Humanity's darkest hour:
It was the dawn of the 31st millennium, humanity lies scattered and diminished. Once a glorious dominion across the width and breadth of the galaxy, they were cast down by their own hubris and the folly of the Eldar. Now, the vast majority of worlds are prey for cruel and malicious xenos, many yearn for a savior and a return to the glory of old.
This savior to some, tyrant and butcher to others, would arise on man's old home of Terra. A distant and forgotten world by the myriad of her colonies, Terra has festered in strife and division for generations. And likely it would have stayed this way until the persistent remnants died out, had it not been for the one calling himself the Emperor of Mankind. This Emperor wielded unrivaled psychic might and many wonders now lost to the people of Terra. He led vast armies of mortals as well as gene forged butchers called Thunder warriors and masterful, immortal companions called Custodes.
The Thunder warriors proved powerful but lacked discipline and longevity. Therefore a new breed of warriors and soldiers were needed to conquer the stars when the time came. So a grand project had begun where new super soldiers were produced to conquer Terra and beyond. To forge these new super soldiers as well as led them in the future, The Emperor created twenty sons. In each of these sons he gave a portion of himself as well as knowledge and power from the Warp.
Disaster would strike and the laboratory containing these sons was damaged. The Emperor and his oldest assistant, Malacador the Sigillite were to respond quickly to prevent two from scattering. These were the First and the Eighteenth, and they would be given very different roles in the time to come. The others were scattered across the galaxy, each to a world inhabited by man where they would be tempered by their new lives and experiences. Some would overcome these trials and learn from them, others would be consumed by them.
The beginnings of the great crusade:
The first, would become known as Sobek and he would be publicly revealed to the masses two years later. He would be raised by the Emperor personally as well as by tutors and attendants. While he would learn much from them and earn respect from his teachers, his heart truly belonged to the common people. Sobek would often sneak out of the Imperial palace to walk the streets and make friends with the citizens, finding joy in helping others and hearing their stories. As a result, Sobek was popular with the people and so became a symbol for the burgeoning Imperium.
The Emperor was quick to capitalize on this, using Sobek to lead armies of the new Space Marines in quick and relatively peaceful and bloodless conquests. Sobek proved to be useful in diplomacy, finding it easy to connect and speak with many foes. His legion was soon given the title of the Solar knights, in recognition of their place as the brightest of legions that would dawn a new age.
But even as that bright light shined, it cast a dark shadow. And from that shadow, the Eighteenth son was given the task of doing many of the cruel and grim things necessary for the Imperium to succeed. Raised personally by Malacador, he was given the name of Satet and trained in the arts of sabotage, assassination, and stealth. In addition to this he was trained in psychic arts, in which the peculiar discipline known as umbramancy was born.
In the darkness and shadows Satet would work to spread the Imperium and slay its enemies that it couldn't persuade or defeat directly. But there were far darker deeds that Satet and his legion, the aptly named Shadow warriors, would be tasked to perform. It was they, alongside the Custodes and elements of the third legion who would be the ones to finally eliminate the Thunder warriors who had outlived their purpose.
With the Solar knights conquering in the daylight besides the other proto legions, and the Shadow warriors stalking the night, nation after nation fell to the Imperium. The Emperor would soon set his sights on the rest of Sol. The other legions would earn their own honors in time, such as when the seventh would prove their strength and fortitude against the xenos on the rings of Saturn or the third taking Luna after the short rebellion of the selenar gene cults.
Mars would prove to be the greatest challenge and victory for the new Imperium. Mars was formidable and would take decades to conquer, if they could even do so at all. Another option would have to be taken, and a compromise was made between Terra and Mars. A treaty was sign between the Imperium and the Mechanicius, where the latter would serve alongside the former and the latter would be given considerable autonomy. The arrival of the Emperor would unintentionally bring to bear underlying feuds and beliefs that would lead to the devastating schism to come.
From Sol to the edge of the galaxy, the middle of the great crusade:
With Mars and Terra fighting as one, the rest of the Sol system fell one by one. From there the crusade would pour forth like a broken dam, navigators guiding Imperial vessels to new systems. One of the first of these systems encountered was the Theta system, whereupon the first of the waylaid sons would be found.
Argentum, Primarch of the second legion, was found on the forge world of Theta Primus. Already fully grown, Argentum had spent his years learning of the Mechanicius creed and techniques as well leading them in war against hordes of technological abominations deep beneath the surface. Sobek would led the Imperial forces in aiding them with destroying this threat once and for all. The two would grow to work the other despite the drastic difference in their disposition and tactics.
Argentum proved to be quite a surprise to many, who expected the Emperor's sons to be more like Sobek. Instead, Argentum was cold, analytical and frank in his relations with others. In fact many were unnerved by him and his distaste for gothic, instead preferring to speak in the
machine code of the Mechanicius. Speaking of which, it was his belief in the Mechanicius creed and thus the Emperor as the "Omnisiah" that caused the most friction. Many had expected or even petitioned the Emperor to speak against this, but the Emperor did not. There are many debates that raged over the millennia as to why he remained silent, perhaps it was to maintain the fragile alliance with Mars or maybe it was a darker reason.
With two Primarchs leading the front, the rate of expansion accelerated. And many worlds would come into the Imperial fold, with the next son being found five years later. Augustine would be found on the world of mesogeiakós, where he reigned as ruler of the planet. Sobek was the first Imperial diplomat to meet him and the two engaged in a contest of arms, as was a tradition in their society when two great warriors met for the first time.
For three days and nights, the two dueled until Augustine prevailed. The two would shake hands and share in a feast, igniting a fierce rivalry and hearty friendship between the two. Augustine would prove more popular than Argentum, with his regal and majestic but still approachable disposition. Augustine would take the third legion, branding them the Sacred Band, as his most loyal soldiers who served him in conquering mesogeiakos.
Augustine proved to be a capable leader, commanding a full fourth of the crusade. It was he who found the world of Thracia, which was a wild and dangerous feudal world. There were found two of his brothers, lords of the fourth and fifth legions. Named Perun and Lohke respectively, the two were initially foes who had landed in and fought for different lands. After battling one another to near death, the two resolved their issues peacefully and even grew a reluctant friendship. The fourth and fifth would be christened the Centaurs and Ice giants respectively and the two legions would form an interesting combination that would prove effective across many battlefields.
