Overview Article
Pre-Heresy: the Seeds of Destruction

As the thirty-first millennium came to a close, so with it went the Emperor’s Great Crusade. Already His mighty armies, led by His Primarchs had conquered almost all of known space, reunifying the strands of man under His rule. It was into this void that the Emperor announced to his sons that he was leaving the forefront of the Crusade to return to Terra. Command of his armies would be vested in his favoured son, Horus.
It was after this declaration that the rot began to set in. The bitter disputes over the use of psychic powers came to a head at Nikaea, with legions vehemently split over their use. The Emperor's final ruling eliminating all use of psychic powers enraged the Thousand Sons. They saw Nikaea as a terrible mistake, and secretly vowed to save the Emperor from himself. Some suspected a darker purpose. Little did they know how truly dark their Father’s purpose was.
After the Emperor returned to Terra, the warp started to shift, as if something or someone was stirring it up. Warp travel became more and more treacherous, and the Expeditionary fleets found movement to be harder and harder. The Astronomican was flickering, causing momentary havoc across the Imperium.
On the feral world of Davin, Warmaster Horus was struck down by an alien blade which baffled the finest of the legion’s apothecaries. As he lay in delirium, he was visited by his brother Magnus, who along with Kurze and Alpharius was trying to warn Horus of his father’s treachery. The plan was a desperate one, as the blow was an attempt by the Word Bearers to keep Horus unable to influence events going on elsewhere, but Magnus was ultimately successful.

The ordeal revealed to the Warmaster the true dangers of Chaos - a power so great that it had taken over his father, turning him against his sons. As Horus struggled to recover and prepare himself, events overtook him. Curze of the Night Lords attacked Rogal Dorn, before vanishing. The Emperor ordered the Space Wolves to Prospero, to bring Primarch Magnus back to Terra for the crime of using illegal psychic powers.
When Horus recovered, he called a meeting of his closest warriors, including the Mournival. What he said there stunned them all.

Garviel Loken could barely believe what he had just been told. The Emperor, working with fell powers of the Warp? The Emperor, questing for Godhood? If it hadn’t been for the Warmaster’s expression, the way he was taking this revelation, he would have considered it heresy, treason. But the way Horus was acting, like someone who had just seen everything he’d ever believed in and served destroyed before his very eyes.
Beside him, Torgaddon stared forth grimly, his usual jovial humour gone. Abaddon gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, barely holding in his anger, while Little Horus acted mechanically, as if the life had drained out of him.
Horus looked grim, shaken, his usual humour gone as he addressed them.
'I am going to topple our traitorous father from his Throne on Terra before he destroys mankind.'
Horus rose from his seat, continuing to speak as he circled the table.
'Take a moment and look at the face of the man sitting next to you. In the coming fight, he will be your brother, for all others will turn from us when our Father finds out we know the truth. Brother will fight brother and the fate of humanity will be in our hands. We will face accusations of heresy and cries of treason, but they will fall from us because we know the truth. Make no mistake about that. We know the truth the Emperor has been hiding from us all Remember the Mournival oath my captains here have sworn to. We have to uphold the truth of the Imperium of Mankind, no matter what evil may assail it, even if that evil is at the very heart of the Imperium. The Emperor has sorely misjudged me if he thinks I will stand by while he abandons his realm and his people in his quest for godhood, and leaves us amid the destruction of his rampant ambition.’

The Emperor had long known about the power of Chaos, and after many thousands of year battling its siren song, it had finally set its hooks into Him after the pressure of maintaining the Astronomican in the face of the eternal assaults of the Chaos gods finally overwhelmed even his mighty defences. A fatal chink was opened in his armour by Lorgar, who suggested that he become a God in order to better protect Humanity from the Warp. Though he had dismissed the idea at first, it had preyed upon his mind, weakened him to the touch of the Warp. Now He hungered after its power, thirsted to be equal with the Gods. He was working actively with the four great powers, aspiring to be number five in the unholy pantheon. He had a great plan, and it was nearing to completion. However with Horus now wise to the truth, he had to be silenced before he could reveal all. Even as the Imperial forces assembled to confront Horus, terrible news came from Prospero that the Space Wolves had failed in their assault. The Sons, wearing the new ‘Helms of Magnus’ had unleashed terrible destruction upon the wolves, driving them from the planet’s surface and scattering the fleet. With this blow, the dream of the Imperium seemed to fray and snap as the divides opened…

