RISE OF THE PRIMARCH - HOW ROBOUTE GUILLIMAN RETURNED - FULL LORE NARRATED

thank you [Music] book three of the Gathering storm the rise of the Primark an age of Legends it began as a full might of the 13th Black Crusade crashed against Acadian gate hammered from orbit betrayed from within the outlying worlds of the Canadian system fell with every passing day hoped dwindled but the Imperial Defenders held their ground under the leadership of Lord cast iron Creed Kadir was standing firm as it always had however the threat was greater than ever before as the conflict became increasingly desperate Heroes of the Imperium gathered on Cadia Space Marines from multiple chapters lent their strength to the defense including the black Templars of Martial amarik and the Imperial fist of Captain garadon who bought the star Fort Phalanx into the war Saint Celestine sweat down upon Cadia in its Darkest Hour her Miracles instilling faith in its ragged protectors Inquisitor Graphics long a prisoner of treason the infinite was released from captivity to lend her prodigious will and talents to the cause yet the key to Victory upon kadia and Beyond lay not in simple strength of arms a truth recognized only by Ark magos Dominus belisarius call the Adept his mechanicus urged on by the Harlequin silandri Vale Walker this ancient Martian priest had unlocked the secrets of the black pylons that studied kadia only now at this final juncture did Cole see that Avalon's black Crusades had long been seeking out and destroying pylons across the Galaxy with each such Victory though the spoiler weakened the weave and weft of reality in truth being on route to honor an ancient pact made with the Lord of Ultramar but on kedia he saw a chance to reverse abaddon's work and even close the eye of Terror forever it was not to be though the emperor's servants fought with dogged courage and determination Cole's Works were undone the pylons destroyed and kedia dealt a grievous death blow the few remaining Imperial Defenders were forced to flee and as they did so a great and terrible warped Rift yawned in their wake yet one chance of Salvation remained open to them caused ancient pact at the Crux of which was a mysterious artifact that he transported within an armored Auto relinquary declaring themselves a celestian crusade in honor of the living Saint who still lit their way through the darkness the surviving Warriors of the Imperium forged on with the despoiler hot on their heels at the same time a cosmic upheaval rocked the very foundations of the Eldar race a new deity had awoken in The Ether known as inyad the god of the Dead upon the blood-soaked Sands of the dark cities Crucible Arena a gladiatrics named ivrane was chosen by this Gestalt being to act as his prophet though beset by both her own people and the Demonic Servants of slain Ash a rain aided by the mysterious Warrior known as the vizag successfully bought word of the whispering God's Awakening to craft world biltan they are a great shattering occurred The Craft World undergoing a Swift and terrible cycle on death and rebirth the ball to in Khan Avatar of inyat into being some amongst the Eldar race embraced the Inari belief that the cycle of death and rebirth would be their salvation others rejected it as arrogant and dangerous in the extreme if they impressed on regardless seeking out the time lost artifacts known as the Crone swords and formulating a desperate plan to turn back the tides of Chaos it was this mission that bought Irene through the web way to the Frozen Moon of clasus leading an army of the eldari they emerged from the moon's web wave gate just in time to rescue The celestian Crusade from their pursuers driving off the black Legion Aries the Inari negotiated common cause with the celestians agreeing to Aid them in reaching the realm of Ultramar thus as warp storms billowed and spread across a Galaxy resembling pilgrims hastened through the web way bearing a thin sliver of Hope between them a realm at War high in the atheron mountains an earthy energy stirred they flowed in barely perceptible currents whipping up dust and Ash as they washed across a corpse scattered plateau gradually they picked up pace invisible forces tugging at the Flames that Lit from wrecked battle tanks and causing billowing smoke to curl into sluggish water scenes a handful of living Warriors remained on that arid Mountain Top chaos Space Marines clad in the brutal armor of the black Legion they stood amidst the mounded dead of recent battle a few of their own Fallen scattered amongst heaps of Ultramar defense auxilia the treaters checked handheld scrolling devices and raised spiked bolters panning their weapons as a sort the source as the etheric buildup harsh voices mocked challenges through fanged rocks grills while senses swept the cobalt blue sky above and the Hawking forms of mountains of robes Beyond the plateau's Edge still no enemy revealed themselves with sudden Fury the Building engines roared hurling hereticostatis from their feet the surging power was dragged inwards to a tighter point and there it coalesced into a towering structure tall and elegant the curved edifice shimmered into view as though it had stooped Atop The Mountain for a thousand years the air swam around it and from within spatter hail of Firepower Roars of anger and pain Rose from the traitors as mono molecular discs cut through armor and shattered Islanders blood Spade dark across unbleached Stone severed limbs encased in Black armor clang to the ground as ancient Heretics were cut to Pieces by the sudden firestorm as a chaos Space Marines reeled the Inari and celestians burst from the webway entrance Evan and the vizark LED a force much reduced deeming it unwise to appear suddenly in the bounds of Ultramar as head of an entire War host many of their followers Guided by eldrad ultherin and the autark millennial had departed on other crucial missions the two remaining Eldar leaders spent it across the plateau with breathtaking speed empowered by the deaths of their enemies and weaving like dancers around the Bold shells that roared in their Direction the vizark skidded low sliding under a thumping volley of fire to Ram his blade through a traitor's breastplate if rain meanwhile left nimbly over hail of shots planting one foot atop a black legionary's Balter and vaulting over his head the prophet of inyad swept her blade in a flashing Ark and her victim's Helm left his head an instant before his form crumbled glowing Ash more Warriors Surge from thin air to join the Inari charge swift-footed dire Avengers and crave wielding incubi charged out alongside bellowing black Templar Space Marines their ingrained hatred for each other put aside martial amarich and Inquisitor Graphics stormed out of the webway side by side blades lashing out to shed heretic blood once more the Wingate figure of Saint Celestine sword above them hegemony Superior leaping at her side with bolt pistols blazing the sisters of our Marten lady followed them into battle guns flaring as they spat fire at the traitorous foe behind them all King de lasaria's call skittering on many mechanical legs as his precious Auto relinquery trundled along behind him scitarian battle servers Advanced with him and the ground Shook at the trade of a pair of towering house taranis Knights that brought up the rear the black legionaries did not panic at the sudden assault as little Warriors might have the numbers were few however and their attackers had the advantage of complete surprise Mass reactive bolts blew a handful of scotari apart and two of the visakhs in kubai were beaten down and bludgeoned to Death At Close Quarters get between the flashing Blades of the celestians and the Inari who seemed to move with greater speed and skill by the moment all but a few of the black legionaries were swiftly cut down the last of the treaters fell back in good order determined to Bear word of what they had seen to their masters it was not to be none escaped the howling Firestorm as the knights priests their legs and that fly with gackling cannons and armored piercing missiles five billowed shrapnel flu and the fleeting traitor Marines were reduced to bloody tatters as quickly as it had begun the one-sided battle was over the celestians and Inari were left standing amidst the fresh Fallen Dead with weapons smoking in their hands tert's orders were given Warriors jogging out to establish a bristling of perimeter of guns around the whibley portals the elderland humans had fought together yet they remained wary of one another leaving tacit gaps between their formations as they deployed thus shielded the leaders of dianari and the celestians gathered beneath the harsh Blue Sky questions needed to be asked and facts established the Imperial Vox channels were found to be thick with Clift exchangers between Space Marine officers defense auxiliary regiments Starship captains and countless others all were clearly engaged in fierce battle against chaos forces with Jade names such as the black Legion the alpha Legion the iron Warriors and The Emperor's Children ringing through the rocks powers of smoke Rose from Horizon to Horizon while the skies above were crisscrossed with contrails Ultramar it appeared was a realm plunged into a desperate War for survival Through the flames I'd seen celestine's urging The Crusade forces and their Inari allies moved off through the Theron mountains events were moving quickly now accelerating like a river in full flood tide and the pilgrims did not have the luxury of time Cadia had fallen but worse judging from the ferocity with which he had pursued his broken foes and his knowledge of their intended destination that a spoiler knew something of their mission from the heights of the plateau abroad packed Earth roadway LED down the Mountainside wide enough for several beam blades to pass side by side the roadway angled steadily downward between taller mountain peaks and its entire length was lined with ancient stone supports autopsies stood somber statues of robed figures with the unmistakable oversized features of Space Marines lit braziers in the statue's hands trailed streamers of incense and the Allies saw heaps of devotional offerings and prayer papers piled at the effigy's feet as they traveled the celestian's indianari kept their weapons ready and their eyes fixed wearily on the horizon they threaded their way between occasional wrecked tanks and Scattered corpses boasts of defense auxilia and treacherous contests the bodies look to a fall in a matter of hours earlier their blood still congening around them a local insects only just beginning to settle but the pilgrim saw no sign of living beings along their road with a friend or a foe Arc may just call assured his comrades so they were traveling in a favorable Direction their Road carrying them towards a large urban center and if his Vox teas and a local cartographia inloads were accurate the ultramarine's fortification that watched over it the extraordinary allies spoke little as they pressed on they listened instead to the sighing of the Wind Through the high places the country of their footfalls on dry Earth and the distant clanger of Battle Born to them through the sin Mountain Air these sounds grew solely louder as the road wound around the Towering flank of a sun scorched Mountain ahead less than a mile distant a fairacrete Bastion loomed over the roadway built into the Mountainside itself the stylized you of the ultramarines was embossed proudly upon the structure's flank and twin Icarus arrays swiveled back and forth atop its Battlement barrels pistoned as they hammered fire into the sky the barrageous shots were aimed at a brood of heldrick demon engines the draconic War Machine swooped and circled diving down to gout Bale flame across Sebastian's Rampart before soaring away again with soul chilling roars one of the hilldrakes broke off in the direction of the pilgrims Marshall amarich was the first to react yelling for everyone to spread out and run for the cover of the Imperial Bastion the Knights of house taranis Swifty overtook the more their pilots Spurling their mechanical seeds into a loping run the massive war engines shook the ground as they Advanced gun swiveling skywards with ominous Menace one of the knights born Icarus array atop its Broad karapas and as the hail Drake swooped in range the Towering construct lit fly ing cannons and Harry stubbers joined the fuselard filling the air with a storm of projectiles that ripped the wings from the approaching demon engine and since it's spinning down to detonate amongst the Mountainside another of the Roaring helldricks was blown apart as it banged around to attack the pilgrims while the third broke off its attack and jetted way into a hard Blue Sky dwindling until it was nothing more than a speck the Knight stomped to a halt weapons ticking as they cooled and the rest of the pilgrims quickly caught up to them moments later the armored portal set into the bastion's feet hissed as its pressure locks disengage the heavy door swung open and a trio of ultramarine's battle brothers emerged Butters raised the Space Marines Advanced pacing carefully forward with their weapons trained on the Inari voice Amplified by his Vox Grill one of their number boxer challenge to the newcomers asking who they were where they hailed from and why they traveled in the company of xenos the conversation that followed was tense but measured discipline prevailed perhaps if the Allies had come to a world of a less rational or temperate chapter matters might have escalated towards violence for the ultramarines the combined presence of an Inquisitor and a living Saint albeit appearing less than cordial towards one another was enough to offset the presence of the Elder at their side Saint Celestine explained that their mission was divine pilgrimage ordained by the emperor himself and at archimigos call and his Auto relinquiry must reach the Lord of Ultramar with all haste the living Saints smiled in an entirely unsurprised fashion when the ultramarines revealed that a flight of stormravens was even now on route to their Bastion the gunships have been requested to provide air into diction against the packs of Hell Drake's harassing fortifications in this region however two gunships could be spared to transport the leaders of the Inari and the celestians up to the strike Cruiser sword of Honor which in turn could bear them on to mccrag the alter Marines explained that the Lord of Ultramar had indeed returned to the Fortress of Hira just days earlier they would see Cole and his allies there safely while they awaited the inbound gunships the pilgrims split their forces all of the Inari save rain and the vizag would return to the web way portal departing this world to spread the word of iniad amongst their people as a gesture of Good Will to their host Celestine asked the battle sisters of our martyred lady to remain on Lafayette along with the Knights of house to run it they would Place themselves at the disposal of the ultramarines and Aid in the ongoing defense of the planet so it was that as ultramarine storm Ravens burned hard for orbit just minutes later they bore a much reduced company after the waiting strike Cruiser from the celestians came gray facts Amari and a handful of black Templars Celestine and her Germany Superior and cool accompanied by cataflon servators and scotani the gunships docked with their parent warship and once they had been formally introduced to the Cruiser's Captain the Allies were ushered into confinement quarters under heavy guard they held out bristled at this treatment as did Marshall amalrich and his men but Saint Celestine pacified her comrades once more with firm words of faith and acceptance so began a grim and frustrating journey to meld in a Spartan suit of brushed steel Chambers and corridors watched constantly by silent chapter hellert armed with heavy Naval shotguns hours ran slowly into days the omnipresent Rumble of the ship's engine and the sluggish Sterling of artificial gravity and recycled air became simple facts of existence the visakh trained endlessly even dating to Spa with martial amarish inquista grayfax meanwhile with the aid of Arc magos call was purged of the Mind shekel scabs that enforced her captivity this process was affected over several days Iraq's The Inquisitor with terrible agonies as invasive cyber parasites were strained from her bloodstream despite the pain that she endured grave facts's Iron Will Never faltered nor did she show any but the most minor outward signs of pain instead she concentrated on keeping a weary eye on sin Celestine in private grayfax was beginning to suspect that celestine's apparent Divinity was more than a sham she had seen the living Saints battle against Arch Heretics and twisted traitors had seen her predict events about which she could not have known in advance she had seen how the light of celestine's Faith repelled the wicked and brought new strength to the righteous yet grayfax was an Inquisitor of the order hereticus a witch finder whose first Duty was to doubt and to suspect all that seemed fair in case it concealed foulness at its heart in grayfax's Long experience two Miracles were few and far between and that which seemed the gift from the emperor was more often than not a tainted Temptation laid by the dark gods of Chaos thus even as the seeds of Hope grew in her heart that Celestine might be uncorrupted and even through her own agonies Catalina Graphics kept watch over the living Saint alert for the slightest hint of duplicity amidst the enforced tedium none noticed when a vein beckoned call away until recess cargo bay and which his Auto relinquiry had been stored beneath the Mindless gaze of course katafron serviters the Emissary of iniad spoke earnestly with the archimago's Dominus the mysterious discussion waxed long if a neighboring to convince the intractable magos a certain unpalatable truth eventually Cole nodded his cowl head in agreement a single Curt gesture the Border clandestine meeting to an end satisfied a vein Swept Away in a whirl of whispering skirts leaving the looming arcmegus Dominus to contemplate the ramifications of their meeting the siege of Hera at last after days of real space Transit the sword of Honor reached mccraig's orbital envelope the celestians and their allies were hurried through the ship's corridors under armed escort the strike crews are shook around him the unmistakable shudder of gun batteries discharging and void Shields soaking up Monumental kinetic impact as they boarded their storm Raven gunships once more the program saw through the embarkation Dex shimmering Shield that their craft was under heavy attack the storm Raven Pilots reported that a sizable chaos Armada was even now engaging the ultimara defense Fleet over mccrag the two factions lumbering battleships and blade fast escorts filling the void with large beams and torpedoes the chaos attack was focused primarily upon the Fortress of Hira itself the Titanic fortification covering much of Magna macraig civitas capital of the ultramarines chapter planet regardless the Gunship pilot vowed to get their charges down safely and deliver them for their audience with the Lord of Ultramar marneus khalgar had been alerted of their coming via heavily encrypted Vox communique and awaited their arrival with interest this last comment was delivered in a flat tone which suggested that perhaps the Lord of Ultramar felt he had more pressing matters to attend to than their mysterious holy mission nonetheless the storm Ravens lifted off with a scream of powerful thrusters with their passengers strapped in and cause Auto linkery firmly secured the pugnacious gunships fired their RAM chips and shot out into the Violet void of space mccrack turned slowly before them a vast orb of blue white green and gray closer Bedlam lit the darkness Lance beam stabbed and seared broken wrecks of once proud warships tumbled through the void chunks of metal and goblets of liquid spreading slowly away from their blazing carcasses entire wings of storm Hawk interceptors hurtled through blizzards of flak fire to execute daring strafing runs upon lumbering chaos Cruisers from what she draws the pilgrims could make out it appeared that abaddon's black Legion were attacking macraig insignificant numbers nor were they alone spacecraft bearing the icons of the iron Warriors The Purge the neglords and many more closed through the groom above the planet glinting specs rained from their flanks swarms of dread claw drop pods and armored attack craft arcing down on invasion trajectories accompanied by an escort Squadron of Storm Hawks the ultramarines gunships turned their noses downward and dive Through The Madness of battle they hit mcclag's upper atmosphere traveling at immense speed and Flame washed across their hulls as they shuddered and shook with the violence of re-entry watching through external picture emitters the celestians and Inari saw the Flames flutter away they were replaced by a dizzying Vista of towering mountains that grew rapidly larger as the storm Ravens hurtled downwards in the midst of the mountain peak spoiled in immense fortified cityscape lit from end to end by the muzzle flare of flak batteries a missile silos all hurling their wrath into the skies heldrakes and traitor craft swarmed thick Across The Fortress of Hira weaving at speed between towering statues and monolithic buildings to strafe The Defenders or dump tons of Ordnance onto ground targets explosions brought down pollinated templums and looming Hab Stacks throughout Magna macrag's ceritas while the ultramarine's withering returned fire saw dozens of chaos attack craft blown apart with every suicidal pass they made even as they fell heretic steered into the ultramarine's defenses demolishing gun Tower as a massacring Warriors the storm Ravens sped downward making for the immense fortifications that dominated The Heart of the City a wave of renegade drop pods thundered around them speeding like meteors and almost knocking One Transport from the sky Wings tucked tight to their metal bodies a pack of Hell Drake stopped behind them and their escorting Storm Hawks peeled off to intercept as a metallic Beast tried to latch onto the diving gunships surrounded by screams of cannon fire and tumbling comets of metal and Flame the storm Raven screamed onwards they plunged headlong through their comrades curtain of anti-aircraft fire only the Superhuman reflexes and skill of the ultramarine pilot preventing their craft from being torn apart by the countless threats through which they flew the pilgrims clung on to their restraining straps for dear life as they were shaken violently back and forth while the gunships ran the gauntlet of aerial approach to The Fortress of Hira then finally the gunships decelerated raising their noses and arcing gracefully onto an armored Hangar set into the flanks of the elephant at last the celestians and the yanari had reached their destination the pilgrims emerged from their scorched battered gunships into one of the fortresses many embarkation hangers they found themselves surrounded by urgent bustle on every side around the hangar entrance chapter cerse crude sumping anti-aircraft cannons that swiveled without gyroscopic cages as they chase their targets across the skies bulky Services lumbered back and forth hauling carriages of ammunition to keep the guns fed ER back within the hangar storm Talon and storm Raven gunships were refueling rearming and undergoing Swift binary baptisms beneath the administrations of chapter Tech Marines servo arms wind welding braces sparked and flared the sound of vivid cannons buzzed and thumped through the cavernous chamber over the clipped voices of defense auxilia and robed SAS hundreds of men and women were about their business within the hangar Grimm faced undetermined this was but one chamber within a fortress the size of a city through the military bustle marched a band of chatter surf led by a single ultramarine's battle brother the Warrior's home was white and gold and his armor bore numerous oath papers and honor markings the helots who followed him bought gilded auto guns and Stern expressions the uniform tablets of several were spattered with what looked like fresh blood and it was clear to all the these soldiers had come directly from the