The two legions were almost complete opposites in terms of disposition and aesthetics. The Centaurs were boisterous, wild and jovial. The Ice giants were more reserved, mystic and ceremonial. On the battlefield they complimented each other, the ferocity and skill in arms worked well with the Ice giants psychic abilities. Their bond would continue to form even as accusations of witchcraft were leveled at the Ice giants, for the Centaurs would often stand up for their fellow legionnaires.
Many other brothers would be found in the coming decades, such as the revolutionary poet and Orator, Emmanuel, who overthrew the monarchy on his world and spread freedom and enlightenment. Next was Siegfried, called the "Black Bear" for his size and ferocity against the monsters and wicked men of his homeworld. Stalinaslov was found soon after, having ended a decades long world war that cost billions of lives and thus he longed to create rather than destroy.
Perhaps the two most interesting found around the middle of the crusade were the lords of the Golden Caliphate and Iconoclasts. The Caliphates found their sire, Khalid in the
desert world of Ahaz. There they would find a sage, scholar, philosopher and theologian. He hated war and reprimanded his legion for their violent past, before offering them a new vision of restraint and self sacrifice.
Khalid's recovery affected not only his legion but the Imperium as a whole, for he openly proclaimed the Emperor as a god. Many took offense at that, foremost of which was the Primarch found next. Theomaxos, Lord of the Iconoclasts grew up denouncing religion due to the evils and persecution of his homeworld. The two and their legions were instantly at odds from then on, as Theomaxos would petition the Emperor to do something about the Imperial creed. For the immediate future, the Emperor remained silent and thus the creed was allowed to flourish under the surface of the Imperium.
Perhaps the next most interesting would be Othniel, known to his people as the great judge. He was raised by a policeman and trained early on in the laws of his world. He would rise in reputation as brutal but fair, having learned early on that integrity, honesty, and fairness were integral to maintaining order. He would become the imperial lawman and lawgiver, pinning the first editions of the lex imperalis. He was a respected commander but many of his brothers balked at his rules, foremost of which was Emmanuel who viewed them as stifling.
Not all reunions were so amicable, for Barbados, lord of the Executioners legion, was forced to destroy much of his homeworld to save them from the deprivations of the dark Eldar. This bitterness and failure to protect his people would continue to plague him as he blamed the Imperium for not arriving soon enough. Others like Takatoka, Lord of Eagle Warriors, and Samuel, lord of the Sons of Liberty legion,were worried about the safety and freedom of their home worlds when they agreed to serve the Emperor.
With almost all of the Primarchs found, the crusade continued to accelerate in pace and scope, facing and defeating many horrors. The vast majority of worlds were brought into the Imperial fold peacefully, whether through intimidation or genuine diplomacy. One human enclave that wasn't brought in peacefully would however have drastic consequences.
A small collection of three solar systems called the "stellar collective" by the local populations was inhabited by humans and a series of minor xenos races. This strange alliance of man and alien was born of desperation due to the horrors of old night. These variations species banded together to stave off Orks, Eldari, and other unspeakable nightmares that stalked the stars in those dark days. It was here that the seventeenth son was found.
Reuben, as he was named by his people, would grow into a daring and recalcitrant captain and later admiral. He would lead them to victory on many engagements in the void of space, showing an innate understanding of void warfare that far eclipsed any that had come before him. And he proved to be quite the thorn in the side of the Imperium as the Imperium demanded the surrender of the humans and the removal of the xenos from their midst. For two years the stellar collective managed to resist the Imperium, fighting hit and run actions across several star systems.
Eventually, the weight of numbers would catch up with the collective. One by one their worlds would fall and their people would be captured or butchered. Realizing that resistance would be fruitless, he surrendered in order to save what was left of the human population and allow his remaining xenos allies the chance to escape and flee into the depths of the galaxy. Reuben would swear vengeance that day, even as he feigned fealty to the Emperor. From the very first day he would begin to plot his revenge, starting with filling his legion with recruits that he could mold into serving him and not the Emperor.
The great crusade reaches its zenith, from the xenocides to the triumph at Ullanor:
By the one hundred and fiftieth year, all twenty Primarchs had been found and their legions were reaching the peak of their strength. Over two and a half million demi god super soldiers lead the countless regiments of the Imperial army, knight houses, Mechanicius cohorts, and even legios of titans. There were few foes that could challenge such might and the time was coming where even they would be met and overcome.
But even at the height of the crusade, the cracks in Imperial unity were starting to show. First, in the 151st year, the Ice giants and Centaurs were tasked with the compliance of the Achia system. The compliance went well enough initially, with several quick victories in the void setting up a ground invasion by the two legions and Imperial army forces. Achia itself proved to be too formidable, with the siege taking weeks and its defenders seeming to have no end of mechanical horrors to throw at the invaders. Frustrations boiled until Lohke and the Ice giants tried to use a grand psychic ritual to disable their defenses, despite the Centaurs warning them not to call upon such great energies from the Warp.
Lohke didn't listen and he called upon he and his son's potent abilities, but disaster struck. The spell spiraled out of control and engulfed the entire system into the warp in
the span of but a few hours. The two legions barely escaped, forced to leave behind millions of infantrymen and billions of civilians from across the system. Even thousands of Astartes failed to make it to the transports in time to flee. Word soon spread of this incident and an uproar from the rest of the Imperium necessitated that it be addressed.
Soon that day would come and the Ice giants would be put trial for the incident. Malacador would act as the judge, and Othniel would act as the prosecution. Many other Primarchs were there to act as witnesses of the Ice giants actions as well as the dangers and potential boons of psychic powers they had witnessed during the crusade. Several Primarchs would speak on the giants defense, such as Takatoa and Phoebus, Primarch of the psychically gifted but recluse Illuminators. They would argue that the gifted should be encouraged and taught, not shunned and despised. Captains from many other legions would speak of both horrors they encountered as well as how useful psych abilities could be.
Others vehemently opposed the Ice giants and argued that the Achia incident must never be allowed to happen again. Ultimately, it was decided that the Ice giants should be censured for this incident and barred from the usage of psychic powers again. The Ice giants felt betrayed and humiliated, especially since their closest friends the Centaurs didn't speak in their defense. In the span of mere hours, a bond that had been built over a century and a half was severed. The Ice giants would then resume their work in the crusade, choosing to travel towards the eye of Terra ostensibly to explore the world nearby. This would lead them down the path of damnation as the whispers of Tzeentch would call them ever deeper into the eye, in search of solace and meaning.
