead of a figurehead?

 

[Karhedron]

36 minutes ago, Felix Antipodes said:

I didn’t know they changed why Russ left in the latest codex.  Did they change his departure date as well (211.M31) or the First Great Hunt (218.M31) by Bjorn?

 

I don't think that they have changed the dates. They haven't exactly changed it, just reconciled two existing bits of fluff. There was Russ's old death speech where he promises to return for the Wolf Time. Rather than those literally being his dying words, they are now the last words that he spoke to the Chapter before leaving the Fang. This implies that he believed he was dying before he set out on his quest but does not explain why. Logan and Ulrik are both over 600 years old and they are just Marines created from Russ's geneseed. The Primarchs were supposed to be immortal so it is not clear what Russ thought was going to kill him.