defense of the fortress's walls announcing himself as veteran Sergeant Cassian the ultramarine welcomed the celestians to The Fortress of here who took a moment to nod respectfully to martial amarich and his battle brothers then requested the call and his companions follow Casey and turned bristly without waiting for an answer and marched away across the hangar floor left with little Choice the Allies followed the Brusque Sergeant as he ascended a long Granite ramp and led them into the corridors of the ultramarine's Fortress they marched along at a Brisk pace through Grand chambers of marble statuary and guilt ornamentation across railed walkways hung with magnificent ultramarine's banners and across void shielded Courtyards where battle brothers Blaze bod gun fire from the fire steps above the din of battle was never far away Thundurus exposing shook the walls around them from time to time causing dust to fall like snow an electro sconces to flicker making their way across an armor glass-shielded Sky Bridge the pilgrims got their first clear look out Across The Fortress proper towering fortifications spalled away in all directions their guns pouring fire into the sky and spitting death at the foes that press close outside the walls or landed within the fortress's grounds the pilgrims saw ultramarines Terminator striding relentlessly along armored battlements driving back jump pack wearing traitors with storms of fire they saw squadrons of anti-aircraft tanks drawn up amidst ornamental Gardens launching missile Skyward to blast plummeting chaos assaultcraft from the air in the distance a monstrous traitor Titan was framed by the breach it had torn in the fortress's outer curtain wall the war engines guns blazed like poison stars and its void Shields flickered and burst as the phenomenal Firepower of the ultramarines hammered into them hastened Along by Sergeant Cassian the celestians and Inari climbed a statue-lined Stairway of marble and Brass steel passing a squad of battle scarred ultramarines jogging the other way at the stairway's head the party emerged into a broad circular chamber with a frescoed floor for the walls and ceiling avoid shielded transparaste deal a massive Bank of ornamental consoles and Hollow Maps dominated the chambers Center conservators wired into its inset Thrones and chattering by narrick Kent back and forth to one another dozens of Road functionaries quill servators surfs and strategas talked animatedly as they hurried around the central hollowness which projected a real-time map of the entire complex into the air runes and signifiers swarmed across it in such profusion that the Fortress of Hira appeared to be caught in a cyclone of data stood before the display faces set in frowns of concentration or chapter Master's khalgar first captain agimon Chief Liberian tagurius and a Green Knight whose scroll work chess plate announced him as Grand Master valders as Cassian led the pilgrims around the table the hubbub died away all eyes turned towards extraordinary group solemnly the chapter serfs moved aside and knelt with their heads bowed to the Lord of Ultramar forming a corridor through which the pilgrims advanced as they drew to a halt before calgar in his assembled advisors martial amalrach II dropped to one knee with his sword held out before him its point to the ground and His Hands resting on its cross guard his battle brothers followed his example showing their absolute respect for a hero of the Imperium inquista gravex bowed deeply as did Celestine and her Gemini Superior only call in the yanali remain standing in passive despite the gravitas of the moment behind them calls Auto relinquiry hissed and hummed its mysterious content still veiled by sick armored plagues in a clear voice Cassian announced the pilgrims one by one as the sergeant finished speaking and stepped back an expectant hush fail explosions blossomed in the sky outside gunships and heldricks raced past the chatter of their guns muted by the Sick insulation of the strategium the huge strategium console continued to Rattle and hum with flowing information finally khalgar said that he had no notion of who belasara's core might be nor had he ever made any sort of pact with any priest of Mars Onsen celestine's face they're dawned a look of calm Revolution but the rest of the celestians turned their horrified Expressions upon the Ark magos in their midst yet cause next words cause greater consternation still for he stated flatly that he had not come to see marneus calgar cool had traveled across the Galaxy to attend the Lord of Ultramar demanded to be taken to him at once the auto linkery he stated must be delivered to the shrine of reboot kiliman himself the outcry that followed cause demand was immediate and intense one has khalgar's expression grew thunderous as his advisors and surfed cried out in shock Otto quill scratched a mad tattoo upon reams of parchment as who did describes frantically recorded every detail of this dramatic moment the pilgrims exclaimed in anger and confusion gray facts turned upon call and squaring up to the looming magos as she barked a demand for immediate explanation seemed unsurprised by this development this is our extending statue still while Iran wore a faint smile upon her Alabaster features although enjoying some private joke from amidst the two more talk voices Captain agaman's voice Rose in a Vox Amplified Boom the ultramarine's first Captain issued a demand for calm urging those around him to remember where they stood and the contact that was expected of them as quiet was restored agaman turned to calgar and said in no uncertain terms that he did not trust these newcomers nor the mysterious device they brought with them the first Captain counseled that was such a immediate Danger All Around and a furious battle to win there was only one viable solution at this time the pilgrims should be put into confinement and their mysterious package locked down in a stasis Vault until its contents could be safely examined as for the xenos akiman canceled that they be swiftly destroyed this they pose a threat to the safety of the chapter master or the Fortress of Hira Saint Celestine spoke up then attempting to explain the divine nature of her Mission and the Revelation she had received from the emperor she found herself staring into the muzzles of several Honor Guard bolt guns not to mention the condemna stake launcher of Inquisitor gray facts whose Puritan's suspicions had been fired anew a clear indication that now was the time for the rulers of Ultramar to speak and not their visitors All Eyes rested upon calgar as he looked at Chief librarian tagurius for further counsel though not even the Vigilant Warriors of the honor guard saw in it in that moment both Ibrahim and of his ark tensed themselves in preparation for battle subtle muscle contractions and minuscule alterations in posture leaving the Inari poised to fight their way out should matters turn against them the librarian remained silent for several long heartbeats his wizard features contemplative when he spoke tigarius's voice was deep and resonant rich with power and wisdom he reminded his chapter master that he had experienced troubling Visions in the days leading up to the attack upon mccrag tigurius had seen a flight of iron Birds Take Wing from a distant Crimson orb full of turning cogs in these Visions those avian shapes had soared Through Fire and Shadow that spilled from a raptured castle gate of vast size they had clutched a Blazing Sword in their Jagged Claws and their wings had Shone with Holy Light as they flew towards Ultramar sue the ruptured Gateway had been visible as staring slit pupilt eye as the birds neared mccrang a great mall full of blooded fangs had joined wide around them ready to bite down with crushing Force the chief librarian have believed that his Visions concerned the fall of Cadia and the subsequent attack by that black Legion upon Ultramar certainly they had spurred the readying of the fortress's defenses and the sending of astropathic communicates that have brought to Ultramar defense Fleet back to the chapter plaid at the critical moment now though tagurius declared himself convinced the divisions pertained also to these Travelers the chief librarian said that he was willing to vouch for their presence even that of the mysterious Eldar and that he believed their arrival to be the emperor's Will Made manifest hushed Whispers ran through their strategium at this pronouncement and khalgar nodded solemnly without further comment the chapter Master obeyed the celestians speak and explain their presence in their own words between them Inquisitor Graphics Marshall amarach and Saint Celestine did as they were asked relaying the bloody tale of kader's fall and their subsequent flight even if rain of the Inari deigned to speak a little providing a few scant details that went some way towards explaining the alien's presence amongst the group the only one who refused to divulge further information was belisara's core despite marneus khalgar's repeated questioning the arc magos would not elaborate upon what is auto relinquiry contained or what he expected to occur was in the shrine while the pilgrims spoke their peace the war raged on information continued to stream in regarding troop deployment attack and counter-attack patterns enemy drop sights ammunition counts and endless other articles of strategic intelligence calgar absorbed them all even as he listened to the pilgrims it should incurred orders where required and keeping one eye always fixed upon the ever-shifting hollow map that hung overhead the chapter Master wished to understand these strange visitors and the supposed pact they served but he would not neglect the defense of his Fortress while he did so finally Graphics concluded their tale adding that she was empowered to act as Emperor's representative in this matter and that she would gladly take responsibility for cause summary execution should he prove false calgar raised a hand to forestall further Comet both from the pilgrims and from the frowning captain agamon then in a somber voice calgar pronounced his verdict the chapter Master would permit the celestians to bring their Auto relinquiry to the shrine of Gillman though they would do so under heavy ultramarine's guard kargar said that while he understood and welcomed agaman's prudent Council they lived in unusual days the worshipers of chaos had set foot upon the Bedrock of mccrag once again while the wolf churned to Madness all around them judged that the foe had been aided greatly by the supernatural beings they worshiped in this desperate endeavor he would not turn his back upon the precognitive powers of his own Chief librarian or the wisdom of the living saint at such a time as this even if he had been given precious little reason to trust Ark mago's call had Aggie man been a hot tempered space Wolf or relentlessly illogical iron hand he might have contested such a ruling instead he accepted his Lord's judgment with stoicism went to speak but kargar forestalled him the chapter Master gave his permission for the Inari to accompany their allies for a team clear to him that great events were afoot that bore the hand of the emperor upon them the presence of the NRE could be no accident and whatever the emperor's will was in this matter Manassas calgar would not be the one to contravene it wasting no time the Lord of macrag issued his orders he charged agaman to remain in the strategium taking personal command at the defense of the Fortress of here would accompany the pilgrims to the shrine of gideman as with a heavily armed complement of Honor Guard third company battle brothers and first company terminators should the celestians or xenos put treacherous they would not find themselves short of executioners Celestine spoke words of thanks to monaeus calgar praising his suggestity by comparison Irvine's features were inscrutable while call merely seemed impatient but so irritated by some petty wrangling and Keen to be about his business as a pilgrim set off once more in Costa graphics and martial amarek exchanged a loaded glass before moving to position themselves at the very Veer of the motley procession with weapons ready the ultramarines would not be the only ones to turn guns upon call and his questionable choice of allies if their intentions should prove false outside the battle raged on as macraig's son dipped slowly behind the hero's Crown mountains fire litter Twilight as wave upon wave of Heretics plunged down from the firmament as the pilgrims and their armed guards made for the shrine of Gilman the treaters without redoubled their efforts the outcome of the battle hanging in the Bands um Revelation and rebirth entering the resting place of reboot Gilman was like stepping into some doleful Warriors afterlife the chamber itself was enormous a vaulted sepulchra so which a warlord Titan could have stowed without hindrance marble columns held her off the ceiling a stained armor glass an obsidian inlaid with seldrick moon silver man's greatest Deeds were depicted in spectacular freezers and statuary arranged around the chamber and lit artfully by flickering Electro sconces to lend images the greatest possible gravitas huge braces of devotional incense burned throughout the shrine placing the air with subtle sense while from cherub Visage loud haters spilled a steady background murmur of Martial Arias and reverent prayers despite the Grandeur of the site the Pilgrim's eyes were drawn to the splendid figure enthroned within a pool of stark white illumination at one end of the chamber there upon a throne of marble gold and finally worked adamantium Saturn esoteric machineries loomed over the primark's throne thrombing and Whispering as they fed remarkable energies through ripped cables to unfold him in a Rippling stasis field galliman sat as though in her pose his eyes closed and his blood clinting jewel-like and a delicate necklace around his throat killerman wore his finely crafted battle armor still marred by the damage it had sustained during his final Jewel with the demon Primark fulgrim across his knees was laid a grand blade of prodigious size the sword of the emperor himself though the Primark sat peacefully upon his throne the force of his presence was palpable the pilgrims approached the throne in reverent silence their ultramarines escort marching alongside them and cause Auto relinquiry at their rear the group Drew to a halt near the foot of the steps that led up to the Primark where countless ultramarines had knelt in communion over the Millennia moved forward to stand at the very base of the steps bowing his head reverently to his Primark for a moment before turning to face the assembled pilgrims the sounds of furious battle were still audible even in the sacred Place muffled and distant but inescapable khalgar drew a deep breath and then asked once more for beresara's call to State his business here the chapter Master had indulged his visitors thus far but with a desperate battle raging outside his fortress's walls he could offer them no more time or patience magos call inclined his head and told an incredible Tale call explained that in the years before government was mortally wounded the Primark had summoned him into his confidence cause mem engrams as that meeting were eroded and incomplete but he believed that Gilman had seen in him the potential for greater things the magos had been charged with a great Labor by Robert Gillman one for which he would be richly rewarded with information that only a Primark could provide Cole stated that he was not at Liberty to reveal the nature of his task for stalling khalgar's angry response by explaining that his labors had been divided into two distinct parts that he was here to deliver on the first of those he brought a magnificent new set of armor fit for the ultramarine's Primark ones whose ancillary systems possess the power to heal government's Grievous wounds stun silence reigned at this announcement to bring back a living breathing Primark to restore one of the emperor's greatest Sons to the Imperium in its hour of need such a notion filled the Imperial warriors with odd wonderment if rain spoke up explaining her Presence at this seminal moment she was the Emissary of iniad the god of the Dead when her powers would be vital to Gilman's restoration reading the puzzlement on her audience's features if rain explained with sharp impatience that such a miracle could not be brought about without sacrifice Cole had labored long and hard to fulfill the primark's request but without inyad's Aid the fruits of that labor would not be enough in order for reboot Gilman to live once more first he must die where Cole's words have been met with shark silence Evans raised a storm kargar exclaimed his Fury at such a notion vowing that no xenos witch would ever lay hand upon the Primark while he drew breath Grandmaster Volus moved to stand alongside kargar his expression grim and gray facts and Marshall amarek followed his example the surrounding ultramarines raised their weapons pointing them at call the Inari even the hulking shape of their Auto relinquiry itself they awaited only their Master's orders to open a fire yet others raise their voices in support of this apparent insanity call blurted loudly that he was bound by the terms of his pact with golemen and that he must bring it to completion Saint Celestine 2 spoke up empowering those around her to have faith and asserting that this was indeed the will of the emperor most unexpected of their proponents was Chief librarian tigeras who stowed forced off ringing against the stone floor to stand alongside mago's core tiguria spoke in a calm voice that cuts through the karma asking Lord calgar to trust his counsel and saying once more that he had seen hints of his future in his vision it was a scene of anger and confusion but it was about to get worse killerman before he began his conquest of the Galaxy the Emperor of mankind created the primarks utilizing incredible genetic sorcery and the phenomenal power bound into his own form he forged 20 demigod Sons these were superlative Warriors strategists and leaders the finest qualities of humanity refined in The Crucible of Science and magnified through the lens of divinity the emperor intended the primarks to stand at his side during the Great Crusade each leading one of the 20 Space Marine Legions to Glory Beyond imagination before that plan could come to pass the dark gods of chaos intervened they snatched up the nascent primarks and Scattered them through the warp so that each came to rest upon a different one of Humanity's far-flung world some say that it was at this time that the ruinous Powers left their Mark upon the emperor's Gene zones and that this is why for the half of the primarks Betrayed their father and the Imperium during the Horus heresy whatever the case rebooted Gilman was not tainted in such a fashion the being that would become the Primark of the ultramarine's Legion came to rest upon the feudal world of macrag there he was discovered and adopted by a local warlord named Connor growing and developing at a superhuman rate Conor's adoptive son soon surpassed all those around him and came to be the greatest Warrior strategist and Statesman upon mccrack after Connor was slained by a treacherous Ally it was Gilman who avenged his father before taking upon himself the mantle of kingship the entirety of macrag was swiftly unified beneath the banner of rebute Gilman becoming a world of Peace civilization wisdom and strength Gilman was a charismatic and gifted leader beloved of his people and singly capable of compartmentalizing incredible quantities of information he was an organizer a logistician one capable of turning the wildest theories into practical reality and rendering order from chaos when the emperor's crusading forces reached mccrag the sun was unified with his true father was given charge of the ultramarines Legion and wasted no time in putting his stamp upon them in the conquest that followed the ultramarines became renowned as exemplars of what it meant to be a Space Marine under Gilman's leadership they became arguably the most strategically gifted and tactically balanced of all the legions working on the basis of theoretical situations and practical Solutions the ultramarines fought with exceptional efficiency they drove the foes of humanity before them their armies fighting like intricate and perfectly tuned machines too swiftly and decisively how to maneuver every foe when the horror series set the Galaxy Ablaze robertman fought with loyalty and determination for the Imperium that he believed in with all his heart when he thought that the emperor had fallen the Primark established a new seat of power on mccrag planning to preserve the emperor secular Purity within his own realm of Ultramar when Gilman later learned that Terror still stood he did everything in his power to ensure that he and his loyal Brothers could frighten their father's side in the final battle against Horus though his efforts benefited many giliman himself reached Terror too late a factor would torture him for decades to come in the wake of the Horus heresy it was the ultramarine's Primark who wrote and instituted the Codex astartes it was he too who took the emperor's burning blade and became Lord commander of the Imperium serving amongst the high Lords of Terror finally at the Battle of cesara gideman was laid Low by his corrupt brother fulgrim who mortally wounded the ultramarines Primark with his poisoned blade so it was that a dying rebute Gilman was placed into stasis in the temple of Correction and thrown through the Millennia until such a time that one could come with the power to restore him to life once more shattered sanctity amongst the storm of angry voices and brandished weapons marneus khalgar's Vox chimed insistently in his ear angry the chapter Master accepted the priority of Vox hail but his words of rebuke died on his lips cargo's voice boomed over the commotion his shout of warning coming a split second before the stained armor glass of the shrine ceiling exploded inward shattered Crystal filled the air shards the size of storm Shields embedding themselves in Wars floor and armored bodies a huge shape smashed through into the shrine a plummeting mass of blue metal traveling at the speed of runaway mag train hurtling down at an oblique angle and ultramarine's Thunderhawk gunship slammed into the shrine's floor and skiddied out of control the aircraft was badly damaged Flames pouring from rinse in its Hull One Wing ripped away it sluge drunkenly across the shrine's floor away from the pilgrims and their ultramarine's guards plowing through a marble column and bringing it down in a thunderous Avalanche of precious stone the Thunderhawk slammed into the shrine's fire wall demolishing a statue of Gilman battling alfarious before listing onto its side with a deafening clang even if the stricken vehicle was settling to a stop its assault ramp burst open with a shriek of torn metal spilling from within came chaos Space Marines and twisted armor of black and gold spiked jump packs melded to their backs and deafening war cries ringing from their Vox grills the ultramarines responded with instant efficiency bolters and assault cannons roaring to life a hail of shots ripped into the black Legion Raptors puffs of blood bursting from their Asian forms as they jerked and danced amidst the fuselard still the ultramarines weren't quick enough to prevent catastrophe screaming their Defiance a trio of raptors jetted through the Reign of Fire to stand spite icons into the Temple's floor Spears of adamantium and iron the icons were festooned with Macabre trophies and anointed in demonic Gore empiric energies Whirled around them and reality rent apart with a kilometers Thunder of teleportation flares as a surviving Raptors lived clear a hulking wedge of black Legion Terminators appeared dozens of elite Killers clad and spiked and tossed tactical Dreadnought armor with exemplary discipline the ultramarines coolly shifted their aim Bolton bars tore into the black Legion Terminators ringing from their armor with cacophonous Fury yet these were chosen warriors imbued with the Demonic gifts of the dark gods though several of the massive black legionaries stumbled or fell the rest