Perhaps this wayward journey would raise suspicion, but there were other matters to attend to such as the Ragdan. The xenocide of the Ragdan would soon reach its zenith as four legions assembled to exterminate the foil xenos. Imperial records show that the Rising suns, Sacred Band, Exterminators and the Nineteenth legion were tasked with finishing them off. Records also state that the Nineteenth fell in an honorable battle, staying true to their oaths like all Astartes should. That however was a lie, for the Nineteenth had fallen to the xenos and the Rising suns were forced to fell them in a terrible battle that left scar so deep and haunting that even memory wiping could not fully erase.
But while the schisms would be obvious to later generations, the spirit of the crusade was alive and well still. The crusade would reach its peak at dawn of its second century, with the triumph at Ullanor. At Ullanor, the crusade faced one of its mightiest challenges in the form of the Ork Warlord Urglak and his seemingly limitless hordes of greenskins, each a towering brute in their own right.
Such was their might that four legions had to be assembled to deal with them. The Solar knights, Sacred Band, Eagle Warriors, and Aastra Primursa assembled with their Primarchs as well as numerous knight houses, army regiments, and titans. In a grueling and perilous campaign which saw the sacrifice of many heroes, the Imperium managed to force the Orks into battle on Ullanor itself.
The Orks proved to be a mightier foe than expected and the battle soon became a desperate struggle to survive as elements of the four legions would be reduced to a chaotic struggle against insurmountable odds. Only the intervention of the Emperor himself gave the Imperials the chance to regroup and push as one towards the warlord. Augustine and Sobek fought back to back against Urglak, their years of familiarity and service making them a deadly combination.
But even those two legions together wasn't enough, and Sobek was wounded gravely. Augustine stood alone against the Beast, defending his closest brother with every ounce of strength in his demi god physique. Perhaps this is where he would have met his fate, but the Emperor had other plans. Appearing in a flash of golden light, he fought and slayed the warlord in a dazzling display of power. With the Warlord slain, the horses soon fractured to infighting and fear of the wrathful Emperor.
With such a great victory secured, a celebration was set to be held to commemorate the occasion as well as the crusade as a whole. Members of almost every legion were present, with only the Ice giants and Void Specters being absent. The Emperor would surprise all of his sons present when he declared that he would leave the crusade and return to Terra, taking Phoebus and the Illuminators legion with him. In addition he crowned Sobek as the Warmaster, leader of the crusade in his absence. Finally, the Emperor gave Argentum, Primarch of the Forge Hammers, the title of Praetorian of Mars.
Reactions were mixed to these announcements. Most were supportive of Sobek, having either spent time learning under him or having served alongside him on numerous occasions. Others took umbrage with it, most notably Augustine, who considered himself more qualified. He publicly challenged the Emperor on this issue, declaring it was nepotism that blinded him. Augustine pointed out that he had more victories and compliances under his name despite having served less time in the crusade, and that it was he and not Sobek who stood longest against the Ork Warlord Urglak. The Emperor would not relent and thus Sobek was anointed Warmaster.
The calm before the storm:
Augustine would storm away from gathering, taking the majority of the Sacred Band with him. They returned to the crusade, eager to prove the Emperor wrong. They would spend months bringing world after world to compliance, traveling to the very edge of the galaxy itself in search of a victory that would satisfy the Emperor. But soon doubts would creep in and dark thoughts would plague Augustine's mind as he sought the approval that he had been looking for his whole life.
Command deck of the warship Cannae
The void called to him, the endless all encompassing blackness between the planets, stars, and even galaxies. The void had a way making it all feel so petty, so insignificant. It had a way of making him feel empty, as if all the intelligent species did was try to impose an order on things they could barely even truly comprehend. In truth, this was why he had always hated the void of space despite the numerous wonders and adventures that it promised.
He is a Primarch, one of a select few out of all humanity imbued with abilities far beyond the vein of normal men. More than that he is Augustine, lord of the Sacred Band, leader of the most successful of all the Emperor's legions. Sure, his brothers had individual talents or abilities that he did not but his achievements spoke for themselves. He had the greatest victories, the most compliances. And yet here he was, on the edge of the galaxy, staring into the void and feeling empty.
His lips curled in frustration as he gazed at his reflection. While the rest of the galaxy may have seen perfection, he could only see the flaws. Long black hair swayed slightly as brown eyes glared forward, lightly tanned skin reflected some of the bright light of the command deck and the many cogitators flashing constantly. Polished purple, gold, and black armor gleamed in the light and inspired all around him, except himself. No, he did not see a shining figure of myth as so many others did.
All he saw were the tiny imperfections, small scars that even an Astartes would struggle to notice, bits of dust on his pauldrons, scratches on his breastplate. For his whole life, as he could see were his flaws. For perfection was thrust upon him since he could walk. His adopted father, Philis the Tyrant of Tunisia, raised him to do what he and all those who come before him could not. He was raised to realize the dream of a tyrant and conquer mesogeiakos. Day after day he trained his body and mind, day after day he grew in stature and spirit.
He delivered Philis victory after victory, city after city, country after country. And yet it was never enough, was it? Philis would always find something to critique, some flaw in his plan or execution. And yet he put up with it, all because he wanted to be approved and acknowledged. It was pathetic, now he knew, to be commanded in such a way. To be berated, insulted, even whipped by a man he could snap in half with but a thought. Perhaps one day he would have snapped, either demanding the respect he was owed or just crushing the man outright. But Augustine was denied that chance when an assassin took his adopted father's life instead.
For a time he felt free to define himself, as he and his armies had subjugated all of mesogeiakos. He pursued the arts, law, philosophy, history and more he debated on what to do. The urge for adventure still gnawed on him and he looked to stars, always somehow knowing that something lay behind them. That call for adventure and battle would be answered as the Imperium found him.
Sobek would be the first to greet him, and in his elder brother he found not only an equal but a friend and a competitor who could push him to greater heights. In truth he was fond of all his brothers to some extent, some more than others due to disposition and the demands of the crusade. Alongside his sons and theirs, he found a family of sorts, as dysfunctional as it was due to their many differences. And under the Emperor he found something to truly strive for, a glorious vision that while at times brutal and uncouth, was for the greater good.
