I do not own Warhammer 40,000 nor any of its characters. Those rights belong to Games Workshop. Inspired by Zahariel's Roboutian Heresy and Aurelius Rex's Dornian Heresy.
Index Astartes - The Iron Warriors: The Breakers Of The Fists
Unparalleled in their mastery of siege warfare, the IV Legion defend Terra and the Emperor with brutality and ruthlessness. There is no foe they will not face, no order they will not obey. As the Praetorian's Legion, the Solar System remains under the watchful eye of the Iron Warriors, and their homeworld of Olympia is both the perfect city and the perfect fortress, a bastion of hope and law for any seeking a new life. With the return of Primarch Lupercal, the sons of Perturabo follow the Lord Commander with indomitable spirit, supporting the Indomitus Crusade and forcing back the armies of the Aethyr. In Imperium Nihilus, the Iron Warriors hold the realm lost to the Emperor's Light, but a new threat approaches Olympia…
"From iron cometh strength. From strength cometh will. From will cometh faith. From faith cometh honour. From honour cometh iron. These are the words of my father. These are the words of his sons. This is the Unbreakable Litany, and may it forever be so."
-First Warsmith Kydomor Forrix of Terra, reciting the mantra of the Iron Warriors during the Siege Of Terra.
Origins
The IV Legion of the Adeptus Astartes achieved much renown amidst the Unification Wars on Terra, their members being recruited from the savage gun-tribes of Sek-Amrak. Their conquests and skill in siege warfare solidified the IV Legion as one of the greatest and largest. As such, they were deployed to the Sol System in the early days of the Great Crusade, notably Venus. Led by the Master Of Mankind himself, the IV Legion crushed the Litho-Gholem armies of the War Witches. Their infamous tactics and unbreakable will earnt them the respect and acknowledgement of the Martian Adeptus Mechanicus, who granted the IV Legion powerful prototype equipment, which would be put to fulfil a righteous purpose in annihilating the foes of Man.
Shockingly, the IV Legion displayed signs of sympathy and brotherhood, willingly aiding the I, V and XVI Legions at any turn, utilising their heavy weaponry to complement the other legion's close combat tactics. Noteworthy warriors amongst the legion quickly formed close kinships with their counterparts in other legions, most notably with the Dusk Raiders and Luna Wolves.
On the Forge World of Incaladion, the IV Legion bore heavy losses; reports number between thirty and forty thousand. This enormous number of casualties set the legion back, and near entirely annihilated the 8th Expeditionary Fleet. Incaladion was a shining example of the consequences of the IV Legion's stubbornness and refusal to adapt to the situation. The situation became so grave as to almost break out into civil war between reformists and traditionalists. Yet upon their arrival to a world named Olympia, the legion would be improved in ways unimaginable…
A Lord Of Iron
Perturabo, the fourth of the Master Of Mankind's Primarchs, had landed on the rugged and mountainous world of Olympia. The primarch wandered the empty wilderness of Olympia, hunting and slaying great beasts as a child and earning himself a place in the legends of the planet. Outside of the city-state of Lochos, the child was discovered by soldiers of the nearby city and brought before its Tyrant, Dammekos. Intrigued by the marvel of a child brought before him, Dammekos brought the young Perturabo into his household, to be tutored in the ways of administration and warfare.
The Primarch's life in the ruling house of Lochos was brief, but pleasant, forging and honing the Lord Of Iron into the moral and brave leader he is renowned as. Dammekos and Perturabo formed a close bond, and Perturabo came to regard the Tyrant Of Lochos as a father and one to admire: fair, but strict, and absolutely unbiased in judgement. Alongside his foster father, the Lord of Iron, as he became known, formed a similarly close bond to his foster sister, Calliphone. The pair bonded over culture, art and their unrivalled intelligence.
As the leader of Lochos' armies, Perturabo achieved subjugation of the Olympian city-states, whether with diplomacy or death. However, the stress of ruling and the plots of his sons had shortened Dammekos' life immensely, and the Tyrant Of Lochos died a few months after his dream of a united Olympia had been fulfilled. On his deathbed, Dammekos expressed his last wish that Perturabo would succeed him as Anax Of Olympia. With Perturabo on the other side of the planet crushing an insurrection, the Lord of Iron had not yet received news of his father's death.
Herakon, the eldest trueborn child of Dammekos, successfully launched a coup to take control of Lochos. Proclaiming himself as Anax Of Olympia, Herakon demanded that his two true siblings and Perturabo kneel before him. Andos, the secondborn, assisted Calliphone in escaping Lochos, before confronting Herakon with his personal guard. Andos' guards were massacred, and the Prince was taken into the jails of Olympia. Calliphone led a secret group loyal to Perturabo and succeeded in reaching the Lord of Iron. Enraged, Perturabo declared himself the true Anax, and many city-states supported his claim
With Olympia in civil war, support for Herakon quickly dwindled as his cruelty became evident and as Perturabo utterly annihilated his armies at every opportunity. After nearly a year of ruthless warfare, Perturabo's loyalists came before the walls of Lochos themselves. The Primarch gave to his enemy one last chance to surrender, promising that Herakon would be allowed to live the remainder of his life in peace despite his crimes against the rightful sovereign of Olympia. In response, Herakon boiled Andos alive in front of Perturabo's very eyes. Herakon had turned his back on Perturabo at every opportunity and now, with his doom approaching, Herakon had refused peace and brought a vicious fate upon himself. Perturabo did not rage. Instead, he horrified his companions when he ordered his army to decimate Lochos, and to leave no combatants alive. His army obliged, torturing and killing any who bore arms against them. Demanding to be alone, Perturabo marched to the Palace Of Lochos. Herakon's honour guard entered a defensive formation to prevent the Primarch from reaching their lord, but Perturabo's icy fury could not be impeded. He lashed out, striking the guards with such force that they became nought but red mist. Herakon stood alone in the throne room, sword in hand.