Shrugged off the Salvo and began a grinding Advance firing back as they came looked about himself aghast The Shrine of giriman the Sacred Heart of the ultramarines chapter had been profaned by the minions of Chaos already a thunderous gunfight was erupting ultramarines hurling themselves into cover returning fire at their attackers from behind columns and statuary it was clear to all that the enemy were driving for the falling Primark and khalgar was forcibly reminded of the vision blade warned of in valdez's astropathic communique khalgar was still deeply suspicious of call the Inari and those who had accompanied them yet here was a threat far clearer and more diabolical than them with a certain demand that his visitors refrain from acting until he had the situation under control the chapter Master activated the energy fields around his power fists known as The Gauntlet of Ultramar and strolled into the fight he was not alone turning from the shrine Saint Celestine Drew her Ardent Blade with him of battle upon her lips and her Gemini Superior at her side the living Saints limped toward the foe amarik did the same bellowing oath of hate as he and his last few battle brothers ran headlong at the black legionaries Grand Master Valdez II moved to join the fight he bit off orders into his Vox bead as he Advanced losing shots from his storm Potter even as he called in reinforcements from his gray Knights Battle Brothers the Imperial counter-attack met the black Legion assault in the middle of the shrine with a rending crash of metal on metal and blood fell like rain as the two forces torn into one another all throughout the shrine Tales of heroism and sacrifice played out Inquisitor grave facts took a dancing shot to her ribs in the opening moments of the fight the bald shell dented her armor driving the air from her lungs but by the grace of the emperor it did not detonate great facts seeing black spots before her eyes dropped hastily into the cover of Marvel Pew only a few dozen feet from the base of galliman's throne sucking down several deep breaths Graphics lent around the edge of the Pew and fired off a tight burst of shells from her condemned a bolt gun the rounds roared across the shrine punching into the faceplate of a black Legion Raptor and blowing his Helm apart in a bloody spray grapefax's bionic eye switched rapidly through multiple scrying filters collating tactical data and cogitating threat assessment at the speed of thought 204 The Inquisitor saw Saint Celestine slicing her way through the black Legion Terminators spinning and leaping through the air as she clothed the treaters apart with her blade one of the Gemini Superior was badly wounded the armored seraphim spalled in a slick of blood father was still fighting emptying her bolt pistol into the foe grafax still did not fully trust the saint but she could not fault the woman's softness or skill nearby Monas khalgar and Grandmaster folders fought side by side weathering the thunderous blows of their hulking enemies as they smashed and impaired one treater after another as gray facts watched valdost used a ruined a Shockwave a psychic force from his outstretched Gauntlet hurling a chaos Terminator through the air to demolish another towering statue still the treaters pressed forward and as they did so new Warriors appeared to fill the gaps in their ranks teleport energies flared again clearing to reveal a trio of Terminator armored black Legion Sorcerers flanked by monstrous Warriors of Flesh metal and living weaponry at the same time dread core drop pods plunged through the shattered armadas above slamming into the ground behind the advancing black legionaries from within spilled more of abaddon's chosen Warriors heretic astartes including bellowing torn Berserkers charging forward to join The Fray the ultramarine stood their ground despite being increasingly outnumbered veterans rattled volleys of fire into advancing foe ripping black Leger Rays off their feet or blasting them into glowing Ash with bots of plasma blue armored Terminators dueled with their black armored counterpart heavy flamers spewing fire across adamantium and ceramide as power fists delivered crushing blows and his brothers held themselves in alongside the ultramarines howling chainsaws and lashing lightning claws reaping a tally of Traitor lies one black Templar fell to a chain fist swipe but still his brothers fought on gray Fox's psyoculum chimed a warning as warp energy is built amidst the battle following the device's quavering brass needle The Inquisitor saw the trio of black Legion Sorcerers with his stays raised black fire boiling around them grayfax lined up her condemnor and launched a blessed silver stake at the nearest sorcerer she cursed as the holy projectile impaled her Target but did not fell him then she ducked down to reload as both chills blew craters in her cover as she did so grayfax saw that not all of the pilgrims nor indeed all of their hosts had joined the fight the inquesta swore again as she saw core hunched spiderlike over the controls of his Auto reliquary the magos's metal fingers danced across wounded Keys his mechodendrites slithering from one socket port to another while the inarians Qatari saw guard over him beside them stood the ultramarine's chief librarian tagurius warped lightning glowing from his eyes and weaving around his skull top stay has gray Franks watched several frothing Berserkers charged at tigers the librarian parked a string as syllables that caused the corn worshipers to implode in a crumpled mass of Flesh and Metal grayfax's psyoculum verbaled confused readings as the life energies of the three Berserkers left their bodies but did not vanish altogether ghost returns flickered around the two Inari and greyfax's suspicions of the Eldar deepened as she realized that they had in some fashion that she did not yet comprehend had been empowered by the stolen animus gravax pushed herself to her feet again intending to dash across the open ground and command call to cease in the name of the holy orders at that moment a stitching line of autocannon fire marched along the top of the Pew explosions of fire and shrapnel burst Around The Inquisitor hurling her from her feet gray facts fired back at her attackers lashing out with her telepathic Powers as she did so but she was for the moment pinned in place kargar swung his white Gauntlet in a punishing Arc hammering it up through his enemy's guard and catching a chaos Terminator Square upon the jaw his enemy's home disappeared in a blizzard of metal and blood his corpse slamming down onto its back with bone-breaking Force before the traitor even hit the ground khalgar was already turning on the spot both gauntlets hailed out from his body and bought a stundering the chapter Master revolved in a half circle blazing rounds into the black legionaries on every side and eviscerating another of them with explosive shells the return swipe of a crackling power Nate kargar prepared to swipe another Titanic blow into his enemies then he caught sight of something at the base of Gilligan's throne and cold horror clenched his chest cargar saw the Martian priest step back from his Auto renoquy with the heir of one completing a satisfying task the dome-shaped device hummed forward and furling like the Petals of some huge carnivorous flower the watching chapter master was at the wrong angle to see inside the machine but he had a fleeting impression of glowing energies unfurling mechadandrites clamping pincer Limbs and whirling bone drills that filled him with revulsion the auto rickry was Raising and stretching out unfolding the primark's form in its metallic Embrace at the same moment the xenos witch priest lunged with preternatural Grace evading whistling ball chairs as he raised her blade High no no bellowed cargar finding his voice my command you just stop in the emperor's name brother tigurious stop them the chapter Masters dismay Rose to new heights as Tigers looked straight at him and shook his head do it do it shouted the chief librarian blazing psyching energies into the foe that press close all around him who made the emperor condemn me if you have played me false xenos in desperation cowgar raised his bolters and prepared to fire the Eldar witch but Evans blade fell Lightning Fast hacking through the cabling that fed power to Golem and stasis field energies flared and from within the closing arms of the auto rickery khalgar heard a rattling sigh that would haunt him until his dying day what have you done he roared Despair and fury blazing through him like a fire storm this clenched cowgirl turned upon the treaters that would force this terrible tragedy to come to pass and waded back into the fight with unstoppable Fury the auto reliquary engulfed reboot galliman and his throne entirely runic designators and auto Lumen flickering and mesmerizing patterns across its surface as though spurred by the site the black Legion race redoubled the intensity of their attack bellowing war cries the black legion's Terminators drove hard into their foes Manas kargar was pushed back by his enemies his battle plate cracked by the crunching blow of a power Moor braving the chapter Master's lashing Gauntlet a band of treated Terminator surrounded him entirely so their Brethren could break away towards her Auto reliquary gunfire echoed thunderously around the shrine as the traitors let fly into cause unfolding device bolts and shells are like exploded harmlessly as they struck hard in void Shields unable to punch through the ark magos's date Awards to damage the device behind the last of the Raptors formed into a single Talon and bound across the shrine their jump packs howled and terrifying screams burst from their Vox grills they were met by a thin line of Auto Marines veterans the loyal Marines abandoning cover to interpose themselves between the chaos assault troops and gullerman's throne with botters blazing several Raptors fell but the ultramarines paid for their bravery as enemies obliterators opened fired plasma blasts and last Cannon beam smashed the veterans from their feet reducing chest cavities to blackened craters and helmed heads to scatters of Ash the sorcerers leading the attack too deep upon the energies of the warp risking damnation in their haste to break through two of the psychically empowered Warriors Unleashed a storm of crackling Black Lightning at Grand Master Valdez driving the gray Knight to one knee with their combined Fury the gray unites eyes glowed and the runes on his arm are shimmered with power as he roared counter-incantitions meanwhile the last of the sorcerer's stormed towards a primark's throne arms raised above his head and voice booming from his Vox Grill as the sorcerer chanted so the Temple of Correction began to shudder and Shake pillars spit from bottom to top chunks of marble the size of drop pods shearing off to crash down into the fight gaping rents yawned wide in the floor swallowing Warriors from both sides and the frescoed ceiling became webbed with cracks realizing that the sorcerers were attempting to bring one end of the shrine down upon Gilman's Throne tigurus brandished his staff and focused his psychic energies to unmake the chaos worshipers incantation yet the chief librarian's concentration was shattered as a fresh wave of coronate Berserkers hurled themselves at him Tigers frantically parried one roaring chain ax after another with his staff cursing as he felt the power of the Imperium draining away from his touch the NRE was suddenly there beside him fighting with blistering speed never had tiguria seen living creatures move with such swiftness and Grace if rain and the vizag blurring through the air and leaving greyed out after images in their wake as a ruthlessly laid the berserker's low all across the shaking Temple the dwindling forces of the Imperium fought like lions to hold back their foes Celestine still hacked and cut span and left leaving a trail of slain black legionaries in her wake Migos core sent baths of searing energy ripping through the chaos ranks while in tuning binary Psalms to fortify his allies weapons and War gear Marshal amarick accompanied Now by just two remaining sword Brethren Fort tirelessly atop a heap of black Legion corpses teleport energies flared once more and scored a great United paladins flashed into being bolstering their grand Masters psychic defenses with their own for a moment the battle hung in the balance then a second flight of dreadcore drop pods began their descent upon the shrine fires billowing around their hulls as they fell no scattered handful of reinforcements was this but a pinpoint attack wave of 10 armored pods held in reserve by the masters of the chaos Invasion and hurled in to strike the killing blow hildregs dived amongst them draw cannons chattering to tear apart through ultramarine's interceptors and gunships more than one of the plummeting demon engines hurled itself into flak fire compelled to self-sacrifice in order to Shield The Dread Claws from harm thus protected all 10 pods flashed down through the sun to Dome of the shrine of Gilman touching down amid spillowing clouds of smoke and sulfurous Flame as one The Jig claws irised open to discourage Squad after Squad of heretical killers an entire traitor warband surged into battle the talons of the despoiler deployed on mass to sweep away all resistance in the shrine it was a force whose combined strength could subdue World 100 superhuman murderers fresh and ready for battle the black Legion reinforcement struck the Imperial defense like a battering ram ultramarine veterans and Honor Guard fell as they were riddled with overwhelming bald fire courageous Terminators crumpled even their potent armor unable to withstand the hammering volleys of Balter melter and plasma fire that engulfed them minus calgar roared in defiance as he was born to the ground by a surging mass of foes that swung stab and stamped at him and his brothers charged down the mound of corpses rather than be caught in the open by the foes amassed Firepower determined to hack down as many of their tainted kin as they could before they were slain Saint Celestine 2 swooped down upon the mass of foes her remaining sister had been smashed from the air by a Plasma Blast and even the saint herself was now fighting one-handed her left arm hanging broken at her side still she sang after him to the emperor determined to meet death with words of Purity and Hope on her lips everywhere the mass chaos worshipers pressed forward engulfing the shrinking islands of Imperial resistance while sorcerer's energies continued to tear at The Shrine itself not a single Defender took a step backwards but it was clear that their lives could now be measured in minutes at most the avenging Sun the foremost back Legions were mere yards away from the foot of Gilman's Throne when the Rune panels of course Auto reliquary flickered from red to Green a single chime sounded a clear pure note that cuts through the Kanga Like a Knife the Alchemy got some stuff fighting back to back with the Inari and chief librarian tagurius and this is an uncharacteristic blurt of binary Triumph the next moment the outstretched armatures of the auto rickery folded back with a gaseous hiss to reveal a sight of breathtaking splendor where before robote Goodman had sat a pale stasis like Revenant now that Primark stood awake alert and very much alive his presence was immense dominant as a Thunderhead suddenly filling the shrine with its crushing pressure gullerman was clad in a magnificent new suit of armor an ornate Masterwork that had traveled all the way from the forges of Mars within called Auto likery in one hand the ultramarine's Primark held the blade of the emperor now lit from Hilt to tip with leaping flames and in his eyes was a look of such murderous intensity that even the Loyalists within the shrine crailed to see it it was as though a spell had settled over the shrine though outside the din of War thundered on within that echoing chamber friend and foe alike stared or stock at the legendary figure reborn and imaged an incoherent Scream Of Rage shattered the silence a single corn Berserker charging headlong through the stunned combatants to launch himself in a flying leap at the Primark kiliman moved with such blistering speed the dianaris themselves would have struggled to match it his burning blade drew a pyrotechnic Arc through the air as it swung bisecting the corn Berserker at the waist and hurting his severed halves to the ground as a chaos worshiper's armored corpse crashed to the floor the spell was broken with a howl of hate the black Legion Warriors surged towards rubute Gilman wordlessly the noble demigod still to meet them and the Carnage truly began first to die was a sorcerer whose Powers had shaken the temple to its foundations kiliman raised his mighty Gauntlet the hand of dominion and a storm of armored piercing fire erupted from behind it to rip the tainted psycho to pieces next to four were the remaining black Legion Berserkers following their comrades example they flung themselves screaming at a reborn Primark like their fellow they were reduced to so much armored meat smashed from the air with terrifying speed galliman was running now storming forward through the hail of bolts and shells Unleashed by the black Legion Aries rounds exploded against a primark's armor but none could Pierce it's inviable plate as he crashed into the front ranks of black legionaries Gillman let out a building war of pure undiluted Fury the primark's first blow through a black lee tree high in the Air Bud streaming behind the corpse in a red Trail his second strike smashed a traitored Terminator into a bronze and marble column with enough Force to drive the chaos worshiper clean sweat and out the other side that spiked power fist swung for Goodman's chest only to be locked from its wielder's arm before the blow could land government's return swing parted his attacker's head from his shoulder cauterizing the stump of the treater's neck as the body crumpled to the floor on it went the Primark moved with such speed that even the heretic superhuman reactions couldn't save them none could match kidderman none could even come close and a few opponents that landed lucky blows found their weapons turned aside by the primark's Masterwork armor as the black Legion hurled themselves towards the Towering warrior in their midst so the pressure lessened upon the surviving loyalists in the shrine full of Vengeance inspired by the spectacle of the Primark the last of the celestians and their allies threw themselves back into the fight with renewed vigor as galliman cleared the foes from around the foot of his throne tigurious Cole and the Inari followed him into the gap it rain blurred through the air felling a chaos Space Marine before the cartwheeling between two more and leaving them as crumbling statues of dust and Ash the traitor raised his plasma gun to blast a whirling Priestess only for the vizark sword to Lop his arms off at the elbows the champion of inert reversed his grip on his blade ramming through his victim's Helm before basking in the escaping energies of the chaos Marines corrupted soul tigures released a thunderous barrage of psychic energies thumping tectonic shock waves that hurled hereticostatis from their feet and shattered their armor like porcelain the chief librarian felt Gillman's gaze upon him then for just a heartbeat the primarks are praising stare seemed to strip tigures down to his very soul then killerman stormed on through the enemy ranks with every blow the Primark of the ultramarine sent mutated corpses tumbling through the air his expression was grave and granite and Frozen hate a mask of vengeful anger that had endured millennia for Gilman his last memory was a desperate battle against a tainted brother a fraternal contest of Godlike strength unbarbed hateful taunts then poison and pain Beyond endurance now he found himself in strange surroundings facing a twisted horde of creatures that were nightmares parodies of the adapter society's ideal noted his apparent allies struck galliman as much more familiar but he could at least detect who in this Vasa pokra was tainted by chaos and who was not for now that was enough the Primark compartmentalized his questions for later and concerned himself solely on the battle at hand the black legionaries continued to hurl themselves at the reborn Lord of Ultramar clearly willing to sustain any amount of casualties if it meant laying Gilman low yet they were laughably outmatched in almost every regard sweeping the emperor's sword in wide arcs firing off hammering volleys from the hand of dominion the Primark reaped a bloody tally as he drove the traitors back as he retreated so the prone form of marneus kargar was revealed his armor cracked and his face beaten bloody kiliman paused for a moment in his Rampage looking down upon his Fallen son was an unreadable expression on his face khalgar stirred one eye opened to look up at the Primark Reborn satisfied that his Scion lived Gilman pressed on leaving the Fallen chapter Master to stare in disbelief as his resurrected jeans higher across the chamber Grand Master Valdes and his paladins were driving the surviving chaos Sorcerers back the Heretics were powerful psychers both but neither could hold a candle tovaldus's preeminent power surrounded by a crackling Vortex of empiric energies the Grand Master Strode through the dark flames and molten Lightnings conjured by his foes prepared as much by thought as by his Steely sinews valdez's lightning wreath Hammer swung in an Unstoppable Arc and slammed into the Helm of the closest sorcerer ceramide flesh and Bone exploded in a crackling spray and the traitor toppled backwards as a headless corpse the last of the heretic leaders lost his nerve barking orders at his underlings to cover his Retreat from the shrine the sorcerer turned lumbering in his Terminator armor and found himself face to face with rebooted Gilman screaming which light rushed in as a sorcerer attempted to conjure a potent curse before he could even spit the jagged syllables to unleash his power the sorcerer was hoisted bodily off the ground Gilman's hand of dominion clamped firmly around the traitor's gorget in a breathtaking display of strength the Primark lifted his foe High into the air gallowan's face a cold Moscow disgust the sorcerer made a last Crow King attempt to speak before the emperor sword slammed through the traitor's midriff and ripped it swiftly upwards ancient armor and corrupt flesh parted as easily as silk and The Sorcerer's ill had Spilled Out in a rush to Splatter upon the flagstones leaderless reaps like corn by the seemingly Unstoppable Primark and his allies the last of the black legionaries turned and fled but not a single one of them would Escape The Fortress of Hira alive enthroned anew by the time reinforcements reached the Temple of Correction the fighting was done every single ultramarine who rushed into that vaulted space dropped to their knees in worshipful ore at a sight of their Primark Reborn calm now reboot Gillman took charge of his Warriors he asked no questions save those of a purely strategic nature he made no reference to the circumstances of his rebirth his long Repose while the strangers that he found himself surrounded by an undead Ray such matters with him the Primark would doubtless seek answers but caught between wonder and a kind of over awed fear the ultramarines the celestians and even the anali kept their own Council besides War still raged outside the shrine news of the primax rise spread like wildfire through the Fortress of Hira it was proclaimed from every Rock speaker shouted from every Rampart and broadcast from the vocal emitters of countless cyber cherubim that flutters Through The Cauldron of War getman ensured that it was so free understood well that his living presence would embold in his armies and cow his enemies ultramarines and Ultramar defense auxiliary alike new Festival DeMent their Newfound strength as he processed this incredible news the chaos worshipers by comparison faltered in their attack even the most feared of their Champions were clipped by the martial Glory of a living breathing Primark and ripples of unease spread through the heretic throng as a thought of facing him made straight for the fortress's