And here he was, staring into the void looking for glory that could persuade the Emperor and yet there was nothing to be found. There were no more great foes to vanquish, no more quests to embark upon. Soon the crusade would be over, and of what worth would there be to a conqueror such as he? Would he be disposed of or forgotten like the Thunder warriors or his brothers in the lost legions?
For one long moment he thought of plunging into the void between galaxies, either charting a new path for himself or facing oblivion on his terms rather than fading into nothing when he was no longer of use.
"Sir, a fleet of Astartes vessels has just entered the system. It is the Ice giants and their flagship, what are your orders sir?" His attendant said, pulling Augustine out of his thoughts. "Hail them, see what brings my brother all the way out here" Augustine ordered, his voice ringing with a faint tinge of confusion and intrigue. He hadn't seen much of the Ice giants for decades so he wondered what had happened to the legion of mystics and sorcerers since the trial of Achia. A few seconds passed as the cogitators processed his request and his brother appeared on the vid screen of the command
deck. Lohke had changed remarkably since he had last seen him, his skin was pale blue and his eyes glowed a dark blue which radiated a mystifying power all their own. Augustine lacked the psychic gifts others possessed but he still felt a chill down his spine, even this far away.
"What do you wish to discuss, brother?" Augustine asked, genuinely curious as to what ends his brother sought him out.
"I know what you truly seek" he replied, his voice as cold as the depths of space itself.
Whilst aimless and forlorn, Augustine was approached by his brother Lohke and requested to follow him into the eye of Terror, where he was promised foes of incredible might that would surely appease the Emperor. During that hollowed journey, Lohke would test him with doubts as to why the Emperor had chosen another and even dare to question if Augustine should be the one kneeling at all.
As they approached the Eye, The Sacred Band would be assailed by foul warp born creatures and be cut off from the Imperium. With nowhere else to go, they plunged deeper into the Eye, encountering many strange and terrible beings which challenge their view on reality and the laws of the universe. This harrowing trial would continue until Augustine was forced to land on the warp-touched daemon world of Ut'kz. There he encountered the embassies of the chaos gods and they spoke to him, tempting him and showing him the primordial truth.
Daemon world of Ut'kz
This was madness, he thought to himself as he watched these strange beings speak to him. They offered him praise, pleasure, battle, power and more. This was tempting, but he could sense malice behind every word they spoke. He had heard too many stories of those who promised everything to be so easily swayed.
When those temptations failed, a different tactic was tried. He saw visions of the future, where he was discarded and many of his brothers were butchered and forgotten. He saw mankind enslaved and used to fuel the Emperor as he ascended to godhood. He saw all the Emperor's rules and laws cast aside, and the ideals he used to enlist so many be revealed for the lies they truly were.
What was worse however, was what the gods revealed happened on Molech. There the Emperor saw the many futures arrayed before him and rejected them, instead forging
his sons anew. From the very beginning the Emperor thought of them as nothing more than tools, erasing all they were and would be to be something else entirely.
Augustine was filled with rage as everything clicked together in his mind. Suddenly it all made sense, for the Emperor knew that some of his sons would rebel against him. So he picked favorites and stoked feuds so they remained divided. It was inevitable that some would fall so he picked the best and weighed the odds in his favor as best he could. Sheer indignation flared within his soul as he thought of all strife and horrors that he and his brothers faced for the Emperor, only to be manipulated, lied to, and ultimately discarded.
"If the Emperor wants war, then he shall have it" He thought as he drank deeply the power of the warp, the sounds of the four chaos gods laughing echoing throughout the warp and causing the nightmares of many psykers all across the galaxy, from the haughty Eldar to the crude Orks and even most disciplined of humans.
Augustine emerged from the Eye of Terror changed, as did the Sacred Band, their souls and bodies forever touched by the warp. Augustine began to plot his next moves as he learned of recent developments that occurred following the aftermath of Ullanor. A third of the Executioners including their Primarch Barbados disappeared into the webway seeking the vengeance the Emperor had promised and yet denied them against the Eldar.
Petitioning his new dark patrons for their aid, Augustine located a webway portal large enough to send tens of thousands of Astartes and hundreds of vessels. They would rescue their wayward cousins, who had given their souls to Nurgle for the strength to endure the web way and its defenses. For what in the outside universe had been months, had been thousands of years to the Executioners. The desperate fighting in the web way would cause catastrophic damage to the sun realm, unintentionally affecting the portal on Terra which would keep the Emperor occupied for much of the war.
With the a significant portion of the Executioners behind him already, as well as his brother who swore fealty for both saving him and offering him a chance to exact his vengeance at full later, they would consolidate and pull the rest of the legion together to commit them to the newly minted "Ever-chosen's" side. This would prove to be a mistake as while most would turn their back on the Imperium, some of the Executioners would not and needed to be purged.
Good news for the Ever-chosen would soon arrive as the Silver Sword's would swear allegiance to him. Decades of work by the Void Specters to undermine their loyalty by
planting agents to fan the flames of dissent and distrust proved fruitful. As did Slaaneshi cultists who infiltrated their ranks, spreading their twisted pleasures, lusts, and indulgences, whilst corrupting the legion's desire for freedom and enlightenment.
With five legions under his sway, Augustine knew that he needed more if he would have any chance of destroying the Emperor. So set about recruiting two more brothers that he could already feel the touch of the warp upon their souls. For the rising suns he would have to use the power of the gods to restore their memories that the Emperor had wiped, in particular the fate of the Nineteenth. He promised the Shogun revenge for this transgression and the callous disregard of the Nineteenth and Twentieth. The Iron drakes required more persuasion, but the promise of a brighter future free of the dogmatism of the Mechanicius as well as a reminder of the inevitability of a confrontation with the Fire hammers were enough to earn their support.
Within three years Augustine had secured seven legions behind him and purged them of loyalist elements. But this still wouldn't be enough and he knew that time would run out eventually. He was convinced that some like the Eagle Warriors and Sons of Liberty may be persuaded, many others wouldn't. Two legions he knew that would never turn against the Emperor were the Iconoclasts and Golden Caliphate, ironic given their differing visions for the Imperium. So, the answer was obvious, he would set the two against each other and take them out of the equation.
Evidence of the Caliphates continuing to worship the Emperor despite his laws against religion was leaked to the Iconoclasts. Incensed, Theomaxos would must the legion and head straight to the Caliphates homeworld of Ka'hih to demand answers.