The tremors in his hand were uncontrollable as the usurper Anax heard the sounds of death and destruction emanating from the city below him. The sounds came like thunder: sudden, sharp and deafening. Herakon's eyes, possessing a deep well of insanity, fixed suddenly on his Captain Of The Guards, Nicanor. Clad in shining golden armour and wielding a great lance, lightning coursing down the speartip, Nicanor stood stoic.
"What is going on out there?" Herakon hissed, his hands gripping the armrests of his stolen throne even tighter. Nicanor made no attempt to face his liege, only keeping his eyes on the throneroom doors.
"I don't know." The Captain replied, his voice void of emotion. A sharp cry came out from outside the doors, and the sound of bodies being torn limb from limb was distinct. A torrent of sweat began to pour from Herakon's brow, his entire body trembling as he muttered to himself repeatedly.
"It can't be, it can't be. I can't die." He whispered again and again.
The polished steel of the doors were rent open by large, burly hands, gauntleted in dark iron. Within a moment, the doors were torn off their hinges, and Perturabo entered the throneroom. Like a god of war, he towered over the two men, his leathery hands clenched in titanic fists. His face was unreadable beneath his warhelm, but an aura of rage came from the Primarch. Herakon looked up at his former foster brother, now wearing the ornate black iron plate armour their father had commissioned for Perturabo. Fear flooded through his imagination, every dream he had of ruling was crushed. Tears poured out of his eyes as he broke down, panicking, petrified. He couldn't move, his arms refused to move. He couldn't breathe, his lungs capturing as much air as possible, yet it was not enough.
A sigh came from Herakon's right, and he looked up through clouded eyes at Nicanor. Reluctantly, Nicanor placed his crested helm atop his head, and grasped his aspis. As he stepped off of the dais, Nicanor turned to Herakon, the Captain's face now contorted in disappointment.
"I hope he kills you horrifically. You deserve it."
Nicanor turned back to his giant of a foe, and lunged, lance crackling to life. Perturabo threw down a fist, which Nicanor barely blocked with his aspis. His shield was shattered instantly, sending splinters of silver across the room. Perturabo gripped Nicanor's broken wrist, and threw another punch at his chest. As the fist pierced his armour and ribcage, Nicanor raised his lance, sending the point through the Primarch's wrist, piercing flesh, sinew and bone. Despite his valiance, Nicanor collapsed, a bloody hole torn through his chest. The Usurper barely stifled a horrified gasp, disgusted by the sudden sight of gore before him. Herakon looked up at the goliath, his brother, withdrawing a bloody gauntlet from the corpse.
Before the pain struck, the last thing Herakon could see, were vengeful black eyes.
The kinslayer attempted to charge, desperately grasping at a nearby dagger, but Perturabo quickly disarmed him and shattered his swordhand. The Primarch then struck Herakon across the face, breaking his jaw, before slowly breaking his legs, arms, hands and feet. After mere minutes, Herakon was pleading on the floor, with near every bone in his body broken. Perturabo cruelly followed Herakon's pleas for mercy, and slowly tore him in two with his bare hands. With Herakon dead, Perturabo stood unopposed to the throne of Olympia.
Olympia was at peace, and Perturabo took up the crown as Anax Of Olympia. To his beloved sister Calliphone, Perturabo named her his successor and hand of his rule. With the restraint imposed by Calliphone, Perturabo was allowed to complete his ambitions of construction and architecture. The city-states of Olympia became wonders, centres of learning and art. But the most prestigious and renowned of the city-states was Lochos. It was stated that any who saw its beauty would be blinded by its radiance. All of the works of art across the world were funded by the benevolent Perturabo himself, who was deified by his people despite his objections. A personality cult began to form within Lochos, seeking to form a pantheon based around their Anax. In order to quell the growing fanaticism among the populace, Perturabo outlawed the construction of religious buildings within Lochos, imposing a strict law of atheism, whilst openly stating that he was not a deity. A leader of the cult then attempted to assassinate Calliphone, who he saw as preventing Perturabo from accepting his godhood. Perturabo swiftly ended the attempt and crucified the attempted assassin, making an example of those that would deify him. The plots ceased, and Perturabo became seen as a mere man, though a remarkable one. Over time, Perturabo's armies conquered the local region of space, forming the Realm Of Olympia. The Realm Of Olympia rivals the Realm Of Ultramar in size and prestige, though where Ultramar produces some of the greatest and most disciplined armies in the Imperium, Olympia produces majestic literature, artwork and architecture, alongside some of the most feared war engines in the Known Universe.