strategium and in a dramatically charged moment that would become enshrined in statuary formerly accepted command of the defense from first captain agimon Lord kalgar stood at his Primark side during this exchange sorely wounded and supported by two on a guard you're determined to be present all the same gileman showed his nobility by humbly requesting the chapter Masters leave to assume full command of the ultramarines at that time kargar Shrugged off his battle brothers and grimacing in pain knelt before his jeans higher he matched Gulu and solemnity as he offered unending feilty to the Primark and bequeath full control of the chapter to him in perpetuity like an impresario settled before his instrument gideman spread his hands upon the strategium table and took a deep breath before beginning to command with his every utterance the invader's pike became more apparent the Primark strategic Acumen his tactical genius and miraculous mental acuity were unmatched the leaders of the ultramarines looked on in amazement as Goodman marshaled The Defenders like regicide pieces drinking in reams of strategic data and issuing a steady stream of orders that turned one fight after another in the defender's favor cattle guard and his lieutenants had executed a superhuman campaign of defiance against the Invaders but the Primark was operating on a different mental plane at Goodman's command Sandra's overlapping firestorms and interlaced webs of Interceptor strikes cleared the airspace over the Fortress of healer no longer threatened from above ultramarines reserves and vast numbers of Defense auxilia flowed into the fight in masterful deployment patterns faint ambushes false Retreats and sudden overwhelming counter-attacks Rifts through the chaos forces and drove them from within the fortresses ground Ed hundreds of thousands of Warriors at once predicting every move his enemies made and countering before they had even thought to act by the time the Primark and his cotery Strode out to lead the fighting person the chaos attackers were reeling in disarray the attack led by Gilman Into the Heart of their lines was like a final bolt round placed between the eyes of a wounded enemy black legionaries Iron Warriors Alpha Legion and night Lords all were held back from the walls traitor Titans toppled like vast flaming trees to smash down in ruin just three hours after his resurrection concluded the wholesale Purge of chaos Invaders from The Fortress of Hira and confidently proclaimed the ultramarine's stronghold secure there now came a time where Beth could be drawn and stock taken even as lumbering servitors and surf work gangs labored to shore after the fortress's battered defenses summoned a select company to attend him in the chapter Masters Sanctum this had long been the domain and throne room of manes kargar now it would become the sanctum of the Primark himself and it was here that he was formally invested as Lord of Ultramar and master of the ultramarines once more and their closest lieutenants were present for Gilman's elevation as were representative brothers from every company of the chapter the celestials too attended Gilman's formal coronation the saint herself ceremonially bestowing her blessings upon the Primark even the Inari watched from the sidelines as its momentous event occurred the left amongst the Shadows a silent and staunchly unremarked upon presence whose Expressions remained cold and watchful as a ceremony concluded Gilman Rose and addressed the assembly there was much to be done and countless questions to which the Primark required answers before he could act further rebute Gilman needed to know everything that occurred during his long absence part two War storm dark Revelations the warp is in many ways a mirror of reality like a dark and fathomless pool its surface ripples with the impact of momentous events or great outbursts of passionate emotion the resurrection of reboot Gilman sent power waves rolling outward through the immaterium racing tsunamis of turmoil that did not go unnoticed one by one the champions of the dark gods of chaos became aware of the returned Primark reclining amidst an endless banquet of sold Pilgrim pounded in disposure as demon imps whispered the news into his ear the demon Primark of The Emperor's Children bestowed himself from his velvet's throne vowing to the depraved God's planes that this time he would ensure Gilman's Eternal Fall From Grace in Hidden veins and crystalline mazes the greatest Demons of zeen Swatch as a weft and weave of fate rippled and changed with the implications of Gilman's return reading their Master's will each set itself to the task of tainting tempting or destroying the ultramarine's Primark in Myriad of subtly varied fashions deep within the noisen swamps of nurgle's garden a conclave of great and green ones listened indulgently to the Frantic babbling of messenger flies they layered in Delight bile and maggots slopping down their festering chins a Primark one untouched and untainted by any of nurgle's Brothers their pestilential Master would no doubt value such a prize most highly perhaps they taught old mockingly they might even arrange a final reconciliation between the bitter more Italian and his brother such an opportunity had not presented itself in thousands of years and the great hand clean ones hummed a cheerful ditty as they began to concoct a sickness fit for a demigod elsewhere in the Galaxy the mendoc's cataclysm was coming to its hideous conclusion along a war front that spanned entire star systems the champions of corn burned 88 Imperial Worlds at once amidst the rising flames of their genocide champions of corn both mortal and demonic witnessed visions of their Furious deity raging against Gilman's return his apoplectic Bellows rang as Thunder through the Skies of the dying planet and warped storms shuddered into being through rinse and reality as though the blood God was hacking at the stars with his ruinous blade the Servants of the other dark Gods might try to corrupt gideman to mislead or to spoil him yet corn servants knew that their Master had no patience for such things instead they failed a battle amongst each other warning for the right to hunt down the reborn Primark and claim his scar [Music] the dark Lords too saw the glowing Beacon of Gilman's rebirth from afar and began to Marshal their forces accordingly forewarned by the prophetic visions of zarathistan abadanta the spoiler had fashioned a loose Alliance of treat her warbands to strike Gilman down before his resurrection could occur it was this that had spurred the southern frenzied invasion of Ultramar but even with the aid of a sizable force of black legionaries abaddon's vassal Warlords had failed in their initial Gambit Furious everyone summoned and bound the Lord of change chaos fate Weaver sending him winging his way across the Galaxy to gather fresh forces against the Primark upon farf Long Hill World Magnus the raid and the deathlord montalian received word of their brothers Awakening their reactions were as different as Fire and Ice were tari enraged a cold and virulent storm of anger whirling around him until its Echoes In Real space seeded seven new and terrible plagues upon lackless Imperial world Maya admits plans that were nearing fruition the demon Primark of the death guard could not yet act to strike it gideman instead as he stared with glowing eyes across the Mysteries parade grounds of his plague planet and the mass ranks of death guard are assembled mortarium vowed that he would render girderman and his Empire to rot soon enough Magnus by comparison gave a booming laugh of utter Delight like a fortune teller who flips their final tarot card and gains sudden insight the Crimson King saw now before him powers of Glorious fate where before had been a Wilderness of confusion Magnus began to issue orders his words bursting forth as swarms of crystalline insects they flitted away to Marshall the thrall bands of his once proud Legion the Thousand Sons already the psychopian demon Primark had revenged himself upon one hated foe of old setting the fitness system lighting the fires of Retribution now he saw the chance to punish another might of the War Began to gather coiling and Rising like a Serpent's Nest traitor warbands Rose the dark tides of the emperion toward Ultramar howling with naked bloodlust and swearing vows to strike again down in the name of the ruinous powers sways of the Galaxy were already Riven with warp storms that had spilled through the Canadian gate with all the ferocity of old night or been Unleashed by the shattering of beer turn now these tempests spread further as a prime audio Annihilator turned its full attentions upon real space screaming Wars burst open between the Stars horrifyingly immense yawning Gulfs ringed by mountainous fangs and coiling ectoplasmic tentacles dozens of Worlds were plunged Into Darkness and Terror As Time shattered apart around them and the energies of the immaterium burst their Banks still flood into real space [Music] within the warp Wars ended even as fresh ones began demonic Legions were pulled away from nightmarish battlefields and hurled through breaches in the veil of reality charged with hunting down and putting an end to the reborn Primark yet the Servants of the dark gods are ever opportunists and believed that this moment of distraction could be used to strike their respective Masters Rivals amongst the chaos Pantheon mounted upon a cogwork scorpion to size of a city Horn's blood Legions drove headlong into the winding edges of the crystal Labyrinth swarms of flame belching xinjiang demons poured out to meet them like insects defending their kicked hive at the same time steinesh's cavalcard of Hedonism hacked its way into the Garden of nurgle even as the plague God's Infamous sluggered host came squirming through the brimstone Caverns beneath Corn's iron fire Bastion soon enough fresh Wars raged throughout the domains of the chaos Gods their Eternal rivalry stoked by the momentous events yet still a portion of their attentions were focused upon the fate of rebute Gilman and upon their worshiper schemes to lay him low as for the Primark himself Gilman was as yet unaware of the Demonic Madness that his return had spurred this was a mercy for the Lord of Ultramar already had a crushing weight of questions and shock to deal with everything government knew was gone replaced by the madness and horror of a future he had tried so desperately to prevent rubute Gilman settled heavily into his new Throne the Primark had dispatched all of his attendance and advisors even sending his honor guard to wait outside the Sanctum at last he could allow a little of his sorrow trauma and pain to show when Gilman let his mouth drop with a sigh of relief whatever had been done to him to bring him back it had left the Primark with a constant gnawing ache irradiated from deep within he suspected that pain would never leave him but physical hurts were the least of gideman's troubles One By One The Primark had spoken with each of the celestians the Lords of the ultramarines and even if rain of the Inari days have been spent in deep Earnest conversation kiliman using every iota of his statesman's guile to set his guests at ease to tease from them as much information as he could and to hide his reactions to their words Gilman had thanked each of his visitors for their insights and their service to the Imperium inwardly assessing each of his guests and showing them whatever aspect of his personality was surest to render them sympathetic and valuable though he had not shown it each Revelation stocked up High Mark like a cannon shell he was exhausted from staving off bewilderment and horror hollowed out by pain Gilman groaned and placed his head in his hands his new suit of armor hissing and humming with the motion Millennia have passed he murmured unsure to whom he spoke he knew only that he had to vocalize his situation before it drove him mad for the first time since his return gilliman wished for one of his brothers to speak with they at least might have understood thousands of years he said and look what has become of them of us idolatry ignorance suffering and squalor in the name of a God who never desired the title killerman shook his head and stood pacing across the chapter Masters sanctum to stay here after the banners hanging on the Western Wall each was the height of an imperial knight a Cascade of masterfully woven cloth depicting the glories of the ultramarines slain alien Beast executed heretic despot World saved and worlds burned the chapters proud iconography was much in evidence but so was the Aquila of the Imperium and there presiding over several of the heraldic designs a figure was thrown in Halo whom are surely be the emperor we failed father said Gilman his words tired and lead in with sorrow you failed your sons and we in our turn failed you and now to compound our arrogance and vain Glory we have face all of them too did Horus not say that you sought God who he built a rebellion upon that claim how he would gloat to see the Imperium now anger surged through the Lord of Ultramar and against his fist with an effort of self-restraint he imagined destroying this chamber tearing it apart and Hurley gets wreckage around him like a wild beast he dared not lest these strangers in his chapters delivery see through his facade though he wrestled with despair the Primark knew he could not let this weakness show khalgar tagurius agimon all the others they looked at him as though he were the emperor himself was painfully aware of his symbolic quality and how desperate and dark the hour had become he must show nothing but strength to his Gene Sons lest his despair taint their hearts too and yet would it really matter he sighed turning his back on the banners and pacing across the chamber to stare through a stained glass window outstand across the war-torned immensity of the Fortress of Hira kiliman saw the sweeping bulwark where his old Chambers had once been they had belonged to his father even before him he had laid his plans there spoken to his brothers laughed and raged and on one occasion almost died now they were gone buried beneath ugly agglomerations of buttressing and gun batteries it was apt he sought bitterly kiliman's anger spilled over and he span on his heel staring up at the woven Emperor with accusing eyes why do I still live he what more do you want from me I gave everything I had to you to them look what they've made of our dreams this bloated rotting carcass of an Empire is driven not by reason and hope but by fear hate and ignorance better we had all burned in the fires of horus's ambition then lived to see this even as he said it gilliman heard the lie in his words amongst his brothers none had been more idealistic than rebooted Gilman none had envisioned a brighter future not just for mankind but also for the Warriors of the legionistatis that flame of Hope had been a part of him for as long as he had lived even now as it was smothered by darkness and War gilliman realized that his frame endured There's Hope still he told himself turning back to the window and placing one armored Palm against it he stared out of the work gangs laboring to repair the damage of War and the ultramarine stood proud and determined upon the ramparts they had been born into this dark Millennium and had no nothing but the hardship suffering and despair of unending conflict yet they still struggled on unbowed despite the countless enemies ranged against them killerman had seen a better age one of Hope and Triumph what right had he a superhuman son of the emperor himself to show any less strength and courage than his followers born in darkness and Gilman had seen what Humanity could achieve moreover he knew what fruits cause laborers had borne beneath the surface of Mars he believed that a better future for the Imperium was still possible but only of those who tormented mankind were first defeated all of this misery said gilliman all of the suffering and pain it is not a doing of humanity but of those who have betrayed us too long had the Pawns of chaos dictated our species fate that must end German felt new Strength fill him inspired by it the Primark took his pain and his desolation and locked them away deep within his mind but his rage he kept that he would have use for later there would be time to mourn to reason to plan a new now was the time to fight and to make his father's enemies pay for every horror they had inflicted upon the Imperium battle for mccrag four days and nights after his coronation Roberta Gilman emerged from seclusion in his absence Lord calgar had continued to lead the fight ignoring his injuries as he coordinated the ultramarine's war effort now though khalgar willingly ceded control of the campaign to his Gene sire recognizing the vastly capable chapter Master for the asset he was Gilman kept calgar close at hand in the battles that followed and asked his Council constantly brother librarian targarys too swiftly became a trusted advisor the Primark accepting that in this Dark Age the trappings and powers of the Librarians had by necessity also become darker in a move that surprised many Gilman also included Volus core Celestine and Inquisitor grayfax amongst his culture of lieutenants the Primark sought the insights of every arm of the Imperial War Machine recognizing that in unity they strength with his advisors at his side and the unbowed might of the ultramarines at his disposal Gilman began the reconquest of his Homeworld why the galactic matters would have to wait macrayag was still beset from every side and if the chapter Planet fell then even the resurrected Primark would surely be dugged down by the tide of foes the war for mcgregg lasted a little over a month its Pace was blistering a force of nature an Unstoppable Avatar of The Emperor's will who Dove his enemies before him like cattle first came a series of lightning fast offenses to clear the valley of LA ponis and The partially ruined city of Magna suratas batteries of iron Warrior Siege guns were overrun the semi-sentient artillery engines were blown apart by melter charges they whip-fisted overseas executed with swift efficiency chanting masses of chaos cultists were surrounded inside gilded domes and swirling had blocks before being systematically cut apart agimon Celestine and grayfax led pinpoint strikes to take back the city's primary orbital batteries soon enough Ruby Columns of light were spearing down into the heavens to drive the chaos warships out of their geosynchronous orbits above the ultramarine's Fortress monastery this was only the beginning led by the famed tank commander otaro Cronus roaring Columns of ultramarine's armor Swift to treat a battle groups from the magletine highlands and drove their survivors into the storm tossed faramis ocean Grandmaster Valdez and his third Brotherhood lent their might to the re-conquest when they spearheaded the strike against the corrupted city of colossae here the silver armored demon Hunters fought a cat and mouse battle with cool bands of nightclaws who unveiled the city in an unnatural Gloom the traitors were eventually driven out and mysterious blood ritual halted before it could come to fruition though the entire city had subsequently to be leveled from orbit for fear of its chaos taint get him in late attacks against valmari Mount tarthus and the snowy galanus pass emerging triumphant every time the ultramarine swept all before them combining their exceptional skill and discipline with the Visionary battle plans of their Primark into an Unstoppable hole the Ultra Marine defense auxiliary followed up each new conquest digging in and fortifying in great numbers so that any attempt by the forces of chaos to counter-attack were met by overwhelming resistance though the heretic start is fought furiously an inflicted saw losses upon the Loyalists they simply could not match the Strategic Acumen of rebute Gilman and one chaos warband after another was defeated even those who fled mccrack found no Haven in the void for their Invasion craft had been surrounded and reduced a burning strap by the ultramarine defense Fleet finally after long Waits a vicious battle and a vast hold of the Dead the world of macrag was liberated once more the crown of glories the first steps have been taken upon the road of free Conquest mccrack was free of chaos taint Gilman wished to press on consumed by his desire to drive the ruinous powers from Ultramar however those he led needed time to regroup and consolidate countless wounded required attention hundreds of war machines needed repair man was wise enough to give his followers the time they needed meanwhile Imperial reinforcements gathered around mccrag braving the warp storms raging through local space Space Marine crafted by the Dozen assembled above the ultramarine's Homeworld delegations from many primogenitor chapters have plowed through the Imperium risking terrible danger to see for themselves that the Primark had returned Nova Marines sons of Aura Genesis chapter and countless others joined the growing throng kneeling before the Primark and swearing allegiance to him while the armies of the Ultramar reconquest were gathering a further opportunity presented itself it was the arch console of Magnus the closest ottoman had to a conventional governor who suggested that a grand Victory Parade could be held and its Majesty recorded on pick cast to be sent far and wide throughout the Imperium the console said that people needed the light of Hope in this Dark Hour a shining example of Victory to renew their faith not just in the emperor but in Gilman Reborn the Primark conceded to this demand though it sat ill with his black inner mood Erman saw the wisdom in it but he accepted such a grandagement only grudgingly mere days after victory was declared a grand Triumph swept up from the Titan gate to the very steps of the Fortress of Hera thousands of War engines and millions of Warriors presented their colors and raised their chairs and horned blasts to the skies a seizing sea of the city's residence packed a crater pot processionals and plazas to watch the proceedings and voices Beyond count rang out as one to cry Gilman's praise in a single deafening Roar still upon a marble column platform with his closest Lieutenant at his side the Primark dutifully presented the most magnificent spectacle he could for the symbol masses the arch Consul himself presented Gilman with a stunning reward Laurel wreath crafted in Gold urging the Primark to Don the Gilded Crown at once the moment Gilman did so he found his mind filled with thoughts of future glories this poultry Triumph will be nothing compared to the best-taking spectacle of his Galactic Conquest the primark's armies would be Beyond number the Adoration for the heroic Lord so great that they would die for him gladly Planet systems hold segmentums would be renamed in honor of he who had liberated them and whipped dogs of chaos would flee before him like the cursed they were statues will be raised to commemorate Gilman's Majesty and eventually even The Golden Throne of Terror would be his to mount the emperor's most loyal son deserve no lesson inheritance and he would have his due it was this last sort that wrenchederman from the Reese Insidious curse with a gasp he tore the Gilded Crown from his head and bellowed a command for the arch console to be restrained it was Grandmaster Volus who grabbed the road dignitary and as his blessed gauntlets touched the man's flesh it sizzled and crisped the dean of the Triumph with colossal an ocean swell of noise that hid the arch magus's shrieks as Illusions unveiled him were unmade Gilman and his lieutenants required at the misshapen mutant thing that was revealed bulb isn't deformed decaying fleshy Abomination wore a going amulet about its neck or a thong of human skin as Gilman stared and disgusted this cursed fetish he heard a susuration hissing within his mind that he had not heard since that Fateful Encounter on thesala in mocking tones fulgrim welcomed Gilman back to his beloved Imperium the demon Primark revealed that he had concealed a fragment of his own animus in the amulet that he servant War and confessed disappointment the gentleman had rejected his gift the crown of glories many Heroes great and pure had fallen to the trinket's