Showdown at Isstvan
As the clouds of war gathered, Horus made his preparations. Emissaries were sent to the Emperor’s Children, Death Guard and World Eaters Legions. Secret emissaries were also sent out to the Salamanders, who had grown disillusioned with the Imperium’s treatment of its citizens, and to Caliban, where the Lion’s right hand man Luther had been kept in a state of exile for many years. The Night Lords, Alpha Legion and Thousand Sons could already be counted on, though the Sons were still recovering from the devastation heaped upon Prospero by the Wolves. Horus intended to keep them secret, part of his master plan. A great meeting was held on board the Vengeful Spirit, in which Horus explained to them the truth of the Emperor’s plans to his brothers, and pleaded for their aid. The Emperor’s Children rebuffed them, Fulgrim openly laughing at Horus’s pleas before fleeing to inform his father.
With the failure of the assault against Prospero, and Fulgrim’s warning, the Emperor had an excuse to sanction Horus, who he blamed for warning Magnus of the coming of the Wolves.
Horus chose the planet of Isstvan V to make his stand. He heavily fortified the planet, creating killing grounds and deep belts of fortifications. And there, he waited.

The Death Guard and World Eaters were already siding with Horus, and so to destroy the rebellion a suitably overwhelming force was assembled to destroy Horus’s forces. Ferrus Manus and his Iron Hands were placed in command of the forces sent to destroy Horus. The relish with which they embraced the chance to prove the superiority of their metal over the flesh of the other Astartes bordered on the unseemly.
The first Legion to join the Fists outside the Istvaan system was the Raven Guard. Corax had already fought with Horus, and was relishing taking the fight to him. They were closely followed by the paranoid Iron Warriors and the brutal White Scars of Jaghatai Khan. The Night Lords arrived out of the blue shortly afterwards, and no questions were asked of them when they revealed their primarch had vanished mysteriously. The Alpha Legion was among the last to arrive, and they held themselves apart from the rest of the fleet, only communicating to receive and acknowledge their orders from Manus.

The final force to break from the warp was composed of vessels belonging to the Dark Angels, whose arrival came as a surprise to those assembled. The Lion himself had sent word that regretfully he would not be able to take part, due to the on-going struggle in the Ghoul Stars. It was explained that the force had arrived directly from their homeworld of Caliban, and Luther had taken command to ensure the glory of the Dark Angels in defeating the traitor Horus.
Ferrus Manus had formulated a plan to smash the Sons of Horus. The Iron Hands, Raven Guard and White Scars would make planet-fall first. They would smash the enemy and make a breach so that the Alpha Legion, Dark Angels, Night Lords and Iron Warriors would be able to sweep in from orbit and land the crushing blow.

The first wave found the drop-zones to be heavily fortified killing grounds, well-garrisoned by the Sons of Horus, Death Guard and World Eaters. The three legions took heavy losses fighting their way through the enemy line, but they were making steady progress. The Titans of the Legio Tempestus duelled with the Warmaster’s Mortis allies in the greatest battle seen since Ullanor. At this moment of near victory for the Imperialists, the second wave landed and moved up to join the first wave. In the greatest surprise strike and military blow the Legionnes Astartes had then faced, the Dark Angels, Iron Warriors, Night Lords and Alpha Legion decimated the survivors of the first wave, trapping them between fire and flood. Even the summoning of Daemonic allies by the Imperialists was unable to stem the tide of disaster. It was only the timely intervention of the cruiser Eisenstein, which had been commandeered by traitors among the turncoat forces, which allowed even a small percentage of the ambushed legions to fight their way back into orbit, and escape to tell the Emperor of the failure.

Horus’s master blow had evened the odds, but time was not on his side. Every day the Emperor grew more powerful and closer to Godhood. He had to strike hard and fast, before things spiralled out of control. The Ultramarines were an unknown element, and many other legions were still unaccounted for.
The Sons of Horus, Death Guard, World Eaters and Iron Warriors headed for the Sol system to confront the Emperor directly, while Luther and his Dark Angels went to deal with their brothers under Lion El'Jonson on Caliban. The Alphas and Night Lords split apart to keep the other Legions away from Terra, while the Salamanders subdivided to protect as many vital planets as possible from the wrath of the Emperor, the bulk of their legion accompanying Horus to Terra.