A multiple decades after his ascension to monarch, Perturabo received reports of an encroaching armada bearing a sigil of a two headed eagle. The Lord of Iron, sensing a feeling of awe and relief, allowed the ambassadors of the fleet to land within Lochos. After they had landed, a figure shrouded in gold and radiant light emerged from the fleet. Perturabo eagerly conversed with the Emperor Of Mankind, pledging the full strength of Olympia to the Imperium. As a reward for his allegiance, Perturabo was granted the IV Legion, renamed the Iron Warriors. Yet Perturabo lay out his own demands out of love for his world, which the Emperor would grant. Calliphone was granted the title of Governess Of Olympia, taking control of Olympia though Perturabo remained the Anax Of The Olympian Realm, whilst the planet itself would be protected from being converted into a monstrous hiveworld, polluted and dying.
The Great Crusade
Under Perturabo's harsh but fair leadership, the Iron Warriors garnered much renown as the breakers of the unbreakable. Their Primarch had reformed them into a well-disciplined, well-organised army of elites, more akin to a well-oiled machine than a force of man. They crusaded across the galaxy and crushed some of the most ferocious foes Mankind has known. In one particular occasion, the strategic genius of Warsmith Barabas Dantioch led to the ending of the Hrud, a vicious xenos race with the ability to manipulate time itself. During the Great Crusade, the IV Legion additionally earned a reputation of unique kindness. As one of the largest legions of Astartes, Perturabo ordered specific detachments of Iron Warriors to overwatch and develop key worlds, similarly to the doctrine of the Ultramarines. Due to this, Perturabo was one of the few Primarch to have a close relationship with Roboute Guilliman. The two respected eachother's strategies and skill as a general, along with their combined love of their realms. To this day, the Ultramarines and Iron Warriors frequently enter battle alongside eachother, and their military doctrines remain closely aligned.
However, Perturabo and his legion's stubbornness earned the ire of Corvus Corax, the Primarch of the Raven Guard, who openly stated his beliefs of Perturabo's naïveté, believing that his refusal to adapt would kill his legion off within mere decades. Yet despite this, Corvus Corax respected Perturabo's leadership capabilities, and believed there was no greater siege master than he. Every Primarch, even the prideful Horus and the elusive Alpharius, had some measure of respect, even admiration, for the Lord of Iron, save one. None had a worse relationship with Perturabo than his twisted counterpart, Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists. Dorn and Perturabo despised eachother, the former believing Perturabo to be arrogant and scheming, whilst the latter believed Dorn to be boastful and tyrannical.
Perturabo attempted to remedy and improve relations with many of his brothers and allies. Horus, Mortarion, Roboute Guilliman and Magnus even called the Lord of Iron a rare title in the Imperium: friend. Under the Iron Warriors, the Imperial Army fought in some of the most brutal warzones, but those assigned to the IV Legion admired them. Despite heavy losses, the Imperial Army willingly fought alongside the Iron Warriors due to their respect for them and Perturabo's famous morality. One of their best relationships are with the Mordian Iron Guard, for the Iron Warriors were the ones who relieved their world from an offensive by the Greenskins. Grateful, Mordian pledged itself to forever fight with the Iron Warriors, and, as such, the Mordian Iron Guard have adopted many tactics in the style of the IV Legion, notably their brutal discipline.
On Ullanor, Perturabo and Jaghatai Khan were the only two of their kin to feel a sense of worry, and looked on in concern at Ferrus Manus' newfound arrogance at receiving the title of Warmaster. Despite this, Perturabo still respected the Warmaster for his strategies. The Master Of Mankind then had to choose a Primarch for the prestigious role of Praetorian Of Terra, the one charged with the defence of Terra. At the end, the Emperor had narrowed down his sons to just two candidates: Rogal Dorn and Perturabo. After many weeks brooding over the decision, the Emperor came forth and announced that Perturabo and the Iron Warriors would be chosen as the Praetorian Of Terra. Perturabo accepted the title with pride, though would attempt to mend his relationship with Dorn, for the Lord of Iron believed the Lord of Stone to be the superior candidate.
The Heresy
Upon receiving news of the atrocity on Isstvan III from Luther of the Dark Angels, Perturabo and Horus, as two of the greatest strategists, formulated a plan to assault the traitors on Isstvan V, a plan based on overwhelming firepower. Perturabo and Horus selected Fulgrim, Rogal Dorn, Sanguinius, Angron, Mortarion, Lorgar and Alpharius to launch the attack. At the conference, Perturabo tried yet again to converse with Rogal Dorn and, for the first, last and only time, Dorn replied amicably. In order to assist the loyalist legions, Perturabo sent an additional third of his legion led by Warsmith Barabas Dantioch to Isstvan V to ensure a loyalist victory.
Many weeks later, Perturabo and Horus received news from Fulgrim and the remaining Emperor's Children that Dorn, Sanguinius, Lorgar and Alpharius had turned cloak and fired on the loyalists. They additionally received news of Angron's supposed death. Perturabo and Horus swiftly formulated another plan to defend Terra, for Ferrus Manus would inevitably target the throne world to end the war. Horus was assigned a large portion of the Iron Warriors to form defences between the Eye Of Terror and the Maelstrom, whilst Perturabo fortified key worlds such as Molech, Ullanor, Pluto, Beta-Garmon and, of course, Terra itself.