blandishments and fulgrim had hoped that he could corrupt gideman in the same fashion yet astonishing Prince assured his brothers that this was but the first of endless Temptations Gilman would have to face laughing cruelly he taunted that the Lord of Ultramar would never be able to trust any feeling of Triumph or self-satisfaction again disgusted Gilman drove his sword through the amulet and into the Hideous creature that bore it silencing the voice of the Damned brother who had laid him low Millennia past yet as the Triumph rumbled on fulcrum's Words continued to Echo in Gilman's mind they would do so for many days to come Warzone Ultramar as the armies of reconquest gathered upon mccrag so ever more Imperial forces came seeking the Primark some like the Dark Angels and the Raven guard since small delegations to determine the veracity of this claim of this miracle others came in Hope and celebration bands of space wars white scars black Templars and others hasten to the Primark side a glorious moment came to pass when the Black Templars made planetall for they were reunited with martial amarich who alone of his Brotherhood had survived the battling Gilman shrine taking one look at the zealous light in amarish eyes the back Templars chaplains declared him touched by the hand of the emperor the Marshal was brought aboard the strike Cruiser scourge of Heretics and girded with the armor and the Black Blade of the empress champion others too came to maltrema upon the insistence of their seers astropaths Soo stairs and Lords battleships of the Imperial Navy Regal Barons of Imperial aligned night World fleets of Warships from the debtors mechanicus and their Titan Legions processing from the adeptus administratum all came to offer fail tea to the Primark a grotesque cyber Synod of the adeptus ministorum descended upon the Fortress of Hera and assisted upon first confirming and in proclaiming Gilman's alleged divinity the Primark agreed to such beatification only after Celestine and Graphics impressed upon him just how powerful the ecclesiaki were better to have them as a Firebrand Ally than an obstopperous foe before his departure from The Fortress galliman had one more order of business he decreed that now was an age of Wrath and War in which learning and law must be set aside the Primark shocked his chapter by ordering The Great Library of Ptolemy barred to all comers on pain of death every last home every lingering dangerous secret contained within that ancient repository was locked behind adamantium bulkheads and servitor guns at the same time a new war room was built this was a strategium Ultra from where government's reconquest could be plotted tracked and coordinated [Music] when finally the armies of reconquest were ready to set out reboot Gilman LED them into battle with something akin to relief after the endless infighting and bureaucracy of this turgid new Imperium the sort of a battlefield seemed almost welcoming Goodman began with the macraig system itself several of whose worlds were beset by the forces of Chaos a warband of iron Warriors known only as the bitter Sons had invaded the hive world of ardium conquering one of the planet's three Subterranean hives and fortifying its winding tunnel Networks linking up with the surviving auxiliary garrisons of hives good rain and tarnis gillman-led elements of the ultramarine's fourth and six companies through a Subterranean hellscape to assault hive magmaria the fighting was Savage in the extreme the outnumbered iron Warriors clinging tenaciously to their defenses until the last man corpses choked entire mag tunnels and blood-filled under sump until it overflowed through the highest drainage grills in the end Gillman and his god-ranged followers emerged Victorious The Shrine world of lapis became the site of the liberation's greatest naval engagement when the Ultramar defense Fleet engaged the ships of the alpha Legion blockading the planet marneus khalgar commanded the offensive seated in the captain's Throne aboard the ancient Flagship mccrag's honor The ultramarines Vessel swept in through the void with their guns thundering successfully driving back those Alpha Legion craft engaged in surface bombardment Triumph turned to horror when a flotilla a fleeing Imperial bulk carriers were revealed to be crude by Alpha Legion cultists packed with exposures the lumbering haulers plowed into the ultramarine ships and crippled several Lord khalgar had expected treachery from his foes however and now revealed his own Master stroke as a second reserved Fleet of Swift strike Cruisers and frigates swept him from behind laface's third Moon Aurora at the same time Elite strike units containing ultramarine's Tech Marines dropped onto lafis's surface and succeeded in Awakening the world's battered orbital defense grid caught from three sides the alphalusian warships were torn apart left as a belt of drifting wreckage about the Shrine world through such heroic actions was the macraig system made secure allowing the armies of reconquest to sweep on towards the neighboring systems that made up the realm of Ultramar that Stellar domain had once comprised 500 words before Lord kiliman have granted many their own sovereignty all such treatises the Primark now declared null and void in such agreement desperate times he would see his personal Empire forged Anew for in this as in all things kiliman desired strength through Unity onwards through shuddering warp storms and traitor hosts swept the armies of Ultramar not once did they fault her iron hands fought alongside preators of Orpheus on talasa secondus Dark Angels went to war beside Titans of the Leisure fulminari to liberate ishara the taunting processions of the cult mechanicus fought shoulder to shoulder with novel Marines and battle Sisters of the order of the Eben chalice Against Mutant hordes on The Killing Fields of Conor Prime unified and elevated by the leadership of rubute Gilman their War efforts coordinated with Clockwork position from the strategium ultra on the Crag the armies of reconquest overcame warp storms traitor armies and even demonic incursions in their battle to drive the ravages of chaos from even more worlds yet still the fight ground on weeks became months for Ultramar is a vast realm and its numerous Invaders the fires of their old hatred stoked were obstinate the wrong War raged worlds burned and Blood Stained the Stars the sorrow it was during the seventh month of the campaign to reconquer Ultramar that the first cases of a mysterious new sickness were reported throughout the draw talasar and parmenio systems Ultramar defense auxiliary found themselves weeping uncontrollably in the midst of battle warriors were blinded by endless streams of viscous stinking tears the gummed their eyes open and soon turned them red Raw overcome by sorrow sufferers wailed and wept for days on end in the worst cases the so-called weepers were permanently blinded as their infected eyeballs festered and rotted from their scars the disease soon named the sorrow or the Weeping plague spread with alarming rapidity its Vector was believed to be an infestation of tiny biting mites that were found of its rations squaring inside uniforms and ammunition packs and even spilled from the pages of open Imperial primers nothing stopped the mites from multiplying and no sanitary measure could long keep them out the siege of leotolds keep collapsed thanks to the pernicious influence of the sorrow whilst the previously devastating ravishol offensive ground to a halt as its human soldiery were reduced to Blinded wailing revenants leaving the war in the praedium system to the command of Chief librarian tigurias and Inquisitor gray facts Gilman knew that only mortal soldiery had been afflicted by the Weeping no Warrior of the adeptosis OR tech trial of the mechanicus had fallen prey to the sickness as of yet furthermore though they were not absolutely immune only a very few cases had been reported amongst the ranks of the adapter sororities some ascribe this to the presence of the saint amongst the reconquest forces but Moore believed that it was the enduring faith of the battle sisters that protected them from sickness whatever the truth Gilman did not fear the terrible disease but was instead far more concerned for the fate of his mortal soldiery the Primark arrived upon ravishon expecting nothing but sadness and horror kiliman shocked therefore was as great as anyone's when instead he brought a miracle bravering the hammering flank screens of the iron Warriors encampments under circuit Plains Gilman had his Thunderhawk deliver him to the Fortified Imperial encampment in the sodomask valley oh the Thunder of the encampment served to guns busy keeping the enemy demon engines at Bay Gillman ordered the Camp's ultramarine Commander to lead him to the sink there were several thousand of them in this encampment alone tank Crews artillery men and infantry soldiers tremelled for their own protection within huge Prefab Sheds from outside the muffled cacophony of the weeper's lamentation was unsettling even for reboot Gilman yet as the shed's armored door swung open the sobbing slowly died away One By One The stricken auxiliary Rose from their sick beds blinking in amazement with eyes that could see once more even those who had lost their sight altogether subsided with size of relief knowing their first true sleep in weeks none could explain how but Goodman's presence had healed the weepers the same thing occurred in three more encampments along the offensive stalled front wherever rubute Gilman walked the sorrow was driven out and the mites that spread it died until they piled up in Black drifts the Medicaid and apothecaries were at a lot the ecclesiaki were quick to declare the phenomenon miraculous it was the emperor's Mercy they burrowed brandishing their quillas and it Shone from his son as healing light so began long weeks of Relentless pilgrimage for gilderman as he washed from one side of sickness to another the Primark knew that while he was engaged in healing his followers his attentions were drawn away from The Wider War yet of all of The Emperor's Sons Gilman was perhaps the most human and his compassion would not allow him to ignore his followers plight if he could heal them days became weeks during which the Weeping continued to spread and were still recur at sights that the Primark had already cleared without Goodman's Peerless genius the reconquest began to suffer the chaos forces overrunning Imperial victories in the Viridian and Tavern systems all the while the Dreadful warp storms that had driven Ultramar and its surroundings worsened further soon whispered The Navigators the Empire of the ultramarines might be cut off from The Wider Galaxy altogether it was Grandmaster Valdes who finally confronted Gilman in a heated argument during which the Grand Master dared the primark's Wrath he forced German to acknowledge that which he already knew weeks of labor had been for naught Gilman was not healing his subjects for such was not his gift in the Weeping plague waldus recognized all the Hallmarks of nurgle most likely the plague God was simply withdrawing his dubious blessings from his victims upon Gilman's arrival they gleefully restoring them once the Primark had moved on the Lord of Ultima was playing into the plague God's hands his desire to save his people perverted into a never-ending trap of entropy and despair though Furious killman accepted Wallace's wisdom further he saw that nogo's desire had been to trap him within his own realm and to keep him from The Wider Galactic stage the Primark realized then that his desire for completeness for a neat solution and an unsolid Ultramar was in itself an echo of mistakes he had made long ago Nogle did not wish kiliman to leave Ultramar because there the Primark could be contained like a wasp in a bottle but this war did not belong to Ultramar alone it was a war for the entire Imperium killerman saw that he could waste no more time focusing solely upon his own Empire he must tend instead to his fathers with a heavy heart reboot Goodman stopped his efforts to end the Weeping plague instead charging his apothecaries and chaplains with finding a spiritual cure for what was clearly a spiritual affliction the Primark announced his intention to set out upon a great journey once before when the dark Gods had threatened the Imperium of mankind the Primark of the ultramarines had reached Terror too late to do his duty he would not make that mistake again intended to journey to Terror to kneel at the foot of the Golden Throne and ask his father for guidance conscious of the worsening warp storms lashing the space Lanes of Ultramar gilliman announced his attention to make for Terror as soon as a suitable Force could be assembled the Primark would not travel alone the Galaxy had become a dark and dangerous place while the attempts by slan Ash and nurgle to tempt and trick him hachong Gilman that his resurrection had draw the eyes of the ruinous powers the war across Ultramar was still ongoing however with geleman leaving it would require strategically gifted Warriors to keep pushing the forces of chaos back as such Gilman gathered a select force of battle brothers from the first second and third companies of the ultramarines to accompany him to Terror and gave the honor of their command to Captain Cato zakarius he further requested the Grand Master Valdes and the gray Knights of the third Brotherhood joined their Crusade others pledged their aid to the primark's cause including the assembled strength of the primogenitors and Emperor's champion amarich and his black templar's brethren the saint The Inquisitor and the archimagos Dominus accompanied the Primark or soul whatever a day or the military forces under them could provide the Primark would be gladly given Goodman gratefully accepted all offers of Aid before commanding marneus calgar Chief librarian tigurias and Captain agimon to remain and lead the reconquest of Ultramar the Inari meanwhile chose this moment to depart the Eldar had their own Wars to fight and had already lingered over long amidst human affairs though Kadir had fallen world still remained upon which the black pylon stood strong and it was to these that the Inari would now attend redirecting those of their race who would listen to defend them the Sebastian Crusade had come to its end in its place the Terran Crusade would begin mere days after Gillman made known his intentions the Imperial Fleet set out engines burning hot as they began to Journey to the Cradle of mankind the audience chamber was empty but for a vein the visakh and Gilman in a matter of hours the Terran Crusade would depart mccrack if the Primark had found a few moments to speak to the Inari leaders alone even after weeks of mutually fruitful Alliance most Warriors would have been cautious but standing alone in the presence of two such Sinister and Powerful xenos Gilman was not most Warriors it will be a long and dangerous Journey said if rain the Galaxy grows darker by the day Havoc air Primark you may have cheated death once but you are not invincible nodded solemnly could I say nothing that will convince you to join us on our road I have come to Value the strength of you and your warriors greatly these past weeks you cannot if rain replied already we have given you the gift of rebirth not to mention a number of our people's lives is that not enough it is a debt I'm sure won't be forgotten said the Primark Before you depart tell me this cool may have fashioned the armor that I wear but it was not he alone who ensured my resurrection was it if rain smiled to Murray his technology would have healed your physical wounds rubute but you and I know that the worst damage has been done to your soul so no Primark it is by the grace of iniad that you stand once more amongst the living if you wish to remain however I would caution you against removing your warplate not that you could easily do so Africa passed across Gilman's features at this a faint ghost of pain well hidden swiftly replaced my Stony mask of Duty I could press you for greater insights into the powers that brought me back and assurances against any tint in their nature said killerman noting how the Inari stiffened their postures at this but I suspect that our Newfound understanding is of more value to my father's realm than my own satisfaction and that those answers would not come easily Reign inclined her head while the visarch silently eased his hand away from the hilt of his blade thus instead I shall simply wish you victory in your ongoing battles against our mutual foes may you walk with Fortune rebute Gilman said of rain I know that we shall stand together in battle again before whatever end befalls us offered an elaborate Warrior's salute to Gilman who nodded kirtley in return before the Eldar turned and swept gracefully from the chamber no doubt we will remember the Primark thoughtfully watching the enigmatic xenos withdraw as long as it serves your needs across the void the warp churned it roiled and raged temporal Riptides and squalls of insanity wrenched and battered at Gillman's Fleet whirlpools of arrogance frenetic storms of anger and lust becoming strains of misery circled by hungry demonic entities Ore had to be braved as a crusade pushed on on the pleas of their Navigators the ship's Captain's dared only short jumps through the warp these quick and terrifying spins ended more often than not in frantic crashed dives into real space as the dangers became too great several crafts were lost and many captains besieged Saint Celestine for her blessings to safeguard their Passage the pride of Hera suffered a getterfield breach that saw the slouching Demons of the play God spill like animad passed through its corridors inquista grayfax rallied a force of adeptosoritas and predators of Orpheus Space Marines to fight back against the Monstrous creatures cleansing flame and Sanctified bolts were used to drive the Demonic infestation back deck by deck forcing them away from the life support systems that they had sought to befile with spores and infectious filth gravex herself ended the incursion in a swift duel with a bloated plague demon that led the invasion leaping from a Gantry down onto the things nurgle-born throne and slaying the Abomination with a single blow despite many such Horrors and an ever-increasing toll of Lies lost none in the terrain Crusade so much as spoke of turning back they braved the warp storms at the behest of a living Primark on a mission to Holy Terror itself those who quailed in the face of such a momentous calling would surely be damned Gilman traveled aboard his chapter's ancient Flagship mccrag's honor a craft that unlike so much around him provided the Primark with welcome Haven of familiarity he had hoped that the warp storms around Ultramar were sent to entrap him but as the Crusade Fleet traveler further from his realm and the storms continued to rage the Primark was disabused of this hopeful notion every time The Fleets dropped out of warp gilliman had his astral pass combed the darkness of the Void seeking to ensnare every fragment of information he could about the state of the Imperium with the immaterium in turmoil those astropathic communiques had made it through were jumbled and nightmarish to interpret what knew was the Crusade Fleet managed to gather was uniformly Dire and left all who heard them cold with Dread whole systems were ravaged by a natural phenomena demonic incursions and plagues of mutation psychos proliferated bringing with them horrific manifestations and outbursts of Terror and Madness loyalist populations rose up as howling mobs of mad eyed cultists entire armies of xenos saturated in the energies of the warp fought alongside demons to bring death to the worlds of the Imperium starforwards cried out for help their corridors prowled by unnatural warp entities that preyed upon their garrisons Imperial fleets and convoys flung distressed cores into the Imperium as they were dragged like years off course or beset by terrifying empiric predators those who knew of such things could not help but taught parallels with the rumored Terrors of old night and with the age of strife but none not even gilliban dead air such a thought aloud despite the lethal roiling of the warp the Terran Crusade forged onwards for the soldiery aboard the ships the weeks called passed in an Agony of inactivity and agitation a constant state of high alert was required for each wide for at any moment they might come under sudden attack yet for all their constant training drilling patrolling and waiting still nothing occurred even amongst the Superhuman Warriors of the adeptostatis tempers frayed in an action chafed for the thousands of hellert Naval armsmen and chapter cerse who crude and Garrison the vast warships the constant state of Readiness in Italy took its toll the expectation of danger became the norm to the point that lexness crept in an awareness slipped when at last the fleet was threatened it came so suddenly that even the adeptice astartes and cult mechanicus were caught off guard the Terran Crusade had reached the trailing edges of the Maelstrom and had found it swollen with fearsome new power The fleet's Navigators moaned and screamed describing something akin to an endless impossibly immense tornado thundering in the warp where safe channels should have existed the billowing fringes of the Maelstrom had consumed all even the light of the astronomicon became faltering and now impossible to see fearing for the safety of their brutalized craft the fleet's captains ordered immediate translations to real space one by one the Imperial warships tore through the meniscus of reality streamers of glowing ectoplasm trailing from their hulls as they plunged back into the cold darkness of the Void yet the Thunder shuddering on board each craft continued intensified violently as impacts flared upon void Shields and smashed through armored Hulls the hawk Lords figured Wings Of Glory was ripped apart by a string of punishing explosions before its crew even knew who or what was attacking them an ultramarine strike Cruiser primark's wrath sustained crippling damage after colliding with the white console's Cruiser hope and fire as both ships attempted blind evasive maneuvers frantic orders filled the Vox net and echoed through cavernous ships Bridges as Furious captains attempted to escape to establish the nature of the threat had the fleet dropped out of the warp and straight into an asteroid field had they by some horrible chance emerged into the midst of a hostile foe as allspixes awoke an observation dex1 shrouded The Bleak truth became clear the scattered ships of the Terran Crusade had indeed exited the immaterium straight into the Thundering guns of an enemy Armada but it looked as though this was no accident of chance a raid in perfect Ambush formations with dozens of treater warships bearing Baroque and ancient markings upon their Hulls dollarless realized that a vast Fleet of the Thousand Sun surrounded them deployed as though they had known precisely where and when the Imperial forces would emerge from the warp at the heart of the enemy hung a strange craft a surpassing immensity only gilliman truly understood its appearance recognizing a vast silver facsimile of the Great Pyramid of tiska that psychopia and crystal structure had once stood as the crowning glory in the Thousand Sun's Capital City upon their Homeworld of Prospero now it was resurrected in this monstrous magnified new form vast as a planetoid bristling with gun decks of baffling shape and function and boasting an immense red crystal eye upon one flank the insane structure was clearly both Flagship and starford for the enemy Fleet gileman knew his brothers well and here in his grandiose War engine he saw all the Hallmarks of the demon Primark Magnus the raid to the lawyer Street's rear loomed the squirming spiral arms of the Maelstrom towering wall of unnatural energies and whirling sorcery the promised Madness and death who therefore was a Titanic pyramid of Magnus its attendant warships already pummeling galliman's Armada with little Choice the Imperials fought as best they could in their scattered dispersal Torpedoes fired from launch tubes streaking through the void to blast ragged holes in heretic warships Fighter Squadron