The Siege of Terra
With Horus's Betrayal on Istvaan revealed, the Emperor and his Custodes sealed themselves off inside the Imperial throne-room complex. The great project was so close to completion, and even the failure at Isstvan could not be allowed to interrupt. His legions moved to blocking positions to prevent Horus from reaching Terra, and launched counterattacks to harvest planetary populations to further the Emperor’s plan. He knew that eventually someone would find out, so he had Dorn fortify the Palace, making it impregnable to assault, allowing him to finish his work undisturbed.
The Terran Garrison was reinforced with the rest of the Imperial Fists, elements of the Word Bearers and the Emperor’s Children, now firmly in the thrall of Slaanesh who proceeded to round up millions of Terran civilians to feed the daemonic fires of the Emperor’s ascension. Thousands more were brutalized by the Children, as the Terrans found that their leader had turned into another despot like the ones who had ruled over them during the age of strife.

This brutal and dark period was short-lived though, as within months Horus arrived back from Istvaan in force, along with the Salamanders, Iron Warriors, Death Guard and World Eaters. They had successfully battled through the blockade imposed by the Word Bearers and reached Terra. Much of the Salamanders Legion was scattered across the Imperium, protecting other worlds from the fury of the Word Bearers, Space Wolves, Iron Hands and White Scars. Once they landed they had to fight through the Fists and Emperor’s Children to encircle the palace, trapping the Fists and Word Bearers within while the Emperor’s Children remained outside the palace, harassing the besieging forces. This forced the Warmaster to defend against the Emperor’s Children at the same time that they tried to break into the palace. The combination of the Warmaster’s cold fury and Perturabo’s mastery of siege-craft tested the Imperialists to the limit.

It was at this moment that Kurze revealed himself. He had been on Terra for several months, sneaking around the palace and observing the proceedings. He revealed the secret goings on beneath the Palace, the great warp gate, where every day thousands of Terran citizens were being sacrificed to fuel the Emperor’s ascension to Godhood, and the blasphemous warp rituals being conducted down there every day. Vulkan was filled with rage at how the Emperor was treating his subjects, and wanted to storm the palace immediately. However the Warmaster kindly told him that there was nothing they could do for those trapped within the palace, but those outside being terrorised by the Emperor’s Children were another matter. Vulkan took to his new task with zeal, battling the Emperor’s Children and keeping them away from the civilian population.

In those bloody days the war hung in the balance, with neither side able to land a fatal blow. With the majority of the Word Bearers busy playing a game of cat and mouse with the Night Lords, and the Warmaster’s forces pressing hard on the Palace and keeping the Emperor’s Children from fighting their way through the siege, the Imperialists turned ever-more towards the daemonic to win the war. Through foul sorceries and blood-pacts, uncounted Daemons raged across Terra, stretching the Salamanders thin trying to safeguard the civilians from them as well as the Emperor’s Children. A Thousand Sons force under the command of Ahriman alongside the Alpha Legion battled on the surface of Calth, keeping the Ultramarines away from Terra, but at the same time the Ultramarines weren’t trying hard to drive on Terra, preferring to let both sides slaughter each other for some unknown end. It was in one of these battles that Alpharius was slain by Guilliman, a sore blow to the Loyalists.
The loyalists, however, had their own troubles. The Word Bearers were hammering words loyal to Horus, and the remnants of the White Scars and Iron Hands were similarly making things a nightmare for Horus. The Night Lords and Alpha Legion were only barely holding back the tides of destruction, and what was worse Xenos species were taking advantage of the tumult to assault the wavering Imperium. If Horus didn’t win quickly, there wouldn’t be much of an Imperium to save.

One brief glimmer of hope for the Loyalists was when the remaining Thousand Sons finally arrived, having battled their way through the Word Bearers to reach Terra. The Sons were sent to Mars, where Adepts Zeth, Kane and Maximal were beset by the monsters unleashed by the vaults of Moravec, unlocked by the Emperor to secure the fealty of the Mechanicum. The fighting there was vicious, but ultimately the Sons were able to save the day, and prevent an ancient evil from being unleashed from beneath the Noctus Labrynthus.