Initially, Perturabo remained on Terra, forced to deconstruct the enchanting architecture in favour of the ugly but efficient fortifications and gun batteries, though he would eventually venture out himself to confront the Imperial Fists. With three legions decimated, Mars broke out into civil war. Forces loyal to Ferrus Manus, known as the Dark Mechanicum, took advantage of the weakened loyalist position and launched an offensive, striking out to secure Mars for the Warmaster. The Dark Mechanicum attempted to strike directly at the forges of Mondus Occulum and Mondus Gamma, two forges devoted to supplying the Astartes with weapons, armour and equipment. Perturabo assigned Warsmith Barban Falk to command six veteran companies to Mars. Under Barban Falk, the Iron Warriors successfully defended Mondus Gamma, though Mondus Occulum fell to the Iron Hands and Salamanders secretly deployed there. The war between the loyalists and traitors on Mars devolved into a stalemate between the Salamanders and Iron Warriors, both sides suffering enormous casualties. Barban Falk then realised that the Salamanders were deployed on Mars merely as a distraction, a cover for the the Imperial Fists, who were stealthily extracting equipment from Mondus Occulum. With no choice remaining, Barban Falk requested permission from Perturabo to utterly destroy the forges of Mondus Occulum. Regretfully, Perturabo conceded, and within a week Mondus Occulum was destroyed in its entirety. This had been a ploy by the traitors to cripple the loyalist war effort. By extracting multiple units of power armour and forcing the Iron Warriors to destroy the forge, the Salamanders and Imperial Fists had slowed production for the loyalists and increased the supplies for the traitors. But now with the bulk of the traitor Astartes gone, the Iron Warriors successfully ground down the few remaining Imperial Fists left on Mars and, by the end of the war, Mars had been reclaimed, though its forges had been destroyed and left ashen cold.
Brothers In Arms
The detachment of the Iron Warriors dispatched by Perturabo to Isstvan V had been caught by cataclysmic warp storms that prevented their arrival to Isstvan V. After months trapped in the warp, the Iron Warriors broke through at a system known as Phall. Little did they know that those warp storms were deliberately formed by the Ruinous Powers to funnel the Iron Warriors into an Imperial Fist ambush. Upon arrival at the Phall System, Barabas Dantioch instructed his force to wait and fortify Phall I and Phall II until contact with Isstvan could be established. Only three weeks after their arrival in the Phall System, the Imperial Fists appeared in the Phall System, commanded by their Primarch, Rogal Dorn. Dorn took the Iron Warriors by surprise and, within the first few hours of the battle, a tenth of the Iron Warrior detachment lay dead. Yet the quick thinking of Barabas Dantioch led to the vast majority of the Iron Warriors surviving the initial assault and mounting a fierce defence. Over the better course of two years, the Battle Of Phall saw some of the thickest fighting in the Horus Heresy, and prevented a decisive traitor victory. It also saw some of the greatest displays of bravery in the Imperium. A force of Iron Warriors succeeded in boarding the Eternal Crusader, Rogal Dorn's own flagship, and almost killed the Primarch, though the entire force of Iron Warriors would be slain at the hand of Dorn's Huscarls. However, over time, the Iron Warriors began to repel the Imperial Fists and force them out of the Phall System. Victory for the Iron Warriors seemed close, yet Barabas Dantioch had succeeded in reestablishing contact with Terra and received news from Perturabo to withdraw back to Terra. Reluctantly, Barabas Dantioch split the remaining two-thirds of his fleet into three groups, as to increase their chance of reaching Terra. The other two groups successfully returned to Terra intact to assist in the Throneworld's defence, though Dantioch and his detachment emerged from the warp within the Realm Of Ultramar, outside of its capital of Macragge.
Dantioch and his Iron Warriors were received with open arms by the Ultramarines and the Primarch Roboute Guilliman. Dantioch then encountered Alexis Polux and his Imperial Fists at the coronation of Guilliman as Emperor of Imperium Secundus, who had remained loyal to the Emperor despite his genefather's allegiances. Initially, the pair treated eachother with contempt due to their legions' infamous rivalry but, thanks to Mortarion's proposal that the IV and VII legions assist eachother, they formed a bond of brotherhood unexpected from an Iron Warrior and Imperial Fist. Together, Polux and Dantioch discovered an ancient xenos structure known as the Pharos Device on the world of Sotha. The device acted similarly to the Astronomican, which did not operate on the other side of the Ruinstorm. Thanks to the efforts of the Imperial Fist and Iron Warriors, the Pharos Device became Imperium Secundus' version of the Astronomican, guiding many loyalists to Ultramar. In an attempt to send Imperium Secundus' logistics into disarray, a combined force of Raven Guard and Dark Angels led by Corvus Corax assaulted the planet of Sotha, in order to destroy the Device. Alexis Polux and Barabas Dantioch commanded the defence, preventing the Raven Guard and Dark Angels from landing on the planet without suffering many casualties. Despite the loyalists' skill in attrition warfare, the traitors began to slowly advance towards the Device. Above Sotha, a joint fleet of Death Guard and Night Lords appeared led by Konrad Curze, forcing the Raven Guard and Dark Angels to return to their fleet in orbit. Corvus Corax attempted to reach the Pharos Device, nearly reaching it, but Alexis Polux lunged and engaged in a short duel with the Ravenlord. Whilst the duel occurred, Dantioch snuck to the Pharos Device and overloaded it, teleporting Corvus Corax within the bowels of the Night Lords' flagship, the Nightfall, imprisoning him. Yet the wounds sustained by Polux during his duel were mortal. As the Imperial Fist lay dying, the Iron Warrior cradled his fallen comrade. With his last words, Polux hailed the Emperor Of Mankind, before passing. On Sotha that day, Alexis Polux died: a faithful soldier, brother, and friend. Dantioch remained by Polux's corpse for many hours, brooding. His fellow Iron Warriors approached Dantioch, yet he refused to move. The Ultramarines attempted to reason with him, yet he refused to move. Even the notorious Jago Sevatarion arrived to coerce Dantioch, yet still he refused. It took Konrad Curze coming to the surface of Sotha to convince Dantioch to leave his body, and even then Dantioch resisted. Curze carried Polux's body as Dantioch trailed behind. They prepared a pyre next to the destroyed Pharos Device, and Dantioch himself lit the pyre. Curze proclaimed Barabas Dantioch as the Warden Of Sotha, and the Primarch proclaimed Alexis Polux as an Imperial Hero, one to be remembered in the annals of history for all eternity.