With that plan set in motion, Augustine set his eyes on Molech, for there lay the power that he needed to face the Emperor and slay him. Taking the world wouldn't be an easy task, for the Emperor likely fortified it well. In addition he would have to deal with the rest of his brothers and their legions and allies. He was outnumbered but he had a few advantages on his sides such as surprise and the favor of the gods. From the Eye he would order his brothers to scatter towards various objectives and take the Imperium by surprise, using the element of surprise as well as the power of the warp.
Warp Storms erupted across the entire galaxy, leaving many systems isolated and in the dark as well as hampering warp travel considerably. The traitor legions and their allies would take full advantage of this situation.
Galaxy in flames
To describe the rebellion at this stage as an orderly war, one of the established frontlines and clear demarcations of friend and foe would be a mistake. It was chaos, as the traitor legions spread out and quickly overwhelmed the loyalist's forces initially, but there were several major battles and theaters to focus on.
(The burning of Ka'hih):
Theomaxos and the Iconoclasts arrived unexpectedly over the orbit of the desert world of Ka'hih. The Golden Caliphates had mustered a third of the legion to celebrate a cultural holiday as well as receive new recruits to replace recent losses. The fleets of the two legions stared the other down in a tense silence as the two Primarchs and their bodyguards met to discuss the issue in person. The discussion quickly turned sour as accusations were made and threats leveled.
No one knows who shot first, and perhaps it wasn't important who did because the results were likely inevitable. Theomaxos and Khalid would clash on board the Iconoclasts' flagship, their duel cut short as Iconoclast reinforcements forced Khalid to retreat to the dubious safety of his own flagship. Outnumbered, the Caliphates fleet was crippled and sent hurling to the ground.
With orbital supremacy established, Theomaxos ordered bombardment on the capital city of Ghidad, killing tens of thousands. He issued one final statement, that should they violate the Emperor's law again then he would obliterate all of them.
After leaving Ka'hih, Theomaxos would report to the Imperium and tell them of the Caliphate's transgressions. To get through the warp storms he pushed many of his navigators to their limits to send the message through. Instead of praise he received condemnation, being told that he was to await judgment for his unprovoked attack on another legion.
Enraged, Theomaxos ordered his legion to head to Terra immediately and speak with the Emperor himself. The warp storms made this impossible and he was forced to translate to real space to save the fleet from destruction. Once in real space he would be bailed by Scared Band, where he was convinced to turn against the Imperium which has failed to live up to its own ideals. The traitors would keep the Iconoclasts in the dark, hiding the warp and it's corruption from the Iconoclasts and keeping them busy fighting the Imperium.
(The war in the east):
The majority of the Silver swords and twenty thousand legionnaires from the Executioners were tasked with knocking the Sons of Liberty out of the war, or at least crippling them before the push on holy Terra came. The opening phases of the campaign went well for the traitors as they attacked large clusters of imperial navy and Sons of Liberty vessels in the Ultima sector. In the first few engagements they managed to pick off isolated systems and thus kept the momentum and surprise.
That was until the battle of Charleston where due to the heroic actions of a navy captain sacrificing herself and her ship by overloading the warp drives gave a Sons of Liberty battle barge the chance to flee and warn the rest of the sector to the threat they faced. The Traitors would face their first major defeat when they were lured into a trap when they pursued fleeing imperial vessels into a trap in the prospero system.
The war in the east would bog down as the superior numbers, logistics, and tactics of the Sons of Liberty managed to hold on despite the chaos blessings the youngest goddess bestowed on her chosen champions and boons of Nurgle. The traitors would turn to the warp more and more to turn the tide, such as spreading plagues or tempting loyalists against each other, culminating in vast rituals to summon the never born to aid in the fight.
These tricks would allow them to slowly push the sons of liberty back to their home system of Amerigo. There they would be attacked by unexpected reinforcements. The Eagle Warriors would swoop in and swiftly cripple many vessels before the traitors were forced to retreat, but not before seizing and sabotaging the Sons of Liberty orbital defenses and detonating several star forts and delaying the Sons of Liberty fleet from joining the Eagle Warriors in pursuit.
The Sons of Liberty and Eagle Warriors would be forced to spend the next few years retaking hundreds of star systems lost, and expending valuable resources to put down Slaaneshi cults which would endure in one form or another for thousands of years to come.
(The war in the north/the "crimson tide")
The Rising suns along with thousands of imperial army regiments and solar auxilia who swore their oaths to the Ever-chosen swarmed segmentum Obscurus, overwhelming the initial defenses with speed and precision. The loyalists didn't break however, their morale held in check by the presence of the Fear Mongers. While the Fear Mongers weren't the match of their cousins, having spent most of the crusade dealing with
uprisings and compliances with human worlds while the Rising suns fought vicious xenos, they were still Astartes themselves and held the tide of traitors at bay.
Khone's influence soon became a bane rather than a blessing, calling Rising suns legionnaires to ever greater heights of bloodlust as the war dragged on. Their Primarch, Kyo, tried to reign them in but he found it more and more difficult to do so. They were losing a war of attrition as the Fear Mongers adapted, refusing close combat where possible and laying traps, as well as trading space for time in the cold calculus that was total war. Seeing no other way to tame the bloodlust, Kyo formed a pact with the blood god where eight worlds were sacrificed to earn Khone's favor while keeping their discipline.
The ritual worked and the favor of the blood god empowered the Rising suns, as well as many of their mortal allies. The tide slowly turned as hordes of ruthless warriors cut down all in their path, each Rising sun was given the strength far surpassing a normal Astartes. Such was their fervor and ferocity that they pushed the Fear Mongers back to their homeworld of Megahdan, where a titanic pitched battle ensued for months.
While the Fear Mongers and their mortal allies fought like lions, using every inch of ground they could slow the traitor forces, the end result was never in doubt. The Primarch of the Fear Mongers, Othniel, gave his life for the Imperium as the remnants of the legion and as many civilians as they could fled to the few remaining legion vessels who managed to barely escaped the system and run to the depths of the ghoul stars. Kyo would slay the great Judge after a tense duel, lifting his head aloft as a trophy. For killing a second brother, Khorne elevated the Shogun into the ranks of his immortal servants, becoming a daemon Primarch.