scrambled jetting out into the darkness like swarming insect lanceray's spat Ruby light and gun deck stunted as the Imperial ships frantically attempted to fight free of their ambushing foes yet the Imperial craft were taking a terrible hammering void Shields collapsing and ruptured decks venting screaming crewmen into space engines flared out and died under volley after volley of macro shells while roon in scripted Torpedoes swept in to fill loyalist Bridges and magazines with warp Flame galliman issued a steady stream of orders to his captains doing everything in his power to gather his ships and fight back inwardly he raged both at his Fallen brother's deviousness and his own failure to foresee the Ambush by comparison Magnus watched with a new satisfaction from the grand observation Galley aboard his pyramidal Flagship he had fashioned the vast craft named kiska's Revenge using the plundered resources of an imperial world and the nameless energies of the warp now he conjured these empiric Powers again for an altogether different purpose a cabal of powerful Sorcerers stood around Magnus chanting ominous words as he raised his arms high and cried out in stentorian tones the Crimson King called and a warp answered coiling tendrils of power coalescing to surround Gilman's battered Fleet Magnus judged the Damage Done to be sufficient he had no desire to kill his resurrected brother not yet anyway thus with a final booming incantation Magnus completed his spell the empiric tendrils clamped tight round the ships of the Terran Crusade hand with a vast convulsive wrench dragged them deep into the Raging heart of the Maelstrom into the Maelstrom pandemonium sees the ships of the Terran Crusade crushing tendrils of empiric energy wound about the craft like the tentacles of some Leviathan Beast bulkheads crumpled Shields blew out raging fires and punishing gravity fluctuations tore through decks powerless to resist the warships were plucked from reality and dragged into the warp desperate Tech adapts stumbled over their rituals as they stove madly to raise their ship's Gellar field some succeeded but other craft were inundated with howling masses of demons as they were dragged unwarded into the warp Madness and Slaughter ran Rife and only the storage determination of the Imperial armies aboard each ship prevented the Terran Crusade from being utterly annihilated by the time magnus's spell ran its course the ships of the Terran Crusade had been cast deep into the Maelstrom giloran's Fleet had at least been spat from the more of the war once more but the region they now found themselves in was a cursed one within the Maelstrom reality in the immaterium melted together in a strange morass the stars were lost behind drifting veils of unnatural energy and twisted worlds hung amidst the shimmering Gloom while belisarius call coordinated emergency repair Crews to shore up Mall ships and save the worst damage craft from destruction Gilman and his captains tallied the cost of the ambush their losses were sobering from a vast Fleet of 112 Space Marine Imperial Navy and adeptus mechanicus warships Barry Huff remained some had been lost during the Thousand Sun's Ambush Bonaparte by blistering Firepower War had vanished during the subsequent Mayhem cast pharah drift upon the tides of the immaterium some doubtless would have made it to real space scattered distance from the main body of the fleet others were surely lost or worse all of the fighter craft launched during the brief battle were gone their Crews doomed to a cold and lonely death in the void of space hundreds upon hundreds of chapter certs human crew and serviters were injured insane or dead and even the Space Marines had taken substantial casualties the Terran Crusade had been reduced to a shadow of its former military strength not one warship had survived the Ambush unscathed and many were sorely damaged crushing though the sudden losses were they were still not with a Goodman's greatest worry meeting in his strategium with the assembled Imperial and Space Marine leaders Gillman expressed his belief that the Thousand Sons must have known by some infernal means where and when the Crusade would break from the warp Fleet had been surrounded why not strike the killing blow the Primark knew all too well that Magnus did nothing without a plan so why had he allowed his erstwhile brother to survive it was a question that returned to torture the leaders of the Crusade again and again in the dark days that followed stranded deep in the Maelstrom with no sight of The Emperor's astronomic and to guide them the surviving Warriors of the Terran Crusade required some means by which they could determine their location and find their way back into real space seizing upon the faint Transmissions emanating from a nearby Moon The Crusade made for the dark planetoid in the hope of either capturing a traitor who could act as their unwilling guide or else gaining access to heretic extrication instruments hardened against the roiling energies of the warp Landing parties mounted gunships and drop pods streaking down through thin pale Skies onto a dark and gassy world the Loyalists found vitrified continents Barren of life and tormented by powerful screaming winds an unnatural light glowed deep within the world's glass heart and left all who glimpsed it with an ominous sense of dread the Crusades Strike Force located an armored fortification amongst the range of mountains clinging limpet-like amidst glistening Peaks Gilman himself led the attack the breach to defenses fighting to his disgust the Ragged band of renegade Space Marines Garrison The Fortress crosses dorbed over these Warriors chapter iconography identified them as red core Sayers and the Primark vintages pent-up anger and frustration upon the luckless traitors the battle was brief Gilman and a trio of valdez's dreadnites slaughtering the Renegades leaders however when getterman successfully seized the last traitor alive in the Fortress Vox array a diabolical manifestation occurred the air crackled and grime cored across the metal walls of the chamber as a menacing demonic presence spoke through the captor's mouth and two mocking voices the presence told Gilman that even now Ultima burned the evil thing cackled that the Primark had abandoned his people to wander the Maelstrom forever then it twisted the head of the captive around with a sickening crack Gilman cursed as his only lead expired amidst the sizzle and bang of overloading Vox Banks [Music] he vowed to locate the demon and bring the truth from it no matter what he had to endure after their encounter on the glass Moon The Crusade Fleet wandered aimlessly with no indication of the course that would take them to Terror Gillman picked a direction based upon his best guess and instructed his captains to turn to that heading for the moment hoping to reach the maelstrom's edge seemed the only available plan how long they journeyed none could say for time did not pass normally and had sanity Divine place the Primark was tormented by the words of the demon and sought out any opportunity to discover what might be occurring outside the Maelstrom his opportunity came when Scout ships reported Heritage Kraft patrolling a twisted fleshy planet that hung amidst a cloud of huge crystalline skulls ordering an immediate attack Gilman commanded that the Gathering of intelligence should be treated as a priority Maps charts cartographic hymnals traitor Navigators or whatever passed for astral pass in his hellish Place were all to be seized the fleet swept down upon the flesh world only for the planet to fight back the Renegade ships belonged to a warband of Emperor's Children who began a thunderous empiric resonance that caused devastating Sonic shock waves to burst from the mouse of the crystal skulls at the same time the planet itself unfurled augmented tentacles sutured onto its living surface these monstrous appendages snatched several mechanical ships from the void and stuffed them into a continent-sized more that unpocketed the planet's North Pole sustained torpedo bombardment finally suffered the world's iron clad tentacles while Lance fire shattered dozens of the crystalline scars and crippled several of The Emperor's Children warships the remaining treated craft turned tail leaving their comrades to be boarded yet getterman's sense of Triumph was once again short-lived though dozens of star charts and Maps were recovered all were blank say for the demons mocking words to Gilman in the red Corsair Fortress repeated over and over again whatever this entity was it clearly sought to torment the Primark personally on darker paths amidst fluctuating time streams and reality warping energy storms the damaged ships of the Crusade struggled on within the Maelstrom lurked countless foes for this was a region that had long harbored the warring minions of Chaos more than once the Imperial ships were forced to fight off opportunistic raids by Sleek hunting packs of treated warships amidst a thousand mile wide cloud of corrosive spores The Crusade ships found themselves beset by swarms of vast plague flies as large as frigates the Monstrous insects took a Savage toll upon the smaller ships of the Crusade until Saint Celestine took to the Navigator's observation blister of the macrag's honor unleashing her Holy Light in a blazing shock wave the living Saint purged the Hideous demon beast from the void in another Uncharted reach the Crusade craft found ghostly phantasms whirling around their hulls howling warped ghosts screamed through the corridors of the Space Marine craft swarming around their ancient relics and honored banners of their acoustium shrines he adapted societies realized to their horror that these etheric leeches were draining the holy energies from their treasured relics dragging faint screaming ghosts from the enshrined Helms blades and Scrolls in this fight the gray Knights came to the fore Walda swiftly splitting his Brotherhood and deploying them by rapid teleport strike into his allies shrines fighting alongside the outraged chaplains who guarded the relics the demon hunting Warriors drove the war bleachers back and banished them to the void so it went for an indeterminate and bewildering span of time that felt impossible centuries as the Crusade Fleet forged on the supply is running low and the crews exhausted by constant battle the boutique Gilman became ever angrier and more distracted unbeknownst to all the Primark was bedeviled by horrific visions Gilman saw the realm of Ultramar inflamed and the bastions of mankind blowing away as Ash upon the blood wet Winds of Change he was tormented by images of Mars shattered into hundreds of pieces and raining down as flaming meters upon the once proud ruin of Terror he saw the Golden Throne as a sparkling fire eased wreck the emperor's beckoned corpse burning within it demonic voices whispered into gilliland's mind day and night if they had told him the scenes he saw had already come to pass that would have been cool enough but this torment was more cunning yet for instead the voices told kiriman that the Visions were flashes of foresight there were glimpses of a singly dark fate that would transpire only should he escape the Maelstrom and complete his journey to Terra relenting his attempt to escape except his warpainted prison for all eternity given to Madness and despair and he would save the Imperium from coming to this terrible end Erman wrestled internally with each passing day yet he showed no sign of his struggle to those who look to him for leadership and Hope the Primark maintained his veneer of strength and continued to pursue his goal of Escape determined that he would not believe the lies of any entity that inhabited that hellish place still the Primark resolve eroded slowly as a cliff washed away by the endless ocean waves long had the Crusade Fleet sailed the maelstrom's corrupted Tides when they came to bathamore in the hours before they Hove into orbit the name of this cursed World left into the minds of every psycher in the fleet repeating over and over in a malicious whisper until those had heard them cried the planet's name aloud or spec scans revealed an infernal world of kaleidoscopic Crystal jungles laced through by glimmering rivers of Fire and they also showed Vox signatures and energy readouts consummate with a sizable Renegade present and so gilliman ordered the captains of the Terran Crusade Fleet to prepare their forces for an immediate combat drop once more intelligence gathering would be Paramount with their sanity and resolve weakening by The Day The Crusade knew they must escape the maosum soon or perish within the seemingly endless expanse of Tainted space sweeping down from on high the Imperial Army slammed into the crystal jungles amidst explosions of jagged shards advancing upon the greatest concentration of energy signatures the loyalist forces cursed in anger and bewilderment as their auspic's readings winked out like Willow the Wisps the next moment xinjiang demons attacked from all sides barrages of sorceress flame are mutilating energies clawed at the ultramarines and their allies Crystal trees detonated like huge fragmentation bombs lacerating all who fought around them in the midst of the madness rubute Gilman found himself face to face with the architect of the devious ambush a crow King two-headed nightmare clad in shimmering robes and wielding a potent staff of temporal powers keros fateweaver coalesced from amidst a glittering storm of Crystal shard confronting Gilman one of the Hideous demons avian heads mocked the primark's continued efforts to escape sneering that he had scried every possible stand of the future and every last one ended in his failure Chaos's other head Crow the Gilman had always been the most unremarkable of The Emperor's sons and was as incapable of saving the Imperium now as he was when he fell to his Superior brother man bellowed him Fury and drove Keras back with swings of his burning blade before leading his stricken forces in a fighting retreat The Crusade and its leader would not fall to the oracle's manipulations so easily anxious as to the feet of The Wider Imperium and with several ships now left scaffold in their wake due to accumulated battle damage The Crusade Fleet Came Upon a world of black marble and bloody sea they struck hard and fasting in several red Corsair stronghold eliminating outlying enclaves before finally laying Siege to a fortified pass upon a claw shaped Headland above booming gory waves while archimagos core coordinated The Siege grayfax and sicarius led a daring raiding party that threw opened the palace's main gates and sealed heretic's tomb Gilman knew that this Victory offered a brief respite at best the screaming of the bloody ocean was eroding his followers sanity amongst Ashen Skies overhead huge dark shapes stirred with a promise of terrible Danger yet the logistics of stripping the corsair's Fortress would take time even with the primark's meticulously efficient plans thus as mechanicus bulk haulers rumbled back and forth through the planet's atmosphere Gilman found himself wandering alone through the Twisted citadel's corridors it was as he entered the Chamber of Crystal statues that a shimmering Mist Rose before the primark's eyes amidst the swirling patterns of light and Shadow a slender figure flickered into being killerman caught the suggestion of willowy Limbs and billowing cloth a curving alien Helm and a long Stave before the figure spoke like its image The manifestation's Voice swam in and out of Gilman's perception yet the Lord of Ultramar was able to decipher instructions from the figure's words Gilman was wary of further trickery suspicious and played by Echoes of the Demonic Whispers that chaos fatewither are projected into his mind yet he sends no taint of Chaos in this manifestation the energies given off by the shimmering Vision were more akin to those of the Eldar who had aided his resurrection at last after repeating its message several times the figure vanished leaving the Primark with new sense of purpose and perhaps even a sliver of Hope here at last was a heading and Gilman meant to follow it through the storm upon leaving the world of black marble and blood the remnants of the Crusade free set out with a new determination The Crusade now numbered a third of the ships that had departed from Ultramar but they were still led by gullerman's Flagship mccrag's honor and they still stood ready for battle at any moment they had a heading at last albeit one derived from The Omen lead and Whispers of an unknown figure drives lit with Thunder's Flame the warships of the Imperium close through veils of Frozen icor and showers of meteors encrusted with staring eyes they followed a distant glimmering star of pure white until it resolved itself into a massive flaming hole in reality turning to a new heading as this prophesied Landmark was reached The Crusade swept next through a sprawling region of move gas clouds that formed into unrecognizable sigils and shimmered with the Eldritch power of change emerging from the far edge of the gas belt after many days the Crusades or specs is detected a Triad of planets all whirling around one another in an endless dance this again was just as the mystical interloper had told kiliman it would be and the primarks who swelled within him had the promise of Escape following the strangers directions the feat changed his heading once again angling away from the spinning mass of planet and making for a distantly visible constellation of jade green glimmers soon if the Eldar Apparition was to be believed The Crusade would at last escape from the Maelstrom but they would first have to breathe what the figure had described as the resting place of horror ghosts mad first the region appeared as a silvered speckling of space stretching out in all directions ahead of the fleet gradually those glimmering moats grew in size in definition until at a distance of No More Than A Thousand Miles they resolved themselves into a breathtaking and Eerie sight thousands upon thousands of red ships drifted here the Hawks linked together by vast webs of brass chain lit by the Jade stars that loomed in the middle distance derelict craft of every sort trailed wreckage behind them as they hung silently and they're cursed afterlife some were familiar ancient marks of Imperial warship spent a boned Eldar wrecks hollowed crude Wars fears broken backed crud Warren ships and the empty remnants in their Casa dowels others were unidentifiable back needles of glassy material ravaged structures like spaceborne highs vast angular leviathans and Tiny ellipsoid ships little bigger than a drop pond how they had all come to be abandoned here was an unsettling puzzle the hazard a day and their binding chains presented was clear enough however the first thought of Gilman and his captains was to attempt to circumnavigate the Starship graveyard yet the ships trailed away seemingly into Infinity above below until either side if the Crusade wished to pass this way and it seemed that they must if they wanted their freedom then they would have to push forward between the ranks killerman gave the order spreading out with their battle barges to the fore The Crusade ships engaged their drives and raised their voyagers before edging into the graveyard progress was painfully slow for in places the wrecks were chained just a mile or so apart Tangled in vast chain webs like the prey of some Cosmic arachnid Tech Magi and chapter surf flinched and sweated at each new scrape and grown from their craft tiles as the ships forged their slow and steady path despite exercising every caution the larger ships could not completely avoid Collision ice cold chain links left vast gashes and dents as they skidded across reinforced experience ancient wreckage broke apart and Scattered into the void as here and there a battle barge or strike Cruiser nosed aside a drifting ship that blocked its path each fresh Collision each breathless near mess left a cruise nerves frayed and passengers on edge as the hours called past finally after torture stretch of time archimagos caller announced that he was reading clear space ahead they were nearing the edge of the debris field and more leaving still it appeared that they were nearing the edge of the Maelstrom past the last chained wrecks The Navigators who had been near comatose for many days could perceive a distant flicker they awoke muttering with increasing excitement that they could see once more The bearish Shred of the astronomicon's light as though it shines through the Gap in a partly opened window Gilman counseled caution and ordered his Crews to continue their careful steady progress yet he too grew more hopeful by the moment they would escape the Harris region into which his brother Magnus had hurled them at last they could continue on the on their Road it was as the mccraig's honor SATs aside the ravaged Hulk of an iconoclass destroyer and an open path to the edge of the graveyard yawned before it that the attack came cries of alarm rang through the flagship's bridge as power spikes flared amidst the Derricks on every side drifting chaos warships lit their dries and unshrouded gundex as their internal power sources thundered to life it was an ambush the red corsairs had laid their trap with cunning and skill Guided by the precognitive powers of Chaos fateweaver they had inveigled their ships into the far edge of the Starship graveyard precisely where keros foresaw the loyalist Fleet would pass through with a careful application of cosmetic Hull damage and all internal systems shrouded to minimize output they had mag clamped several Links of chain to their hulls and posed as just another scattering of lost craft now rumbling back to life all around the shocked loyalist the red Corsair ships launched an ambush of the enemy enamaged plants being seared through adamantium hulls Noble Warriors who had survived countless trials were obliterated by raging firestorms or sucked helplessly out into the void Golem and cursed of what must surely be further zinci imaginations hemmed in an outflanked his fleet was at a catastrophic disadvantage civil Imperial warships attempted to break free of the Starship graveyard these crafts were quickly targeted and in the case of the Raven guard frigate silent blade Sean clean in two the rest fought back hammering fire into the void and tearing chunks from their attacker's ships at point-blank range chaos Firepower continued to rain down upon Gilman's Fleet in a veritable storm the Primark saw that the foe securing their numerical and positional superiority were aiming to his ships rather than destroy them weapons batteries or specs arrays and engineariums were blasted one by one leaving the Crusade ships drifting and defenseless knew what must surely come next and cursed out loud as he saw a wave after wave of boarding Torpedoes released from the launch decks of the attacking craft the red corsairs were first and foremost Pirates now they sought to steal as many of the Crusade ships as they could along with the arms and armor Within barking orders for his Warriors to prepare for borders Gilman's mind world with counter Ambush strategies and breakout plans defense batteries studied the miles long flanks of democrag's Honor as the enemy bought in craft street closer those guns were to life filling the void with soaring streams of Firepower Gilman watched the external picked feeds intently reading the patterns of destroyed foes and near misses and determining where the enemy's forces would hit his ship the hardest the Primark narrowed his eyes as the vessel's primary or Spec's array took a direct hit and the picked feeds drowned in static turning away from the useless data front Gilman issued a calm string of orders that were circulated Fleet wide for all those who could still hear him the Primark commended a remarkable courage and strength he gave the order that All Ships deploy their forces to defend their Bridges primary magazines Shield generators and warp engines then swallowing his own distaste at the religious connotations of the term wish that Emperors blessings upon all who are about to engage the foe those who repelled borders were to break free and Rendezvous Beyond the Edge of the Maelstrom as best they could his orders issued and Captain zakarius Saint