With a never-before seen gentleness, Curze delicately placed the body of Polux on the pyre of quickwood. Atramentar, in midnight clad and wielding chain weapons, formed a circle around the mound which the pyre lay atop, as befitted Night Lord burial traditions.
Mustering enough strength, Dantioch raised his head. Lying atop the woodpile, was the body of a hero. His once shining yellow armour was worn and battered, but his face remained ever stoic, ever strong. The memories came back to the Warsmith in a torrent of pain, forcing him to look down at the ground. All the images of their friendship returned to the broken soul, only worsening his grief. The Warsmith was broken out of the thoughts by a pale hand softly grasping his pauldron. Looking up, Dantioch saw the melancholic face of the Primarch. Without averting his gaze from Polux, Curze's voice rang out, once lined with spite but now lined with sympathy.
"You have not removed your mask, Warsmith."
"In my legion, a branded mask is a symbol of shame, of dishonour…of failure. And that is what I did," Dantioch looked again at the body, now filled with bitterness. "I failed."
The Primarch held out a ghostly hand, and Captain Talos Of Tenth Company placed a bright torch in his grip. The flame burned bright and true, as if raging, as if grieving. Curze turned to the Warsmith and presented the torch.
"He was your friend, the honour should be yours."
Dantioch froze, stuttering through under the mask.
"My lord, you are the Emperor's son, there would be no greater honour done to Polux than for you to send him on his way."
Curze smiled solemnly, failing to hide the well of sadness behind his black eyes.
"Who my father is should not affect your judgement. There is no man here more heroic nor honourable than the Warsmith, Barabas Dantioch. My legacy will be fleeting, yours' will echo through the eras."
Reluctantly, Dantioch reached out a gauntleted hand, taking the torch from Curze. The Primarch stepped back as Dantioch approached the pyre, his grip around the torch tightening.
"Rest well, brother," whispered Dantioch. The Iron Warrior thrust the torch deep into the kindling. In moments, golden flames ignited the pyre, the tongues lapping at and dancing around Polux's body. As tendrils of fire curled around Polux, Dantioch recognised the voice of Curze emanating from behind him.
"Warsmith, I have seen many futures, innumerable fates and paths. But fate is fickle. Not everything is set in stone, not every journey is laid out. Alexis Polux chose his fate, he forged his own destiny. I hope you can take some consolation in that."
With that, Curze turned to those in attendance and raised his fist in the air.
"Ave Alexis Polux, hero of the Imperium!"
The revving of chainblades followed, the Night Lords raising their weapons to the sky in respect and commemoration.
"Ave Alexis Polux, hero of the Imperium!"