The Rising suns would slaughter and pillage segmentum Obscurus, taking many slaves to serve as crew and future Astartes to refill their ranks.
(The war in the west/"A bond broken")
The Ice giants took the task of bringing the Centaurs to heel. Initially the Ice giants tried to convince their former closest cousins to abandon the cruel Emperor and join them in forging a new realm. This plea fell of deaf ears and a most bitter war broke out between legions that had once been as close brothers. The Ice giants used foul magic and sorcery to make up for the difference in numbers and equipment between the two legions. Dozens of loyalist vessels were lost to these schemes, many crews being twisted and mutated into horrible abominations or turning on their allies after their minds were corrupted.
The campaign would culminate in the battle over their legions mutual homeworld of Thracia. There Lohke and ninety nine sorcerers, both mortal and Astartes summoned Kairos Fateweaver and eight other lords of change. The combined magics of the daemons as well as the rituals and sacrifices already performed during the battle, plunged the daemon world and its orbiting moons into the warp. Many vessels, both loyalist and traitors alike were sucked in as well. The Perun and roughly a third of the Centaurs managed to escape in time thanks to the intervention of the Shadow warriors, whose vessels appeared to have strange, warp calming effects.
The raw emotion of betrayal and pandemonium was enough to earn Tzeentch favor even more and Lohke was elevated to a daemon Primarch, just as many of the Ice giants were granted daemonhood. Though the Ice giants suffered horrific casualties, with barely ten thousand Astartes left in total, each Astartes was empowered by the great mutator. From their new daemon homeworld they would splinter off and join the other traitor legions in small groups as the push towards Terra commenced.
(The battle for Molech)
Whilst the other traitors caused havoc across the Imperium, the Ever-chosen and his Sacred Band set their eyes on Molech. Augustine expected the world to be heavily defended but he was surprised by just how heavily it was. Many millions of imperial army troopers, several titan legios, knight houses and seven full companies of Astra Primursa awaited him on the surface. What made matters worse was the arrival of the Solar knights with over fifty thousand Astartes and hundreds of vessels, with his brother Sobek amongst them. Unbeknownst to Augustine the Solar knights had been lead to this system for the very purpose of stopping him by the Emperor himself.
Sobek tried to hail them, desperately trying to seek any kind of accord but there was none to be had. The two legions dueled in the void, the Solar knights being pushed by slowly. Soon the action would move to the ground as both made planet fall. A masterful struggle that was as epic as it was personal ensued as each Primarch tried to out think and out maneuver the other. Each was so familiar with the other that they were equally matched for days, but slowly the mercilessness and cruelty of the Sacred Band prevailed over the restraint, discipline and morals of the Solar knights.
Slowly but surely, the traitors pushed the loyalists back until the traitors made a breakthrough and approached the portal deep beneath the surface. There, brother fought brother as their honor guards dueled and spilled each other's blood. The gods
watched with bated breath as the Warmaster fought the Ever-chosen for the heart and soul of mankind.
Molech
The two of them circled one another like a replica of the fabled duels of old legends. Each one the embodiment of mankind's oldest tales, one the resplendent hero and the other hated villain. At least that's what it looked like on the outside, but Augustine knew better. He knew this was not a clash of hero and villain, but a contest between a fool and a reluctant destroyer.
Sobek stood hesitant, sorrow written on his very soul as his hands trembled slightly and his shoulders sagged. A look of deep regret and discomfort was cast upon his dark brown features, no doubt looking for something, anything to say to alleviate this situation. The fact that he was still trying to end this peacefully, to "save his wayward brothers" spoke volumes of both his nobility and ignorance. There was no going back now, the Emperor had manipulated them from the start and if they were ever going to be free then they needed to burn the Imperium to the ground and start again.
Sobek inhaled, doubtless going to give his brother one last chance to see sense and repent. Augustine didn't allow this to happen, surfing forward to engage. It would be easier, Augustine thought, to do this without words, for it would save him the trouble of trying to convince his poor, deluded brother that their father was a tyrant who didn't care one but for them or the Imperium. Augustine, clad in exquisite armor of black and purple clashed with Sobek clad in white and gold, their shields colliding and sending sparks and debris flying across the dark and desolate chamber they were fighting in.
They were fighting just as they always had since their first sparring match nearly two centuries ago. Augustine using a spear and round shield, Sobek using a longsword and square shield. The two fought in a tense silence, their moves echoing their previous duels like a perfectly rehearsed routine. It would be beautiful, in a way, under any other circumstance. But today it was a dance of death, a deadly spectacle and show of arms and skill as each struck and countered the other with a daze of nearly perfect movements.
Their first duel back on Mesogeiakos lasted for three days and came down to endurance more than skill. Perhaps it would have lasted even longer here, but Augustine had not the time nor patience for such an affair. Plus he was swollen with the power of the dark gods and thus his victory was assured. Slowly but surely he pushed his brother back, inflicting small wounds that didn't heal like they should have, sapping
Sobek's strength bit by bit before delivering a devastating blow. He impaled Sobek to the ground with his spear, standing over him and considering whether or not to finish him here and now.
Perhaps it was pragmatism, or perhaps it was some small measure of mercy still left in him. Either way, Augustine turned and walked towards the portal, leaving Sobek alive but nearly couscous. Sobek coughed, blood splattering on the floor as he uselessly tried to pull the spear from his chest. Grunting with effort he tried to free himself, perhaps sensing that it was futile he turned his head towards Augustine as he walked away. Augustine paused as he heard his brother sobbing, a sound which he hadn't expected of any of his brothers, even one as sensitive as Sobek.
"Why… Why did you kill our dream?" Sobek asked, his voice weak from exertion and pain.
"You remember it don't you? The years we spent building up the Imperium, learning the arts, philosophy, history, science and so much more. The endless days and nights we spent teaching our sons to be more than soldiers, more than conquerors, we taught them to be dreamers, to be builders of a better tomorrow.
We fought for an age of peace, where people of all stripes and backgrounds can come together as one and enjoy life. Where one day humanity would be strong enough and secure enough to live alongside aliens, those who could listen to reason at least. A day where we could put down the sword and live life free and merry" he continued, his voice ringing with a wistful sorrow of days that would surely never come to be now. Augustine turned around, some small part moved by the words and looked directly into Sobek's eyes as Sobek continued to weep for a dream cast down.