By the 55th day of the siege, the Iron Warriors had broken through to the Ultimate Gate. Perturabo himself led the assault that he fervently hoped would bring him face-to-face with Dorn. However at that time the Blood Angels fleet had translated in system and broken through the defending fleet. What emerged from the landing craft at the Eternity Wall spaceport were not the proud, red-armoured sons of Baal, but vicious bloody monsters who fell upon the terrified defenders and tore them limb from limb, drinking their blood and impaling their heads on spikes. The legion had turned into homicidal monsters even worse than the World Eaters, and they tore through the siege lines threatening to break into the palace. Perturabo himself led the defence, and fought one on one with Sanguinius. Though he fought hard, he was almost overwhelmed. He would have been killed by the Bloody Angel if Horus hadn’t intervened. Despite his power, the Bloody Angel was no match for Horus, and despite it breaking his heart, Horus killed Sanguinius, throttling him to death while whispering ‘forgive me.’ However the Blood Angels tipped the balance further in the direction of the Imperialists, making the final fall of the Palace seem much further away.

With another fresh legion throwing its weight behind the traitors, and the fleets of the Space Wolves, Word Bearers and the finally committed Ultramarines only days away, Horus had no choice but to try and lure out and destroy the Emperor Himself. He announced that he would lower the shields on the Vengeful Spirit, and hope that the Emperor would take the bait and come up to kill him personally.

The Final Act
As soon as Horus announced his decision to lower the shields, Curze appeared from the shadows and volunteered his services. It was well known that the Night Lord Primarch was privy to prophetic visions, and it was these that warned him of the Emperor’s treachery. Curze sneaked back into the Palace, and at the appointed time The Emperor, flanked by his Dark Custodes teleported onto the ship, scattering the defenders with sinister magicks.
Called by the baleful psychic presence of the Emperor, the loyalists fought their way towards their foe. The first to face him was Mortarion, who fought hard but was cut down by his erstwhile father, but not before piercing his armour with his scythe.
Horus reached the Emperor just outside of his own personal Sanctum. Lying outside was the dead body of Mortarion, and Horus took this personally. That day had seen the death of his brother Mortarion, and now he stood firm to kill his Father.

Before Horus stood his father, his once majestic form bloated on a diet of Warp energy and souls, a living god preparing to transcend his own flesh. However the Emperor had made Horus in his own image. The battle was long and vicious, the wards made for Horus by Magnus shielding him from much of the Emperor’s power. Despite this, Horus was mortally wounded, even his strength no match for the Emperor’s unholy might.
Before the Emperor could deliver the killing blow, Ollanius Pius, a veteran of the Imperial Army who had been serving as liaison between the Imperial Army Commander and Horus came in on the scene. He rushed to defend Horus, only to be destroyed by the Emperor. This distraction gave Horus the opening, and with his dying strength, he drove the Talon of Horus into the Emperor’s Heart.

By the time Curze and the Mournival arrived, it was all over. The Dark Custodes retrieved their master’s body, before being evacuated on the Pride of the Emperor. The Imperialists sallied forth from the Palace, but now they were seeking to escape off the planet. The chaotic evacuation in any and all ships cost the Imperialists dearly. The last few Salamanders sped into the Palace to free any who were still left alive, and the Sons of Horus drove into the bowels of the Palace, where they destroyed the warp gate beneath the Palace, ending the Dark Emperor’s dream of Godhood. The War was over. Horus was acclaimed as liberator of Terra and the Imperium, but it was a bittersweet victory, and it was not yet over. The Long War to drive the Imperialists from the renamed New Imperium could then begin.

The Long War: Post-Heresy to M41

“Horus was Strong. Horus was Brave. He single handedly faced the False-Emperor, and died trying to stop him, saving Humanity from an eternity of damnation.
“We are the Sons of Horus, and we must live up to the example our father has set for us. He died so that the False-Emperor could be defeated, but the traitors still stain the New Imperium, and we must drive them away and destroy them all.”
Chapter Master Abaddon of the Sons of Horus.

The Heresy had been defeated, but amongst the many casualties had been the Imperium’s Manifest Destiny to rule the galaxy. The Emperor’s dreams of Godhood were dashed, but although the nine Imperialist Legions had failed to hold Terra, they were far from defeated. The Emperor was taken into the Eye of Terror, where he was bound to the infernal machineries of the Dark Throne.
With the Warmaster and many of his brothers dead, it was Abaddon who stepped forward and became de facto leader of the New Imperium, creating the great ‘Council of the Imperium’ to rule over the new order. Idolising his Primarch in death as in life, and just as the Warmaster had done before him, Abaddon proved supremely adept at manipulating the disparate prts of the shattered Imperium back to some semblance of order.