The Siege Of Terra
Despite his best efforts, Perturabo was well aware that he and Horus alone were not sufficient enough a force to completely halt Ferrus Manus' advance and his forces were inevitably going to besiege Terra. Therefore, the two Primarchs planned to use attrition to weaken and slow down the traitors, chipping away ant their numbers until reinforcements of the World Eaters, Night Lords, Death Guard and Ultramarines could arrive. When the Alpha Legion and Blood Angels attacked Pluto and Uranus respectively, the Iron Warriors were well prepared and inflicted heavy losses on the IX and XX Legions. On Uranus, the Iron Warriors lured the Blood Angels into a bottleneck, encircling the warriors of the IX Legion and decimating them. The Blood Angels suffered high casualties before their Primarch, Sanguinius, was forced to intervene. On Pluto, Alpharius Omegon and his legion struggled to infiltrate or even wear down the IV Legion's fortifications. Eventually, the Alpha Legionnaires resorted to utilising warp manipulation to transport an asteroid and propel it into the Iron Warriors, killing many though the warp gates on the world were damaged. Yet, despite the Iron Warriors' best efforts, the traitors succeeded in taking the strategic warp gates on the outskirts of the Solar System. The Iron Warriors then retreated to the shipyards of Jupiter where, commanded by Warsmiths Erasmus Golg and Harkor, they defended against a united Word Bearer and Salamander offensive led by Kor Phaeron and Artellus Numeon. In the shipyards of Jupiter, the Iron Warrior fleet's superior tactics allowed the IV Legion to repel the onslaught of traitors. However, Kor Phaeron utilised the sorcery known as Daemonancy to summon a horde of daemons within the shipyards, breaking a hole in the Iron Warriors' defences. The breach allowed the Salamanders to take over portions of the shipyards, until a force of Thousand Sons and Night Lords arrived to assist. Whilst the force was relatively insignificant in size, they were invaluable in aiding the Iron Warriors. The Night Lords' specialty in terror led to dissent within the ranks of the traitors, whilst the Thousand Sons countered the daemons and sorcerors of the Word Bearers. The battle would continue for many months, pinning the veteran army in place and preventing them from joining the Siege Of Terra. But as the traitors begin to force the Iron Warriors into the hands of defeat, the I Legion arrived above Jupiter. The Iron Warriors, Thousand Sons and Night Lords looked on in resignation, accepting their deaths, whilst the Word Bearers and Salamanders cheered at the arrival of an entire legion to support them in massacring the remaining loyalists, but horror would replace their joy as the Dark Angels opened fire on the traitors, butchering their former allies. Despite their confusion, Warsmith Erasmus Golg, now the sole commander after the death of Warsmith Harkor at the hands of Artellus Numeon, ordered a counterattack, forcing the traitors off of Jupiter and into a mad retreat. The defenders of Jupiter then rebuilt their strength, repairing their equipment and bolstering their morale. Eventually, the Luna Wolves arrived at Jupiter, and Warsmith Golg was eager to join the XVI Legion and reinforce Terra.
When the traitors' reached Terra itself, they would discover that Perturabo and his legion, with the aid of Mortarion and his Death Guard, had fortified the Throneworld beyond belief, making the traitors doubt if they had the ability to take it before Horus returned from Cthonia. The combined attrition and defensive tactics of the Iron Warriors and Death Guard paired with the assault tactics of the World Eaters, Night Lords and Emperor's Children haunts the traitors to this day. Many of the fallen Astartes on the side of Ferrus Manus can be attributed to the Iron Warriors. Terra had become a unique type of fortress: an offensive one.
As the traitors began to discover the weaknesses in the loyalist defences, Perturabo attempted to plug the gaps, though the Lion's strategies succeeded in piercing the fortress and allowing the traitors within the Imperial Palace. At the Saturnine Gate, Warsmith Kroeger commanded the defences, successfully repelling an assault by the Imperial Fists and Alpha Legion, though the Warsmith would lose his life at the hands of Fafnir Rann of Inwit. The IV Legion assisted the Night Lords in retaking the Lion's Gate Spaceport, shattering the Raven Guards' defences and opening the opportunity for Konrad Curze to banish Corvus Corax. They held the Spaceport, shoulder to shoulder with the Night Lords, desperately holding off wave after wave of traitors as they prayed for the arrival of Lupercal.
Khreios swung his maul wildly, abandoning all strategy and finesse in favour of raw strength and fury. Azure lightning coursed through his weapon as it turned the head of a Space Wolf to little more than gory paste of brain and bone. A Bloodletter shrieked as Khreios hammered his maul into the daemon's gut, before embedding his fist between its eyes, sending the foul creature back to the Warp. If he was to die here, Khreios planned to make it one befitting a Tyranthikos. Hearing the signature sound of a lascannon charging up, Khreios whirled to face his attacker. The Salamander laughed maniacally, almost screeching, as he moved to place his finger on the trigger.
His finger never touched the trigger. Khreios watched as two lightning claws pierced the Salamander's chest, rupturing through his abdomen. The Salamander seemed horrified, as the Night Lord tore the traitor in half. Khreios could practically hear the Atramentar grinning as he withdrew his lightning claws.
"Deceval, you bastard." Khreios cracked out in laughter as he grasped Deceval's hand.
A bolter round struck out, hitting Khreios' Terminator armour but not piercing it. More shells came from the enemy lines, striking the Terminators but doing little. Deceval looked at his friend, unsheathing his lightning claws.
"Come then Khreios, let's show them what it means to be Astartes."
Khreios gripped his maul with two hands. The pair focussed their attention on the encroaching Raven Guard, before laughing like madmen as they charged.
Eventually, the Iron Warriors and their command structure were forced into a last stand within the Imperial Palace. First Warsmith Kydomor Forrix himself faced down a traitorous Warhound Titan, successfully bringing it down by himself. Perturabo, wielding the hammer Thunderhead, a gift from Vulkan during the Great Crusade, stood down his former brother, the Chosen of Khorne. Vulkan and Perturabo duelled with their Thunder Hammers, but it was evident that Vulkan was to win. The Dragonlord's skill and strength was bound to overcome Perturabo, shattering Perturabo's weapon. Though in an act of brilliant genius, Perturabo allowed himself to take a blow from Vulkan, melting his pauldron and fusing it with his flesh, which opened the Khornate Prince to multiple blasts from the Lord of Iron's wrist-mounted bolters, shredding Vulkan and banishing him.