Celestine an Inquisitor graphex at his side gilliman darned his Helm and joined the Warriors he had deployed to defend the bridge he listened intently as Vox transmission flew back and forth throughout the Ship boarding Torpedoes impacted by the Dozen the lower crew decks were overrun Sergeant astrop officer's Devastators held the bulkheads before the engineering Primus then came the news that a demonic creature had manifested aboard sweeping towards the bridge at the head of a Celtic horde mere moments later the bridge block had shuddered then exploded inwards upon a bow wave of a natural Flame mccrag's honor the chaos Onslaught was Swift and Savage it had to be for though the ultramarines were outnumbered they held an incredibly defensible position against the enemy boarding parties kiliman's Sons crouched behind consoles are truly designed to double as barricades in the event of a breach more of their number occupied Innovative positions on gantries and balconies overlooking the bulkhead taking up positions amidst the looming Grandeur of the bridge the first servant of cows to bound and cartwheel onto the bridge and absolutely no cover whatsoever pink Horizons were engulfed in A Storm of disciplined expertly aimed fire that ripped them to pieces until the meat grinder poured more and more demons while behind them squads of red corsairs lunged through the Blasted bulkhead and dashed for any color they could find baltus roared their Mast Echo and stobing muzzle flare rolling around a bridge like a raging thunderstorm demons exploded in passive ectoplasm smaller sumokra bursting from their corpses to be mowed down in turn ER Space Marines clad in the deface deliveries are a dozen chapters filled dead upon the killing ground their armored corpses continuing to Twitch and jerk as more rounds struck them both shells plasma blasts last beams and missiles fell like hail Stones nipping the deck plates to blackened ruin and annihilating dozens of Invaders invariably though the borders began to gain ground a jetting blast of purifier leapt out to turn a Gantry to slime sending a squad of red corsair's Terminators tumbling a hundred feet into the Vox beats below a cluster of crack grenades rained down upon a console barricade The detonations Killing one veteran and forcing two more to beat a hasty retreat in the moments before he fell a red Corsair unloaded his plasma gun into another barricade killing several ultramarines before being killed by his own overheated weapon exploding in his hands so it went on the enemy eroding Gilman's defenses through Reckless assault then came chaos the first warning the Loyalists had of the greater demons onset was a thickening of the air as the Imperium stirred librarian Polonius cried out in sudden Agony hands climbed to his skull and eyes bulging as the energies of his own mind were turned against him fast as Lightning Gilman hold himself aside barging Captain zakarius clear in the instant before polonius's body detonated in a wave of blue fire several ultramarines were not so lucky their arm of dissolving and flesh turning to Ash as the Flames washed over them as the commanders of the ultramarines reeled the next reign of Firepower to fall upon the killing box was transmogified instead of mass reactive shells and whistling grenades all that struck the attacking hordes were shimmering Starlight and wisps of silver Steam a fresh wave of Leaping flame as and cackling Horrors surged through the bulkhead and looked to the attack more red corsairs came with them lumbering chaos Terminators and Fang helmed warriors with baltus blazing step back his ragged Wings spread wide and his staff tapping before him came Kira's fate weaver himself seeing the Lord of change gilliman roared a Battle Cry uncharged sicarius and his Warriors followed close on their primark's heels while graphics and Celestine hurled themselves into the foe to either side filament storms through demons and traitors alike his flaming swords swiping in Unstoppable arcs volleys are shell standard from the hand of dominion while the crushing fist obliterated an enemy with every blow demons exploded in sprays of a natural i-core before Gilman's Fury while those treated as foolish enough to stand in his path were smashed aside like ragdolls following the trail of Carnage wrought by their Primark sicarius and his battle brothers hacked and blasted those enemies who tried to encircle Gilman sakaris himself was a blur his talisarian Tempest blade drawing golden arcs through the air as it robbed horned Helms from armored soldiers and spit demons in two at the same time blinding light Shone from Saint Celestine as she carved her way through the warp spawn and Inquisitor Graphics sent one traitor after another crashing to their knees as she crushed their minds with her telepathic powers it did not take care of his matchless future site to foresee that his enemy would attempt to reach and slay him the Lord of change was no match for Gilman in battle but armed with his faultless precognition he had long prepared for this moment now as a lord of Ultramar smashed his way closer keros said devious schemes in motion by unleashing Apostle blue flame from his staff nine Herald zozinch had worked their way through the Press of battle concealed behind shimmering spells of Illusion a keras's signal the layering demons cast aside their sorcerer's shroud and began a babbling incantition bald shells whipped in towards the Heralds the moment they appeared but their demon minions left willingly into the path of the shot shielded by the shimmering flesh of their underlings the Heralds continued their chant nine voices rolling and twinning with each other over the cacophony of battle raising the staff of Tomorrow high above his head kerros joined his croaking voices to the burgeoning spell since Gilman had first encountered the Maelstrom began to hear keras's whispering in his mind the gator demon had been planning Chaps in the Primark subconscious it had not been easy for Gilman's mind was a pristine Fortress of order and rationality in his mental defenses were formidable yet slowly carefully the deed had been done Keras had teased fourth Gilman's guilt his anger and disappointment at what remained of the Imperium his fears for its future the demon had intended to continue his work and though a Primark was quite mad before attempting this ritual but the intervention of the Eldar and forced keros's hand his preparations would have to be enough or else Gilman would surely banish him back to the warp and Escape swaying and gibbering spinning and leaping the demons worked their spell and dragged forth the incantations laced within Gilman's mind the Primark stumbled bellowing in pain a stream of incandescent energy poured from his eyes and open mouth squirming tendrils of green guilt twined around Serpentine streamers of disgust and surging red tendrils of anger engulfed by the whirling storm of energies gilliman tried again to forge a path forward but with a howl of pain he went down on one knee gray facts bogged down in the morass of combat could only watch helplessly while celestine's attempt to fly to the primark's aid was thwarted as several demons latched on her wings sicarius and his battle brothers trying out in impotent Fury trying to cut their ways through the foe hoping to stop the incantation in any way they could the second company Captain ordered all fire concentrated upon the demons tormenting the Primark it did no good those shots aimed at Keras puffed away as clouds of glittering dust while Heralds remained shielded behind squirming ball walks of demon flesh though the outnumbered ultramarines fought furiously they could not reach the Demonic sorceress to stop their ritual roaring his anger kiliman surged to his feet once more hammering off a volley of shells that struck Keras fateweaver and ripped bloody chunks from his gaunt torso though the demon was wounded sorely by the explosive impact his chant did not stop instead it redoubled in intensity the Demon's voices ringing out cruel and cold whirling and lashing the colored streamers have ectoplasmic energy surge from the primark's mind all of Gillman's negative emotions all the threads of Madness and wrath and fear that Keras had seeded into his mind blossomed forth and wrapped themselves like the vines around the Primark they thickened and twisted pulsing with power as they hardened into heavy Crystal chains arms and legs bound tight get him and crashed to his knees once more this time held firmly by keros's spell he was unable to rise the Oracle projecting his voice to every Warrior upon the bridge commanded the ultramarines the saint and The Inquisitor to lay down their arms at once if they did not the Primark would be crushed and throttled to death before their very eyes one by one the guns fell silently as a horrified ultramarines complied the battle was over and Chaos fate Weaver stood gloating and Victorious chapter 3 they shall be my sons and in them we live the hopes of a unified Humanity theirs will be the strength to Prevail not only when Victory lies within easy reach but even when it seems unattainable when Doom settles like a shroud all about in those times of Darkness my Noble Sons will shine the brightest of all attributed to the Emperor of mankind warring guards with gideman's capture the battle of the Starship graveyard was lost those Imperial Warriors who did not surrender under threat of the primark's death were killed or forced to capitulate Champion Amore was amongst the latter wrestled down and beaten unconscious by a mob of red corsairs as he single-handedly held the breach into his ship's enginearum the Loyalists and their stolen warships were taken under heavy guard to the nearest Red Corsair stormhold to their shock this turned out to be one of the ancient Blackstone fortresses how such a mighty structure have found its way onto the tides of the Maelstrom none of the Imperial Warriors knew ultimately it matters little stripped of their weapons and their honor killerman and his surviving followers a force that included hundreds of Space Marines gray Knights and skitari along with their War engines were dragged into the depths of the trait of Fortress and hurled into spell shielded cells were changed with adamantium length while their leader still languished and the awful bonds of crystallized guilt anger sorrow and Madness that keros had forged from his psyche led by the Practical Lord verngar the apostate a huge warband of red corsairs Garrison the Blackstone Fortress much of the structure slumbered for the traitors lacked the knowledge to awaken the ancient construct or access the shrouded Regions near its heart stale their fortifications were well built their numbers huge and their Fleet powerful keros fate Weaver deems that this would be as good a prison as any to the rabute Gilman into rot though the Lord of change had been vehement in his efforts to remove Gilman from the galactic stage he did not wish the Primark dead a changed demigod was too rich a source of power to Simply cast aside and Chaos planned to keep his victim hidden away in the Maelstrom until certain future junctures were reached already the demon could see several moments where unleashing a Primark driven insane might produce most intriguing results the red corsairs for their part would rarely act as Gilman's jailers in return for the boons of foresight that keros could Grant and so the Fate Weaver felt confident that his captive would remain locked away perhaps it was a mysterious influence of the Fortress itself perhaps Gilman's anomalous presence within the strands of Fate distorted them in ways that even the Fate Weaver could not perceive whatever the case he made preparations to leave the Blackstone Fortress the demon did not foresee the vast horde descending upon him for the depths of the Maelstrom came an enormous Armada dozens upon dozens of ships thundered towards the Blackstone Fortress their hulls encrusted with Gore and skulls the Rune of corn was branded upon the spiked battleships and demonic fires danced in their wake before the fleet blazed the monsters blood red comet raised and Furious Black Flame a fanged more yawned wide upon that hurtling fireball an eye swimming with insane Fury stared from its depths so came scarbrand to the Blackstone Fortress blazing through the void to crash with explosive force into the station's outer Hull coronate warships sped in his wake Fanning out to hammer the battle station with Firepower even as teeming swarms of Landing crafts spilled from their flanks the red corsairs first surprised and then outraged at the sudden attack rallied swiftly and fought back even as their fortifications were opened to the void and blasted to Blazing scrap the corsair's gun battery cycled up and filled the void with fire Havoc Squad sent volleys or shots glancing out to blast landing craft from the air while obliterators directed withering fire into the Cornet hordes already spilling across the fortress's outer Hull a furious battle raged in the Silence of space thumping explosions plucking coordinate Berserkers from the fortresses night black skin and sending them tumbling away into the void within the Blackstone flashes of pale green luminescence danced along darkened corridors the ancient structure warning its denizens of danger red corsairs deployed in disciplined firing lines then filled entire passageways with crushing bolt of fire as masses of corned Warriors charge towards them chainax's car through armor and flesh while bolt riddled corpses crashed to the ground of flame through the Mayhem stalked keranath screeching with dismay at this unforeseen turn of events Conjuring fourth masses of zincsian demons he hurled them into battle in an attempt to drive back the Invaders get bloody Mists were gathering as the slaughter continued and from their depth Spang red scaled cohorts of coronate demons that eagerly joined the Carnage meanwhile deep within the Blackstone Fortress gilliman listened to the distant clanger and gathered his strength in case a chance to escape should arise strange alliances Furious battles sped like a wildfire through the outer corridors and Imperial structures of the Blackstone Fortress meanwhile deep within the fortress's hidden core Eldridge energies flickered into life unseen by the warring armies a band of figures slipped from a portal that had Lane in the fortress's heart since Adorn of its existence they moved swiftly and silently a lie's possession of Shadows accompanied by a larger robed figure that moved with the stealth of a ghost up through the darkened Labyrinth the figures came and the fortress's quiescent systems stirred to life at their approach the irish-shaped portals that had stood closed for thousands of years opened and the breaths of ancient Millennia gusted through dust stirred into drifting clouds of the figures passing but none amongst them left a single footprint Gilman and his ultramarines were shot inside cells that lined the circular walls of a huge cylindrical chamber these alcoves were closed off not by metal bars or locked doors but by flickering sheets of sorceress mutagenic flame a full Squad of red Corsair stood guard over them their guns trained unwaveringly upon the one functional doorway that led into the shadowy prison unseen another door slid open in the chamber's curving War directly behind the guards in absolute silence the harlequins of the Laughing God rolled tumbled and spanned from within their movements are Sinister danced to some unheard song of the Dead they drew closer to the Renegade Space Marines with every graceful step naked blades held ready for murder the first red corsairs knew of their apparel was a sudden Whirlwind attack from behind perfectly dispersed and leasably poised the eldorf struck with murderous Grace Rapier blades punched out through chest plates in sprays of blood monofilament needle slithered through the chinks in their victim's power armor liquefying organs in milliseconds Point Blank hails of shuriken and fusion energies hurled traitorous corpses to the floor in Mists of blood a single one of the treaters unhelmed unhorned-headed roared in pain as a harlequin drove her blades with one of its knee joints think cartwheel around him to kick his Bolter from his hands she completed her attack with an elegant backflip one foot catching the traitor under the chin and smashing him onto his back the Harlequin Spang away and the red Corsair fumbled for his sidearm he froze as a robed figure in ornate power armor loomed over him the traitor had never heard of Cipher for the Fallen Angel was an enigma whose existence was hidden from most he did however recognize the threat of the two heavy pistols now hover for his face wordlessly Cipher stared down at the red Corsair his eyes glinting beneath his cowl the traitor stared back yellowed gaze burning with Defiance and Hate Cipher gestured was one of his pistols towards the cells that lined the walls the movement was minimal but demeaning clear growling low in his throat the Corsair reached slowly into a pouch at his belt and Drew forth a rune inscribed amulet the key of dispelling the Magics that held the cells closed Cipher nodded his gratitude then raised one booted foot and stamped down on the traitor's head bones smashed and blood sprayed the corsair's body twitching then lying still holstering his bolt pistol the Fallen Angel plucked the key from his victim's open Gauntlet and then straightened up he found himself staring into the shifting mask of the Shadows here silhandry Vale Walker she had contacted girderman as he wandered lost in the Maelstrom she who had enlisted Cipher's Aid and instructed belisarius core to leave his forge on Mars Vale Walker sketched a mocking bow to Cipher then pointed her staff towards a distant cell with a nod Cipher turned and strolled toward it through dancing Flames Gillum and watched the Rogue figure approach the Primark did not recognize as coward Space Marine but he knew the legion whose colors he wore you are a booty gillerman said the mysterious Space Marine as he stopped outside the Primark cell and you were one of the Lion's Sons replied Gilman you keep questionable company Dark Angel who are you and why are you here I can free you replied the hooded figure dating not to answer the primark's questions realizing that no further explanation was forthcoming Gilman frowned Khan he rumbled not will what do you want in return you will take me to Terror replied the dark angel to the throne the malefic flames crackled and the distant sounds of battle rumbled on as Gilman silence stretched long even bowed and sorceress chains the primark's presence was immense his steady glare thunderous yet the dark angel stood unwavering like a statue card from granite gilliman strained once more against his bonds and again found him unyielding it seems my choices are to watch here or exceed to your demand said the Primark slowly the former would be to fail in my duty so I suppose it will have to be the lighter but understand this dark angel if you seek to trick or manipulate me nothing in this galaxy will save you one corner of the stranger's mouth lifted in a small bitter smile as you say he muttered then brandished the runic Stone held in his hand the Flames of Gilman's cell died away in response followed by the fires of every other cell around the chamber's edge demon War as the fires flickered out cilandry Vale Walker stepped forward and began a weaving elaborate dance Gilman's eyes widened as he recognized the figure who had appeared to him in his vision and directed him towards freedom had the Eldar meant for him to escape the Maelstrom or has she always intended The Crusade free to be ambushed and brought here such questions would have to wait realize the Primark as the Shadows here's Magics went to work shimmering lights coiled around the dancing Harlequin where the witch light fell the chains binding the loyalist Space Marines fell away as dark even the devious sorceries of chaos fateweaver were undone and Gilman smiled a dangerous Smile as his Crystal Fitters shattered the freed ultramarines still wore their armor but were unarmed answering their questions before they could be asked the shadow Seer revealed to the loyalist weapons their vehicles and their allies have been locked inside a string of stasis what some distance from their cells but that she could lead them there killerman gestured for his mysterious benefactor to lead on the Primark did not toss the Eldar nor the shadowy Space Marine who had come with them but while His Brilliant mind worked out the angles of their involvement he would allow them to lead him to the rest of his forces after all Gilman would never abandon his father's sword within this Denis snakes nor the courageous allies who had accompanied him upon his quest Vale Walker and her harlequin's led the loyalist out of the doorway through which she had entered the prison several hundred battle-hungry ultramarines followed her lead with Gilman sikaris and Cipher at their head it was a capable Force even without guns and blades and they traveled at a run under shadowed corridors and stairwells haste was more important than stealth even with the battle raging above their escape would soon be noticed the first stasis chamber they broke open contained Saint Celestine and her Gemini Superior the second brought a reunion with Ark Major's call and his mechanicus forces with June crawlers stalking at their backs and ranks as guitarium battle Services lending their Firepower the Loyalists swiftly overwhelmed the red Corsair standing guard over the final stasis chamber within they found not only volders his gray Knight brothers and their dreadnites but all the other Space Marines of the Crusade as well as the dozens of tanks and dreadlord brothers they had brought with them in their warships Captain Zacharias now suggested that they cut a swift path through the battle to reclaim their ships Vale Walker shook her head thousands of heretic astartis and demons battled Across The Fortress fighting around the docking Spas was thick any attempt to recover the crusade's craft was doomed the Loyalists still might have attempted to recapture their Fleet until the Shadows here told them that the human Crews who had kept the ship's operational were all dead sacrificed alongside the crusade's Imperial Guard and battle sisters worse the Freed's Navigators had been Spirited Away In Chains upon a fast ship Bound for Huron blackheart's personal Fortress fortunately Vale Walker knew another way to escape the root Cipher and the harlequins of the veiled path had used to reach kiriman and the route they would use to lead him on towards Terror at the fortress's Heart tremelled by ancient technology and still operational after Millennia was a stabilized route into the web way the pathways it led into were huge arterial roots that even Starships could navigate they would accommodate the Imperial war machines with ease bursting from the Armory the Imperial Army and their guides made for the lower tunnels The Awakening of the fortress's deep Chambers had not gone unnoticed however as they hastened further into the ancient structure the Loyalists encountered stiffening resistance from brands of red corsairs and demons sent to cut them off though gilliman and his followers fought furiously their Advance load too cruel pushing through a vast chamber of twisting Bridges and black chasms they found themselves surrounded on every side matters looked Grim but it was in that moment that spectral Flames leapt amidst the foe horseback's readings flickered wildly and ghostly voices whispered and hissed through the Vox networks a shadowy figure stepped from The Inferno and opened fire clad in black and Bone read an etheric fire the Legion of the Damned had arrived in the crusade's hour of need the thunderous volley swept the chaos forces from the bridges of two Gilman's four and with Vale Walker whirling and leaping at his side the Primark led the advanced once again long bloody minutes of battle followed gunfire flashing back and forth into Gloom though both sides raced as fast as they could to beat the other to the prize gilliman and his army reached the heart of the Blackstone Fortress at the same time as their foes the chamber itself was vast easily a hundred miles across both its ceiling