At this time Magnus came forth with his great work, the Codex Secundus. He was the one responsible for building the new Astronomican, training the new psykers and keeping the new order functioning, and he had been thinking about how to ensure a fresh start for humanity. This tome outlined several new proposals for the New Imperium, including the startling idea known as the Chapter Plan, in which the Legions would create autonomous forces known as chapters, each comprising of 10,000 marines will all attached fleet and army support. The tome was presented as a guide, which could be taken, left or adhered to in spirit. It would be re-written many times by Magnus, following suggestions from his brothers and other Astartes.

Initially there was resistance to such an approach, especially from legions whose primarchs had survived. However, the grievous losses the Iron Warriors sustained trying to dislodge the Imperialists from their Iron Cage worlds and the vanishing of the Alpha Legion reinforced the wisdom of Magnus and Abaddon's proposals.
In the ‘Second Founding’ over thirty chapters were created. The Sons of Horus spawned the Nova Legion and Star Phantoms, the Death Guard created the Doom Legion and Silver Skulls, while the Thousand Sons gave birth to the Blood Ravens and Grey Knights. Even the World Eaters, who had fiercely resisted the idea created the Mortifactors and the Desert Fangs, who would gain a reputation even greater than their parent legion. Even some loyalists from among the Imperialist forces, such as Bjorn the Purehanded and his former Wolves were turned into chapters, his warriors becoming the Solar Wolves. They would vanish following the second Black Crusade, passing into myth.

Though it would later be called the Second Great Crusade, the campaign to liberate the Galaxy following the Heresy wasn’t as quick or glorious as the first. However it was ultimately as successful. Painfully slowly, but surely, the tide turned and the borders of Imperial-controlled space rolled back once again. The legions and Chapters of the New Imperium still safeguard humanity from the Xenos and Imperialists, in a never ending vigil.
The Night Lords are feared by wrongdoers across the New Imperium, striking from the shadows and spreading fear before them. Though Kurze hasn’t been seen for over four millennia, his legacy lives on in both the Night Lords and in the Adeptus Arbites, who he reorganised following the Second Great Crusade.
The Salamanders suffered heavily during the Heresy. Of the nearly 80,000 who started out, only around 400 survived. This meant that no successor chapter was created until mid M33, when the Black Hoods Chapter was created. Vulkan never forgave himself for his failure to protect humanity during the Heresy, and he blamed himself for every soul sacrificed to the Emperor. He vanished shortly afterward the Second Great Crusade, though his children still hope for his return. The reputation gained by the Salamanders during the Heresy remains to this day, and across the New Imperium they are known as the Angels of Mercy, warriors who fight for mankind first and foremost.

Although their home-world of Caliban was reduced to an asteroid field by the Lion, Luther and his Dark Angels have stubbornly retained a strong presence in the system, monitoring the activities of the Imperialists within the Eye. Luther was blamed for not coming to the aid of Terra quickly enough, and eventually he vanished, leaving brother librarian Zahariel to command what was left of the Legion. Legends still talk of Luther being alive, traveling the stars as a hooded and cloaked eternal pilgrim seeking redemption for his failings.
Of the Alpha Legion, nothing is known. It is widely believed they were destroyed by either the Ultramarines or the Word Bearers during the second Great Crusade, though rumours of indigo plated marines appearing from out of nowhere to aid embattled Imperial Forces are dismissed as fabrications.
The Iron Warriors remained at the forefront, and it is they who fortified Terra and Cadia, and they who have aided in the reorganisation of the Mechanicum. Peturablo vanished during the sixth Black Crusade fighting the Imperial Fists; it is believed fighting the Daemon Primarch Dorn.
The Death Guard are implacable bulwarks against the tide of the Imperialists, and lauded for their obstinate defence of the New Imperium. The death of Mortarion at the hands of the Emperor has left a permanent scar on the Death Guard, a curse known only within the ranks of the Legion.