The Strength Of Iron
With their father mortally wounded and Fulgrim dead, Perturabo assigned his legion to the utter destruction of the traitors, whilst the Primarch convened with his brothers. Horus was unanimously chosen as Imperial Regent, and Roboute Guilliman was selected for the role of Lord Commander.
After months of plotting to trap Dorn, Perturabo saw the opportunity arise on the world of Sebastus IV. Perturabo and his legion quickly built a fortress known as the Iron Cage, where the Lord of Iron believed the end of the Imperial Fists would come. Perturabo eagerly awaited Dorn's arrival and, like clockwork, the Imperial Fists arrived on Sebastus IV. The trap was going seemingly perfectly, as the Imperial Fists attempted to storm the fortress and took heavy casualties in doing so. However, Dorn himself launched a secret assault from within the fortress, taking Perturabo at unawares. Dorn and his legion forced Perturabo and his legion out of the fortress, where they were massacred as the Iron Cage was used against them. Perturabo almost launched a suicidal charge to reclaim the fortress, though the arrival of Roboute Guilliman and his Ultramarines forced the Imperial Fists to extract from the Iron Cage and Sebastus IV, taking with them multiple caches of Iron Warrior geneseed.
In order to prevent an occasion such as the Ferrusian Heresy from occurring again, Roboute Guilliman of Macragge compiled the Codex Astartes, a doctrine that proposed a new and reformed organisation for the Adeptus Astartes, dividing the legions up into multiple chapters. Perturabo, Jaghatai Khan and Konrad Curze agreed with Roboute Guilliman's proposal, whilst Mortarion, Angron, Magnus and Horus were vehemently against the Codex Astartes. Civil war seemed inevitable, especially when a Luna Wolf battleship fired multiple supposed warning shots at an Iron Warrior battleship. Thankfully, Horus backed down, and the Codex Crisis was resolved.
Perturabo was the second of the loyalist Primarchs to disappear, after Magnus the Red. The Lord of Iron was last seen battling a Blood Angel fleet above Beta-Garmon, where he boarded Dahka Berus' flagship, before it disappeared into the warp. Since neither Perturabo nor Dahka Berus have been found since that day, many believe that Perturabo perished fighting Dahka Berus. However, the Iron Warriors retain their belief that their progenitor will return as, before his disappearance, Perturabo ordered his legion to unite the shards of his thunder hammer, Thunderhead. After the weapon was shattered at the hands of Vulkan, Perturabo vowed the weapon would not be reforged unless absolutely necessary, and the Lord Of Iron scattered the fragments across the galaxy. The Iron Warriors believe that, should they reforge the weapon, Perturabo will return to save them.
The 41st Millenium
The Iron Warriors have remained steadfast for over ten millenia, and the chapter and its successors have near zero Astartes that have fallen to Chaos. Currently, the Iron Warriors Chapter is commanded by Gruthor Barsach, who is a renowned general, known for his honourable nature. It was he who aided Horus in defending Terra from a Khornate invasion, and it is he who has formed an honourable rivalry with the Necron Imotekh, known as the Stormlord.
Currently, Gruthor Barsach and his Chapter aim to reach Olympia, from which they hear that a warband, composed of Imperial Fists, Blood Angels and Raven Guard commanded by the halfbreed Honsou, has prepared an invasion. Honsou, a former Captain of the Bloodborn Chapter's Third Company, is renowned for his status as a mongrel, a twisted abomination of Imperial Fist and Iron Warrior geneseed. Despite nearly two centuries of loyal service, Honsou was treated with prejudice and disgust by his comrades. This pushed Honsou to take more and more risky and costly actions, sacrificing many of his men unnecessarily. Honsou's increasing hatred attracted the attention of the Ruinous Powers, and the Blood God Khorne used his followers to lure Honsou the ruined world of Sebastus IV, the site of the Iron Cage ten millennia earlier, now the site of a Khornate temple containing an artefact cursed by the Blood God. There, Honsou fought the Bloodletter known as Skulltaker. The Khornate daemon forced Honsou closer and closer to the artefact, before impaling Honsou on his blade. Dying, Honsou resorted to taking the artefact, a helm forged from gore and bronze known as the Ichorian Crown. As Honsou placed the helm upon his head, he found himself revitalised by a newfound strength and rage. The Bloodborn took up his chainaxe again, duelling Skulltaker for a second time. This time, Honsou embedded his chainaxe in Skulltaker's head, banishing Khorne's champion. But his banishment meant little. Honsou had fallen to Chaos and, with his few surviving men, he forged a warband dedicated to bringing low the Iron Warriors. Honsou's warband began to amass forces of Imperial Fists, Blood Angels and Raven Guard, launching raids into the Imperium aided by the Neverborn and Xenos races. Now, Honsou has prepared to assault the Realm Of Olympia, forcing Gruthor Barsach to navigate the perilous warp in order to return to Olympia and combat the Halfbreed.