"You were more than my brother… You were my friend…. I would have died for you" he spat out, more blood splattering across the floor. Augustine should have turned away and resumed his march towards his goal and yet he couldn't, at least not yet.
"The dream was always a lie, even from the very beginning. We were both fools to believe in it" Augustine spoke slowly, his voice almost wavering as he spoke those words. A single tear dropped from his cheek as he turned away from Sobek, surprising himself for he thought the gods took away all his weakness.
The gods had shown him many things since he became their champion, foremost of which was the truth. They had shown him the history of not only this galaxy but the countless others across the whole universe. While the universe was grand and often
wonderful, with nearly limitless forms of life that amazed even him, who reached such glorious heights, the results were always similar. No matter how advanced hyper intelligent beings became they could never escape the darkness in their souls. The old ones couldn't, the Necrontyr couldn't, the Eldar couldn't, and neither could the trillions of species, no matter their shape, forms, or capabilities.
In the end they were consumed by the darkness or felled by another species. But he had the will and the power to take the darkness, to become the Dark King and reign in chaos forevermore. All he needed to do was slay his father and take his throne. Augustine then walked through the portal, to enter the realm of the gods and get the power that he sought.
The march towards Terra
When Augustine emerged from the portal, granted immeasurable might by the ruinous powers, Sobek was gone and the Solar knights withdrew. With this new found power led the Sacred Band to join the Iron drakes, void Specters, and majority of the Executioners to push towards Terra. Elements from the other traitor legions would trickle in as they each achieved their respective goals.
Arrayed against them were the Astra Primursa legion and half the the Forge Hammers, the loyalist legions spread across segmentum Solar alongside numerous army regiments, solar auxilia, and Mechanicius forces. The loyalists were outnumbered and out matched, but heavily entrenched and well supplied. The loyalists turned hundreds of forge worlds into death traps, taking advantage of the traitors' need for supplies and factories to force them into costly ground battles.
One such costly ground battle was on the world of Tallarn, where the Iron drakes landed in force seeking something deep beneath the surface of this otherwise innocuous planet. Forge Hammers and various armored regiments faced them in vast armored engagements which sapped traitor vehicles better spent elsewhere. The Iron drakes suffered a humiliating defeat when their third Captain Reznov was slain by a mortal general in a desperate, pitched tank battle. The Iron drakes would cut their losses and withdrawal soon thereafter, but not before bombarding the planet back into the proverbial stone age.
(The shadow war)
They were not the only foes the traitors had to contend with. For in the shadows lurked a dangerous threat which inflicted numerous wounds on the traitors. The Shadows Warriors fought a grueling guerilla war against the traitors from a myriad of secret bases all across not only segmentum Solar but the entire galaxy.
The Shadow warriors, unlike their loyalist cousins, were not caught by surprise by the sudden betrayal. No, they had prepared for such a scenario well in advance. From the very beginning they had been cursed with the knowledge from the Sigillite and Emperor themselves that a civil war was inevitable. Thus they prepared for the coming war throughout the crusade. Their preparations were hampered by the fact that they didn't know who would rebel and who wouldn't, so they had to try and prepare for any scenario. And as one could imagine, preparing for anything split their attention and resources too thin to be as effective as they could have been.
This paranoia also had negative effects on morale and discipline, for if their cousins could rebel, who is to say that their own legion couldn't? Luckily few marines gave into the paranoia and many of those that did were dealt with swiftly. One did break however, and joined the Ever-chosen in rebellion against the Emperor. Going only by the title of the Lurker, they were instrumental in the traitors' ability to strike back against the Shadow Warriors and inflict horrendous losses.
Traitors weren't the only ones the Shadow warriors faced in the darkest parts of the galaxy, for they were tasked with hunting down the dangerous xenos cabal with the aid of the craftworld Eldar under Eldrad Ulthwae. The Cabal sought to undermine the loyalists further, seeking to end Chaos by having it consume itself. These plots were fortunately foiled and Shadow Warriors built quite a rapport with the Eldar, forming a secret alliance of sorts that would prove useful later on.
Granted the use of lethal archaeo technology and even xenos technology, the Shadow Warriors made the traitors legions pay dearly and bought the loyalists precious years to prepare for the assault on holy Terra, for everyone knew that it would come down to that.
(The battle for beta garmon) One of the last bastions of Imperial strength, the beta garmon cluster was forfeited by various desperate loyalist forces pulled from surrounding regions or battered survivors thrown back into the fight to stall the traitors while loyalist forces rallied together and encircled the traitors. Defending the cluster were several full titan legios, billions of imperial army soldiers, hundreds of loyalist Mechanicius cohorts, twenty thousand Astartes of the Astra Primursa, as well as forty thousand Astartes of the Forge
Hammers, all under the command of the Primursa's Primarch Siegfried as well as the first captain of the Forge Hammers, the self titled "old bastard" Demetrius. Dozens of "cells" or companies of the Shadow Warriors also fought the traitors, striking from the shadows and forcing traitors marines to spread out and defend supply lines rather than join the field.
Arrayed against them were Augustine himself and the Sacred Band, as well as Stalinaslov and the Iron drakes, and the majority of the Executioners and Void Specters. Traitor Mechanicius forces made up the bulk of their forces, with legio Mortis being the most prominent. What ensued was carnage on a cosmic scale as was raged on dozens of worlds. Titans slayed their kin in dazzling displays of technological prowess unseen in ages as grand and wondrous machines centuries old were obliterated in a matter of seconds.
The battle for beta garmon was no brilliant display of tactical genius. It was not a tale of brave soldiery, courage, honor, guile, deception and intrigue. No, it was a horrific demonstration of butchery, attrition, and logistics. It was more akin to a science, a sufficiently complicated series of mathematical equations, where each bullet, each shell, each vehicle, each life, was but one single statistic in a grand game of time, death, and destruction.
As great the battle was, and as valiant the defenders were, the end result was never truly in question. The traitors were too many, the loyalists too few, and their dark boons too bountiful. The major breakthrough came when a surge of reinforcements came in the form of the Iconoclasts, pouring over eighty thousand fresh Astartes onto the frontlines and breaking the back of loyalist forces on multiple planets and moons.
The loyalists began a steady withdrawal, losing countless thousands as many heroes made the final sacrifice to buy as much time as possible. But alas the result was still the same and the path before Terra was set. Augustine gave the call, summoning his brothers from across the galaxy and forming a mighty armada to snuff out the light of humanity's cradle forevermore.