you managed to make 40k even more grimdark

congratulations

The World Eaters had their Butchers Nails removed after the Heresy after seeing the psychotic rage of the Blood Angels, but their reputation for using nothing less than overwhelming force against the enemies of the New Imperium still sees them shunned. Angron vanished into the eye along with his Bezerkers, hunting down his brothers who had sided with the Emperor.
Terra remained the capital, though much changed on the surface. To replace the Custodes, a force known as the Golden Aquilias was formed, free of the taints of the Custodes. Terra was re-engineered as well, water brought in from offworld to partially refill the empty oceans, and atmospheric engineering begun to clean up the atmosphere. Ten thousand years later, Terra has begun to bloom again.
The New Imperium slowly pushed the Imperialist Legions out of their traditional enclaves and into the Eye of Terror. The Cadian Gate was constructed to keep them trapped within, with the Sons of Horus turning it into their homeworld after the loss of Cthonia during the Heresy. Abaddon and the Mournival still rule the Sons, Abaddon the oldest surviving Astartes, much of his body now comprised of bionics, including both arms, one cut off by the Daemonic Primarch Jaghatai Khan and the other blown off by a possessed Warhound Titan of the Fire Wasps Legion. He is supported by the greatest Imperial Army General since the Great Crusade, General Creed.

Inside the Eye, the Imperialists fight and squabble amongst themselves, except for the rare occasions when a champion was able to unite them into a dreaded Black Crusade. The Imperial counter or White Crusades occasionally tear into the Eye to prevent Black Crusades, but these never last long and are beaten off.
The Word Bearers were often the ones to organise these Black Crusades, their worship of the five gods of chaos knowing no equal. Lorgar champions the word of the Emperor, and has led most of the Black Crusades, though he was once banished by Captain Typhon of the Death Guard.
The Raven Guard willingly turned to Tzeentch to help rebuild the Legion, and he remade them into winged nightmares, highly mobile who struck from the shadows. They became implacable foes of the Night Lords, the two clashing on many occasions.
The Imperial Fists fractured after the fall of Terra. Some formed the Black Templars, who under the leadership of Sigismund continue in the endless crusade for Chaos, ravaging world after world. Others formed the Crimson Fists, dedicated to Khorne. Of the fate of Rogal Dorn, nothing is known.

The remaining Blood Angels have devoted themselves further to Khorne, the lord of Skulls and battle. They are bitter foes of the New Imperium, and are at the forefront of the Black Crusades, taking revenge for the death of Sanguinius.
The Emperor’s Children have fallen into hedonism, and only attack in search of more slaves or for the pleasure of killing. They often fight alongside the White Scars, who exist only for the thrill of speed, sensation, and battle, while the Space Wolves have submerged themselves wholeheartedly in the worship of Nurgle, the Plaguefather. The disappearance of Leman Russ during the Purging of Fenris saw the legion disintegrate into warbands who exist to spread the taint across the galaxy. The sight of their mangy forms spreads terror across the New Imperium.
The surviving Iron Hands have led brutal campaigns of slaughter against those they deem too weak to have the right to survive. These genocidal pogroms are rightly feared across the whole New Imperium.

Guilliman’s nihilistic disillusionment with what he saw as the hypocrisy of the Imperium spread over the centuries to encompass his fellow brothers. He took advantage of the anarchy of the Heresy to further cement his new realm, the mighty empire of Ultramar. Despite the loss of Guilliman, mortally wounded by Angron and now preserved in stasis, the massive size, military efficiency and organisational ability of the Ultramarines and their off-shoot successor 'chapters' meant that Ultramar survived and even thrived, though the Tyranid assaults were a major blow. Spies and assassins have discovered that the Ultramarines have formally aligned themselves with an aspect of the Warp they call 'Malal', but little light can be shed upon what this means in practise.

As the 41st Millennium draws to a close, it seems the worst days since the Heresy are setting upon the New Imperium. Hive-fleets have started attacking into the heart of Segmentum Solar, after the failures against the Ultramarines. The Tau Empire continues to expand into Imperial Space, having seemingly learnt the hard way about fighting the Ultramarines. The massive Ork assaults on the Minerva System led by the self-proclaimed Prophet of the WAAAGH! have sucked valuable resources into a seeming war without end. Worst of all, after ten thousand years, disturbances have been seen in the Warp mirroring those seen when the Heresy first began. The Dark Emperor’s Black Throne is believed to be failing, and if it does, he may either die at last or be reborn as the God he so desired to be. The Word Bearers believe that one final push will cause enough slaughter and free enough souls to free the Emperor, and so preparations are being made for the 13th Black Crusade, a Crusade to end all Crusades. The Bloodshed that is about to be unleashed threatens to drown the New Imperium once and for all….

>>16830815
But whatever came of Ahriman?

hey guys guess what

mfw this was amazing. good job dude

rolled 2, 1 = 3

Wow

I don't know about the Ultramarines following Malal, I think you should have just made them a rival human faction like the Bretonnians in fantasy.