The Wardens Of Sotha, a Second Founding Chapter, fight bravely alongside the Ultramarines in repelling the Tyranid invasions of Ultramar. Sotha, their homeworld, has been assaulted by the Tyranids multiple times, and every time the Wardens have repelled them. Within their ranks, the Wardens Of Sotha formed the unit known as the Tyrannic War Veterans, a unit that would later be adopted by various Ultramarine chapters. These Astartes have brought down innumerable amounts of Tyranids and, as such, they are experts in the ways of combatting the Xenos. In the Wardens Of Sotha, the entirety of First Company consists of these Veterans and even their Chapter Master, Domokar Theoth, has spilt Tyranid blood hundreds of times. They are partly responsible for the defence of Macragge, for the Wardens fought with the Ultramarines side by side. Only through their courage does the capital of Ultramar remain a beating heart. During the Second Tyrannic War, the Tyranid Hive Fleet known as Kraken was determined to avenge its losses on Macragge, and the Hive Fleet directed its offensive to Sotha. There, the Wardens Of Sotha valiantly held their ground against an unending and all-consuming tide of Tyranids. Domokar Theoth's predecessor, Orion Anaxarn, fell as he duelled a Swarmlord, giving his life to mortally wound the beast and force it to withdraw. Sotha was saved only by the timely intervention of the Arbiters and Minotaurs Chapters, who made planetfall to aid their Iron Warrior kindred. Now fighting in the Fourth Tyrannic War, the Wardens Of Sotha hold back the hordes of Tyranids with the Ultramarines, and Domokar Theoth repels them on the world of Miral.
Homeworld
Olympia is a bleak but beautiful world that now sits on the edge of the Great Rift, becoming the de facto capital of Imperium Nihilus. Thankfully, Olympia remains prosperous and retains much of its natural beauty. The planet's residents reside in the city-states that occupy much of the planet, each city meticulously planned and constructed by Perturabo himself. Each city is a fortress in its own right, and the defences confuse even the most advanced of xenos. Since receiving news of Lupercal's return, the Iron Warriors stationed on their ancestral home have mobilised the forces of Olympia to defend the gaps in the Great Rift that lie in close proximity to Olympia.
Organisation
Since the Second Founding, the Iron Warriors split up into multiple Codex-compliant chapters, and have remained that way since. Notable chapters include the: Iron Warriors, Wardens Of Sotha, Bloodborn, Chromatic Claws and Forgemaws. Despite each chapter utilising variable different tactics, each one possesses a natural affinity to attrition and siege warfare.
The Iron Warriors and their successors additionally possess a strict policy of atheism; any religion or faith within their ranks should be rooted out and culled. Yet the belief of one legion is not the belief of the Imperium. Regrettably, the Iron Warriors may only inflict faithlessness within their own ranks, though there have been many occasions of Iron Warriors refusing to assist the more zealous orders of the Imperium, such as the Adepta Sororitas or the Thousand Sons.
In the aftermath of the Ferrusian Heresy, Perturabo wrote and implemented the Last Wall protocol. The protocol enabled the Chapter Master of the Iron Warriors to reconstruct the many chapters into the legion it once was, a last resort should a foe be mighty enough to threaten Terra. In the entire history of the Imperium, the Last Wall protocol has been utilised only once: in the wake of the disastrous Abyssal Crusade. When the false idol Saint Basilius sentenced thirty chapters of the Adeptus Astartes to a crusade within the Eye Of Terror, many of which were Iron Warrior successors, they met horrific fates, either being killed brutally or corrupted by foul warpcraft. This loss of experienced chapters opened up regions of the Imperium to incursions by warbands of Chaos Space Marines, including the Blood Angels and Black Legion. As reports came in of the devastation of numerous worlds, the Chapter Master of the Iron Warriors, Vhegor Urn, initiated the Last Wall Protocol, gathering chapters such as the Bloodborn, Chromatic Claws, and Forgemaws to Terra. Once united, Vhegor Urn committed the reformed legion to various fronts, repelling dozens of Chaos invasions and, with aid from the Grey Knights, even banishing the Daemon Primarch Alpharius Omegon. As the protocol violates the Codex Astartes and the edicts of the High Lords of Terra, word of the Last Wall protocol could condemn the Iron Warriors and most, if not all, of their fellow chapters. Because of this, knowledge of the Last Wall protocol is heavily defended, and the few who are aware of its existence are monitored very closely. Any that may reveal this closely guarded secret mysteriously disappear, ensuring that no word shall escape.
Known Members
Ferrusian Heresy
• Primarch Perturabo
• First Warsmith Kydomor Forrix, first Chapter Master of the Iron Warriors
• Warsmith Berossus
• Warsmith Erasmus Golg, first Chapter Master of the Forgemaws
• Warsmith Barabas Dantioch, first Chapter Master of the Wardens Of Sotha
• Warsmith Barban Falk, first Chapter Master of the Bloodborn
• Warsmith Harkor
Post-Heresy
• Gruthor Barsach, Chapter Master of the Iron Warriors
• Shon'tu, Chapter Master of the Sons Of The Forge
• Honsou, former Captain of the Bloodborn, turned traitor
• Kroeger the Shatterer, Dreadnought
• Domokar Theoth, Chapter Master of the Wardens Of Sotha
A/N: The IV Legion's index is over. Apologies for taking so long, but I hope you enjoy. After I'm done with the Index Astartes, I'm planning to write short stories that take place during and after the Heresy, stuff like Sanguinius, Malcador and Curze's discussion under the Imperial Palace. What do you think? As always, reviews and criticisms are welcome.
Torgaddon out.