(The siege of Terra)
The Sol system was far from idle during the rest of the war, spending years fortifying and deploying deadly traps. Hundreds of thousands of mines littered the void between celestial bodies as thousands of space forts of various sizes interlocked their weapons
systems, creating vicious zones of overlapping firepower. In addition, hundreds of battleships, from mighty battle barges and glorianas to grand cruisers and escorts, mustered to the Emperor's aid.
But even within Sol the rot of Chaos had already settled in. For on Mars civil war had broken out at the dawn of the wider war. The new Mechanicus, led by the fabricator general Kelbhor Hal, publicly decried the Emperor citing the Emperor's bestowal of the title of Praetorian of Mars without his permission as usurpation of his authority. Hal had long grown to despise the Emperor, distrustful of the Mechanicius' place once the Emperor's goal had been achieved. Even the vaunted Forge Hammers, strict adherents to the Mechanicius creed, were viewed with suspicion by the Fabricator general.
Thus when approached years before the war began, he leapt at the opportunity, courting the favor of many other tech priests to join him. He would even find support in the most expected of places, when whole companies of the Forge Hammers joined him in the rebellion turning against the Imperium and the rest of the legion. Dubbing themselves the Steel Wraiths, these turncoats would aid the new Mechanicus against the loyalists and envelope Mars in the fires of civil war.
The loyalists on Mars would rally under Zargeus Kane and Argentum as tens of thousands of Forge Hammers were deployed to surface alongside skitarii and legio cybernetica to face the new Mechanicus. The loyalists would face technological horrors beyond imaging, in conflicts which tested even the resolve of veteran Astartes. The loyalists managed to keep control of the majority of Mars, though not without significant cost. A significant portion of the Forge Hammers were required to keep the traitors pinned and contained until more forces could be spared.
When the Ever-chosen's armada arrived on the edge of the Sol system, absolute carnage awaited them. Dozens of frigates and escorts died in minutes, sending tens of thousands of souls screaming into the warp and thinning the veil. The traitors were quick to use this to their advantage, using the pain and death to summon powerful neverborn to wreck havoc on the defenders. The larger ships of the traitor fleet used the debris of their smaller kin as cover to engage the space forts and orbital defenses. One by one the defenses would fall and the traitors would close in on Mars and Terra.
Onto Mars, the Iron drakes would deploy in mass, sending the vast majority of their legion and their Primarch to the heart of the Mechanicius. The loyalists would be quickly encircled and forced into a grinding retreat and war of attrition. Argentum would refuse the order to abandon Mars, preferring to fight and die on Mars rather than Terra.
On Terra, the rest of the traitor legions would descend en mass except for the Void Specters, each pursuing their own objectives. All of the Traitor Primarchs, except for Augustine himself would deploy on Terra and ravage the world. The Silver swords would prey on the citizens, attacking the hive cities and spreading their ideals of perverse "liberation" in the name of Slaanesh. The rising suns would throw themselves at the walls of the Imperial palace, engaging the defenders as much as possible. The Ice giants would try to weaken the Palace through sorcery, as the Sacred Band and the Executioners led the charge.
The siege would ground on for weeks, the depravity and friction of the chaos forces becoming more and more apparent. The Iconoclasts would see this first hand, slowly realizing just how deep the rot of Chaos had seeped into the rebellion. Theomaxos, disgusted by this ordered his legion to depart and abandon the siege, costing the lives of countless traitors as they bludgeoned through their lines to leave the Sol system.
Arrayed against the traitors were the Illuminators, Solar knights, and Astra Primursa alongside numerous millions of mortals and the remaining titans. Sobek would led the loyalists, inspiring hope in the hearts of many. Despite his best efforts, the loyalists would be driven to the point of despair by the relentless tide of darkness. Weeks of desperate battle would follow, were brother would fight brother and cousin would slay cousin. Siegfried would slay the Lord of the Rising suns at the eternity gate as well as breaking the back of the bloodthrister Ka'banda. Sobek would banish both Emanuel and Lohke, nearly breaking the morale of the traitors.
But alas, those victories as heroic as they were couldn't stem the tide. Despite the countless sacrifices and bravery, the forces of Chaos couldn't be stopped. Day by day, inch by inch, the traitors overwhelmed the defenders and forced their way into the Imperial palace itself. The Emperor himself would take to the field, the Primarch of the Illuminators taking his place on the Golden Throne. The Emperor would tear into the forces of Chaos until Augustine himself appeared to challenge him.
The Emperor and Ever-chosen would face in single combat, in a duel that take place across space, time, and entire dimensions. The two would disappear in a flash of light, a great explosion seen across the entire galaxy and beyond as the Chaos gods looked on. No one knows what happened during that duel, for none but the gods could witness it. But the Ever-chosen was slain, his body left in the ruins of Imperial palace, but the Emperor was gone.
With the Ever-chosen gone, the favor of the gods slipped from the traitors. Mass panic spread across the traitor legions and a rout ensued. The slaughter only increased as Imperial reinforcements arrived at the edge of Sol system. So great were the traitors numbers that many however managed to escape and spread across the galaxy.
Despite this great victory however, it was phyrric one at best. The Emperor was gone, no one knew if he was alive or dead. Phoebus was inturned forever on the golden throne, forced to suffer unspeakable agonies to keep the webway closed and Terra safe. Argentum was mortaly wounded on Mars and placed in a dreadnought. Othniel was dead and the loyalists legions were depleted and the dream shattered forever.
But there remained much left to do, for the galaxy needed to be reclaimed and vengeance had. Soon they would embark on a new journey and forge a new Imperium, but already the fractures that would break this new Imperium were beginning to form. The eyes of the gods were fixed on the galaxy as new possibilities and new powers were set to arise, and already plans were being made for the end times.
A/N: Thanks to anyone who has read this first real part of my project called the Augustine Apostasy. This is an idea years in the making and it is my honor to finally present some of it to you guys.
As for keeping track of the lore, don't worry if it is hard to keep track of, I understand that it is a lot to take in all at once. I will however fill in more details as I write the indexes of the individual legions.
The next part will cover the scouring and the formation of the next Imperium as well as it's fracturing. I have many radical ideas planned and I plan making xenos to be a real threat when we get to the 40k section.