What happened to Magnus? Was he in charge of the new astronomicon? I don't think you explicitly said what happened to him.

>>16830984
He built the new Astronimicon and teaches Psykers, instead of the indoctrination they would have gone through.

rolled 6, 2 = 8

Quote: I don't know about the Ultramarines following Malal, I think you should have just made them a rival human faction like the Bretonnians in fantasy.

We already have that in the Dornian Heresy. if i do a Index Astartes for the Ultras, i will explain how they came to Worhip Malal.

>>16831011
So in this setting there's still a Primarch around helping people? That's great, actually.

So in this alternate reality are the Blood Ravens renowned artisans that gift to everyone?

>>16831039
Clearly explains what happened to them. Though I think he scrapped the idea of Magnus splitting his chapter apart and scattering them to every other chapter, though I'm not objecting.

This is of course a rough draft, i will clean it up and add any suggestions before it goes onto 1d4chan.
here is the missing Thousand Sons Fluff.

The Thousand Sons have proven that the benefits of Psychic Powers far outweighs the risk. they are much called upon to fight the dread forces of Chaos, matching them blow for blow and being particularly good at fighting the Raven Guard. Members of the Thousand Sons are often seconded to other Chapters or Legions, both to provide support and to train fellow Librarians in the use of the 'Helms of Magnus' arterfacts which allow the wearer to better resist the foul touch of Chaos and focus their powers. Magnus is still alive, though he is more or less confined to Terra as he maintains the Astronomican.

I- I...

wow...

I actually like this.

Bravo good sir.

>>16831029
some of them possibly follow Malal, some of them follow Malal without knowing it, and other's still just think they're better off on their own (which ends up working out for Malal anyway)

WHY DOESN'T GW PRODUCE THIS QUALITY?

so, how do the Sisters of Battle get formed?

>>16831139
Umm.......

Interesting take on it, but you seem to be quoting a bit too directly from canon in places, from the Dornian Heresy in others, and I'm a bit dubious about some of the choices you made in your take on it.

Good effort, though.

Changes can always be made, and i'm open to suggestions.

if parts of it sound too close to the Dornian, it's because i read it too much before writing this.

>>16831161
Yeah, you seem to have accidentally quoted entire blocks of text from it in places, and some scenarios seem a bit too close to theirs for comfort.

I do like certain of your own bits, though.

Might want to check it over and remove the bits that could be seen as plagirism; 1d4chan can wait, yeah?

>>16831161
this is leagues above the shitnugget that is the dornian heresy

>>16831168
Leagues or not, there are entire paragraphs that're almost the same. The wording, too...

>>16831116
Seconded, very good twists. I especially like how not every Chapter was switched as far as Chaos-Imperial Lines go like the Dornian Heresy did, very close, but not quite exact tit-for-tat.

>>16831177
oh well that can be fixed. The basic idea is better.

tl;dr summary ploz

>>16830788
>Abaddon the oldest surviving Astartes, much of his body now comprised of bionics, including both arms, one cut off by the Daemonic Primarch Jaghatai Khan and the other blown off by a possessed Warhound Titan of the Fire Wasps Legion.
>No arms

hahahahahahaha

Just a doubt.
Which legions remained loyal to Horus and which legions fell to Chaos? Also, the lost Alpha Legion bit is awesome.
Also.
>Desert Fangs.
Needs more Knights Inductor.

Where can I procure a portrait of the Emperor such as the OP?

The Full List of Loyalists and Imperialists

==Loyalists==

Sons of Horus

World Eaters

Death Guard

Alpha Legion

Thousand Sons

Night Lords

Dark Angels

Iron Warriors

Salamanders

==Imperialists==

Raven Guard - Tzeentch

Iron Hands - Undivided

White Scars - Undivided

Imperial Fists - Undivided

Emperor’s Children - Slaanesh

Ultramarines - Malal?

Word Bearers - Undivided

Blood Angels - Khorne

Space Wolves - Nurgle

I am now hard at work editing the Article. are there any suggestions for changes/clarifiactions?

So is this Imperium still insanely religious in this, or did the Emporer trying to become a good put a damper on that?

The Imperium is certainally far more secular, though worship of the Space Marines as saviours is common, the Salamanders being venerated above all.
(to be honest I haven't quite worked it all out yet. I'm hoping the anons here are willing to throw me ideas)

>>16831824
I'd imagine it keeps largely non-religious. Worship of Space Marines may turn up, but not as gods or anything of the sort, just as grand and glorious warriors and men. Psykers would probably be much more welcomed and respected as well.

Can anyone give a good, believable reason that the Space Wolves, being chaotic in this, worship anything but Khorne or Chaos Undivided?

Nurgle just seems... not fitting. Much like the Blood Angels going to Nurgle in the Dornian Heresy, it just seems like they were jammed in there since something needed to be, rather than the fitting them to the more blatantly obvious/believable options.

>>16831865
To me, the Nurglite method seems so distinct that it seems stupid to have them have specifically one Legion. Realistically, you'd have huge chunks of Traitor Legions who gave up on their old gods to follow Nurgle after being infected, and conversely, ragged, uneven chunks of loyalists and non-merene imperials.

I mean, in canon, the Death Guard are Nurglites because... some guy lowered the anti-fuck fields and gave everyone space aids.

Intresting Ideas.

My plan for the Space Wolves had the battered remanants fleeing Prospero into the warp...only for the Geller fields to fail and Space Daemon Aides to come and F*** everyone up...with the Emperor's blessing of course.

'Yes Nurgle, you can have Russ. I'm sure he'll love to be with you.'

(Actually a lot can be explained by 'The Emperor did it. useful.)

>>16831865
I concur. I think the Iron Hands or the Imperial Fists would be the best choices for Nurgle. Iron Hands because they're all about strength, and Nurgle is certainly the toughest. Imperial Fists because they're all about overcoming pain, and Nurgle is generous with the FNP.

Archived:

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/16830576/

>>16831964
Just like the Chaos did it fallback that GW has ^_^

>>16831865
Logically the Space Wolves would fracture the way the World Eaters did, each Great Company becoming an army in its own right, swearing allegiance to whichever God suited the current Wolf Lord.

The New Direction of the Wolves

the Space Wolves have collapsed into various warbands, each worshipping a particular power. Among the most feared are those who worship Nurgle, the Plaguefather. The sight of their mangy forms spreads terror across the New Imperium. The disappearance of Leman Russ during the Purging of Fenris was a bitter blow, but the divided Legion is still a great threat, no matter who they worship.

>>16832084
Makes more sense than having them all Nurglite.

I'm a bit mixed on colors
I alwaysed prefered the World Eater's pre-Heresy Scheme
but I also like the Thousand Sons post-Heresy scheme

What would happen to the emphrah? Would he just become a ridiciously powerful mega daemon prince?

Read the Fluff

The Emperor is now bound in a Black Pooper, rather than a Golden one. Why? mortally wounded before he could transcent to Godhood, hopes to keep himself alive long enough to harvest enough souls to try again, etc.

rather than the Sororitas, why not expand the Sisters of Silence into force?

>>16831132
Because Matt Ward. Matt Ward everywhere

Sometimes i do think it would be better if the true fans could take over GW. Occupy GW, anyone?

We need a snappy name for this idea. I'm gonna suggest "The Imperial Heresy."

Also, Helms of Magnus that protect the wearer from other psykers? Pic related.

yes, i was influenced by Magneto. the Thousand Sons want Humanity to evolve and reclaim their Psychic potential, their natural birthrite. when i do the Index Astartes, we may learn anout the 'Brotherhood' and the secret plans of the 1000 Sons.

Bump for Epicness

>>16832357
i'm sure if most of us weren't lazy as a fuck we'd have done that years ago

Re-bump

>>16832305
hmm... I'd imagine that the Emperor would have gotten rid of them the moment he went ME AM GODS, though having them revived somewhere down the line through an analog event to Goge Vandire and his shenanigans

>>16833259
or we could have Ultramar develop something akin to the sisters of battle to further bolter their forces

>>16833390
bolster*

>>16833404
I think your original statement was punnier.

Obviously, Emperor-worship hasn't really taken off in the New Imperium, but I could definitely see elite Imperial Guard or Inquisitorial units being power-armored the way that Sisters of Battle are in the regular 40K-verse.

Also, bump.

I have to say, I'd love to see there being a fraction of Sisters of Battle inside the new imperium which worship the fifth god and are given power by him.

As well as a group of loyalist sisters of Silence which would all be nulls - think of them as sort of a counter.
These would search out psykers and forward them to the thousand sons for training I guess. And would fill the anti-deamon specialists.
Could undergo custodes modifications as well.
(Okay I admit, I just adore the SoS)

The alpha legion mentions are great.