and its floor were lost in Shadow enchancing patterns of shimmering lights crawled across the walls and flickered up and down the Titanic black column that Rose at the chamber's heart out from that column like the distorted branches of some dark arboreal deity radiated hundreds of bridges stairways platforms and gantries all shimmering with the same vaguely bioluminescent lights that danced across the walls countless dark doorways opened onto the Blackstone fortress's heart huge portals that seemed wrought for Giants from some spilled demons as each fires flaring amidst the darkness others vomited the Demons of corn low ping and snarling packs Across The Soaring Bridges wide enough for Titans to cross many of the massing Demons were still distant small figures rendered insectile by the scale of the chamber but great hooks of them would still intercept kiliman's forces before they could reach the heart of the chamber that was where they must go however Vale Walker indicated a distant platform set into the black column's flank upon it Gilman could see the faint Shimmer of esoteric energies dancing I knew that this was a web-weight entrance of which the shadow Seer spoke Gillman ordered the advance his forces flowed out across the nearest Bridges guided through the Labyrinth of interconnected platforms and Arc Bridges by the troops of the veiled path loping dreadnites and roaring Space Marine tanks led the way squads of adeptos are startis Green Knights and scotali advancing behind them The Crossing became more dangerous as Firepower whipped across the yawning dolphs to tear at the loyalist fighting broke out as red corsairs let fly from higher walkways and Cannons of corn spat screaming scars platforms as broad as parade grounds played host to crashing battles as packs of demon engines clashed with squadrons of ultramarine battle tanks the Loyalists fired as they moved blasting pass through the massing foe at the same time the forces of corn and ziege fell upon one another Blood letters hacking their way down i-core slicked stairways while Horrors scared platforms clear with shimmering Flame far away across the chamber gilliman caught sight of careless fateweaver exhorting his followers into battle and hurling boltz's sorcery at the loyalist from afar yet the Lord of change clearly did not care to face Gilman's resurgent wrath for he stayed far removed from the white heat of the battle not so scar brand hacking his way through a gaping portal in the chamber's wall the bloodthirster blazed like a furious pyre his Bellows echoed through the cavernous space Primal Roars of bloodlust that infected the minds of all who heard them under scar Brand's influence Gilman's battle brothers became more Reckless and aggressive by the moment contaminated by the Demon's Fury Amore and the last of the black Templars turned aside from their route and hurled themselves into an unrushing mass of corned demons blood sprayed as a Savage Malay broke out for a moment the primer considered diverting his own forces to help amalrich but with scar Brands storming closer and Demon swarming on every front there was no time with a heavy heart Goodman barked orders through the Vox studying the ultramarines and their primogenitors with the sheer force of his will bellowing ammo Rick hurled himself into battle with Mighty scar brand his Black Blade clashing with the bloodthirster's axes again and again with Valdez and his dread Knights leading the Relentless specters of the Legion of the Damned fighting a silent rear guard The Crusade closed on the whibley entrance Cole and his guitari mowed down rank after rank of demons Nova Marine vindicators blasted a trio of bridges that the enemy were using in an attempt to outflank sending flailing Horrors plunging into the void grave facts and Celestine fought side by side packing down a trio of xinjiang Heralds in as many minutes the harlequins were everywhere at once sprinting along walkways bounding between Bridges hacking and slashing with breathtaking skill as a wove dance of battle around the loyalists that was when scarbrand gave a deafening Bellow of Fury and took a running leap the cursed bloodthirster sailed across the gulf trailing boiling icore from a terrible wound in his chest Gilman's eyes widened as he saw amorith's Black Blade driven into the bloodthirster's breast it was the only remaining sign of The Emperor's Champion bloody atonement for his failings on Cadia scarbrand landed with a tremendous crash whose striking Sparks as he slammed down on the bridge amidst the Legion of the Damned his axes Slaughter and Carnage swept left and right fiery inspectors were smashed aside their broken bodies tumbling away like Embers into the darkness below already the rear most Warriors of guillerman's force were turning back tanks and battle brothers alike lost to the bloodthirster's madness realizing control was about to slip from his grasp gilliman commanded all the remaining Imperials to make for the portal a final Bridge left out across the void to connect the platform on which Gilman stood killed one with a portal flickered the Primark took position at the head of that bridge standing firm with blade drawn as all who could still follow his orders did so infantry and vehicles streamed past him following the harlequins into the web way until only sicarius and Celestine remained waiting by the Portal's entrance scar band stormed through the last of the Legion of the Damned and onto the platform Gilman felt the structure shudder and flexed beneath her bloodthirster's weight then the Demon's burning eyes found gallimans and the Primark felt unreasoning Fury surged through him scarbrand had come for Gilman's skull that he might honor corn with it and the demon did not intend to allow his Quarry to escape now in Gilman's mind hellish fires rose up on every side full of the leering faces of his brothers who had fallen to chaos with every step that scarbrand took towards him Gilman's eye grew while at his back the bridge seemed to melt away as molten slag until there was nothing but the Primark and the bloodthirster trapped together in an arena of roaring Flame unable to stop himself the Primark bellowed a war cry and lived to meet scarbrand's charge the emperor's blade met Slaughter with a dolorous clang while Carnage whistled over the primark's head by hare's breath killerman drove his shoulder guard into his opponent's midriff then span on his heel and backfisted Scar brand with the hand of Dominion the blow would have punched straight through a tank Hull yet the bloodthirster merely rocked back on his heels before launching himself forward again hell Forge actors hacked and lashed in huge Haymaker arcs Gilman barely blocked or evaded each blow the Primark could feel his height and rage building to new heights eclipsing his strategic sense altogether dimly he realized that soon he would hurl himself at scarbrand hacking madly until his head was stuck from his shoulders with a Titanic effort of will rubute Gilman forced down the supernatural rage that was drowning his rational mind gasping with effort the Primark trapped the furious flames and ring of cold mental steel even as he continued to fight his monstrous foe in reality he fought a second battle in his mind step by step he pushed back against his rage with a final scream of mental anguish Gilman forced down all his Fury and hatred and locked them away behind impenetrable fortifications as he did so the fires that he perceived around him died away and a bridge to safety swam back into Focus Beyond it zakarius and Saint Celestine were exhorting him to move before it was too late unwilling to let his enemy Escape scarbrand hurled himself in a wild lunge with axes raised High Gillman coolly assessed the threat raising the hand of dominion and Blasting the demon backwards scarbrand bellowed in Anger as exposed his shells tore into his Cranium and blue fishy gobbits across the platform step by step the demon was driven back yet still he did not fall gritting his teeth at the sight of the enemy drawing close Gillman fired the last shells from his magazine aiming for amaris Black Blade a single bot struck the weapon and blew the blackbade apart in a storm of deadly shards scar Brand's torso was shredded and he toppled backwards off the platform with a final Furious Roar immediately galliman turned and sprinted across the bridge hurling himself into the web way after sicarius and the living saint behind him the Portal's warting Rune sealed with a sharp crack denying the surging tide of demons at the very last second the Hunter's Labyrinth Space Marines gray Knights and the Warriors of the adeptus mechanicus stood amidst the Shivering Mists of the web way they were gathered in a vague space its Dimensions vast and confusing lights glimmered around them and a distant booming rolled through the air akin to a Titanic heartbeat or the sound of waves washing upon a rocky Shore of the Warriors who had escaped their cells around two-thirds remained alive and his gray Knights had taken only a handful of casualties and the same was two of the harlequins Cipher 2 had survived a desperate running battle through the Fortress and stood now at the head of a band of dark armored Space Marines who had clearly waited his return as Gilman's Warriors regrouped The Landry Vale Walker came before the Primark she paused for a moment to share a long and loaded look with Arc magos call before turning to geleman without a word of explanation she counseled that they could not tarry for long she had laced this region of the webway with Scout parties a skyweaver jet bikes these Scouts were now reporting back warning of heavily armed Intruders wearing ornate armor of blue and gold the Warriors had the essential care sorcery on them and the unmistakable Marco zinc Gilman's mind raced weaving fragments of facts and glimpses of information with his peer strategic intuition it was Magnus realized the Primark his manipulative brother who must have somehow known precisely how matters would play out for Gilman had sent his curse Sons to intercept the Imperials events began to fall into place in Gilman's mind Magnus had heard Gillman's Crusade into the Maelstrom now to destroy it but to weaken it he had propelled the Lord of Ultramar onto a particular path of Fate that Magnus had either hooped or known would lead him to his capture incarceration within that very specific jail and eventually Escape into this section of the web way Gilman could not know that the Crimson King had called upon his greatest champion aliman to Aid him with his stolen knowledge of the web Way's path but otherwise the primark's conclusions were entirely correct swiftly and earnestly killerman sought the Council of his closest lieutenants they had to determine what Magnus planned and quickly before they stepped straight into the demon primark's trap it was Wallace who drawing upon his knowledge of Titan's ancient libraries made the intuitive leap there was awarded entrance to the web way within the Emperor's Palace valdus believed it to be heavily defended bound shot with the most potent objurations that the Imperium could muster but still it existed perhaps Magnus knew of that gate and sort of followed them to it getterman's strategic mind left ahead again chasing patterns within patterns and perceiving the truth Magnus already knew where the gate lay he realized there had been Whispers that the Crimson King had passed that way before and in so doing Unleashed a catastrophe that fell upon him and his Legion Magnus did not need them to lead him to the gate he sought instead to follow them through it clearly hoping that the gate's defenses would be deactivated to allow for Gilman's arrival the demon Primark wanted to strike at Terror at the very Golden Throne of the emperor of mankind and he hopes to launch his attack as the gate was thrown open to permit the ultramarine's Primark Passage The Crusade could not emerge a terror gilliman realized with something like despair not if it meant allowing Magnus to strike at the Cradle of humanity yet solandri Vale Walker had never intended for them to take that road instead the Shadows here revealed a secret to the Eldar long guarded lying dormant for Millennia hidden behind a veil of wards that even Humanity's greatest Cycles could not Pierce a lonely Spar of the web way stretched out upon the border between real space and the warp to connect to Luna terra's only natural Moon it was to that illusion veiled gate that the Crusade must now make haste with their path chosen the survivors of the Terran Crusade set out at once already they had crossed Greek gods of space and fought their way through Hessian violence yet they began this new and arduous leg of their Journey without complaint or who had set forth from Ultramar had been prepared to give their lies this cause and to endure any hardship they must in order to see the reborn rebooted Gilman safely to Terror then nothing had changed traveling fast the harlequins of the veiled path led the way they progressed now through territory that was theirs alone moving with ever greater speed and confidence as a result bands of harlequin split away into half-glim side passages or slipped through Hollow archways grieving from Stone others returned in similar fashion filtering in before or behind the masked Imperial tanks and foot troops Harlequin jet bikes spared overhead from time to time hurtling down the wider passages in polychromatic blurs all the while gilliman and his followers kept up a Relentless Pace their tanks moving in the Vanguard while looping infantry and stalking Doom crawlers brought up the rear the web wave changed and shifted around them from Misty passages to dark and echoing tunnels brightly lit expanses of polyhedral Crystal to weirdly fleshy spirals that pulsed with prestatic motion the loyalist surely would have been lost within minutes had they traveled alone or else set upon by the predatory entities that haunted the Labyrinth fine dimension yet with the harlequins as both guides and escorts the Imperial forces were able to proceed unchallenged all that changed when frantic reports reached cylindry Vale Walker of familiars that had aspired a Loyalists and eluded the pursuing jet bikes at the shadow says urging the punishing Pace increased still further until the story servators were abandoned altogether as Goodman and his Warriors thundered across a hazy crystal-studied Cavern sudden volleys of Firepower sighed into them from the flanks 15 Warriors fell to their first volley punched off their feet by bold shells raised in Cross skating flame rhinos exploded amid sleeping blasts of sorcery whilst Qatari degenerated into howling mutated flesh as the fires of change washed over them get him unboxed his orders and the Loyalists found out as one dropping into firing crouches amidst the crystal outcroppings from all around swimming into Focus through the veiling Mist came the plodding automata of thousand Sons rubric the armored Golems played their botters right and left as they Advanced laying down a steady hail of insocialed bolts hordes of shrieking zangos moved amongst them brandishing silvered blades Gilman's Warriors fired back sending many of their ambushes reeling as their armor was rent and the dust that animated it spilled onto the ground Cipher span and Dove through the Mayhem evading every shot fired his way and reaping a tally of the foe with his blazing pistols waldus too wrought Havoc as he led a counter-attack against a thousand Sons his hammer swung in lightning fast arcs battering rubicay to the ground of its clouds of glittering dust still more lubricate closed in their sorceress Masters upon their flying discs hurling their spells into the loyalist ranks Gilman realized that to say here was to fight an impossible battle and to be lost with his golden sight it infuriated the Primark to run yet again for it seemed to him that since leaving Ultramar he had done little else yet the greater goal was of more import and he knew that he would not Aid his father's Imperium by dying here blade raised High gilliman led the movement to break out of the thousands on ambush not all of his battle brothers could extract themselves from the fight safely and more precious lives were lost along with the gene seed within them as Space Marines were cut down by the enemy's fire yet with the winged Saint cutting a path at their head the lawyer spoke away from their attackers and fled deeper into the web way they found themselves besetter to every turn rubric and braying zhangor's bursting from side passages or holding Junctions against them still the highest pressed on smashing headlong through every Ambush and blockade with Gilman Valdez Graphics Celestine and Cipher at their head the Imperials reached a rune sealed portal fixing Helms and rebreather cows in place then led by the Shadows here they stepped from the web way and onto the surface of Luna loon amidst the Sea of storms Gilman steps through the shimmering Lights of the web weight gate enduring the unsettling doubling of reality that it created he passed from soft illumination into a harsh black shadow and see it in clear from air and gentle warmth into the Frozen airless letharity of near vacuum gravity bled away from him and with a single step galliman launched himself away from the web Wade gate into the billowing Moon dust Beyond The Crusade had emerged into a deep crater much of which was immersed in Inky blackness shafts of Stark illumination fell from above where the Rays of salt itself spilled over the lid of the deep pit conscious of the foes following close on their heels the Lioness climbed quickly up the Pit's side Space Marines sprang upwards hand over fist into low gravity tanks threw up drifting fans of moon dust as they powered up the rocky slopes skitari marched relentlessly upwards ignoring their blackening and freezing organic components these latter soldiers would not last long in the lunar surface but they would endure long enough to serve the omnisaya's needs above them Celestine soared upward Into the Dark Skies her Gemini Superior had done their Helms but the living Saint had no need of such apparel behind them Vale Walker and her harlequins lingered by the webway gate the Shadows here gathered her powers Levering her staff towards the web way portal and beginning a whispering charge the ruins upon the structures flanks glowed fiercely with the Searing light before Veil Walker could finish her ritual the gate paused with dark energies blue fire billowed its Roar sounded as a dull Rumble in the airless conditions Vale Walker span cleared the last moment but many of her followers were not so fortunate their lives bodies were engulfed in flame and as their Destiny suits burned away so their bodies melted like wax or froze and died from near the lip of the crater Gillman looked back to see the corrupted web way gate glowing with dark fire streamers of energy leptin coiled dancing across the walls of the pit and Blasting the Eldar corpses to Ash out from that crackling storm stepped the first rubric Marines their footfalls muffled as they Advanced across the crater floor they raised their bolt guns and opened fire cursed chairs roaring Up From Below to slam into the Imperials armor ruptured and souls burned bulky bodies in the colors of the Nova Marines and Morty factors tombered in slow motion down the slopes clouds of chalky dust cascading around them a dread Knight toppled backwards its pilot slain the remaining loyalists kept moving over the lip of the crater and out of the Thousand Sons line of fire here the retreating stopped at last Gilman and his surviving followers stood upon the surface of Luna itself near the heart of the mere tempestas on every side loomed The Rusted Hawks of old and broken Imperial ships a graveyard of jumped and decommissioned craft left there to Mulder overhead the Blackness of space was speckled with stars while closer to hand huge orbital docks and defense platforms filled the sky Gothic leviathans swarming with void crafting covered in clearing lights the Grandeur of the lunar dock still faded against the breathtaking site of Terror itself hanging stock against the Blackness above there was a destination that Gilman sought the end of his journey at last yet a deadly foe still chased at the primark's heels and could not be allowed to work his malefic will within the sight of the throne world knew that the Warped phenomena currently erupting in the Creator's depths must surely have triggered every alarm and emergency auger within a dozen pterosols it would not be long before overwhelming Imperial forces race to investigate but there was no telling what irrevocable Havoc Magnus could cause before they arrived Gilman saw again the vision's chaos had sent him a shattered World crashing down upon a fire blackened Terror and shuddered he and his followers must hold the enemy here driving the Thousand Sons back or at the least keeping them suppressed until Aid could arrive the Thousand Sons were spilling from the web weight gate in increasing numbers Scarab occult and rubricy driven forward by Sorcerers on their flying discs their Advance was steady but Unstoppable pushing up the crater walls with their guns blazing recognizing that the crater itself offered the best chance of containing the foe Gilman spread his Warriors Walkers and tanks around its lip and commanded them to pour fire down into the advancing thousand signs space Marine's Qatari dreadnoughts land Raiders vindicator's June crawlers battle senators and more opened fire using the lip of the crater for cover and making the most of the higher ground the Loyalists sent volley after volley ripping down into the hereticostatis starting automata were knocked back into the crater by devastating explosions glittering dust drifted from rinse and ornate armor floating free into low gravity and leaving once animated armor suits to crumple and collapse Sergeant sparked orders through the Vox coordinating volleys of last Cannon blasts and Demolisher shells to rain down upon the rubric Cipher and his shadowy companions reigned fire down upon a thousand Sons or so Graphics slam silver Stakes through one rubicay after another valdostore treat us apart with the power of his mind armored corpses piled in heaps at the bottom of the crater surrounding the web way gate with carrion's remains from cracks and Rocky outcrops around the crater's edge the last of the harlequins added their own fire to the fuselard hails of monofilament discs cutting through Power Armor and the Flesh of demonic discs for a time it appeared as though the Thousand Suns would be bottled up in the crater though their return fire caused slow attrition amongst the Loyalists the traitors were losing far more Warriors than they slew then a fresh pulse of dark power surged from the web wave gate its energies whirling faster and faster until they formed a flaming vortex a wave of Supernatural dread swept over the loyalist Space Marines as a huge horned-headed figure stepped through onto the surface of Luna spreading his wings wide Magnus the red looked up at Gilman with an evil smile Gods of War ing himself up to his full height Magnus the red raised his in sorcered grave and spoke dolorous words of power that rang out in defiance of all natural law purple Flames leapt forming shimmering Shields and warding the Thousand Suns from harm suddenly the rubric and Scarab occult could Advance unharmed striding upwards as their full shot exploded upon magnus's Shield the Thousand Sons suffered no such obstruction and dozens of loyalists were sent tumbling back from the creatures live blood and shattered bone spraying seeing the sudden shift in the situation and knowing that they must hold out no matter the cost gilliman ordered his surviving Warriors back moments later the first rank of lubricate crested the lip of the crater and strolled out with a gun muzzles flaring more thousand Sons marched behind them and a surviving loyalist fell back to spaceship wrecks and Rocky craters to gain cover while their tanks backed steadily away with their guns thundering Magnus Rose from the crater with a word the demon Primark unmade a trio of dreadnite burning out their Wards and crushing their armor with a gesture he plucked an ultramarine's land Raider from the ground and slammed it through ranks as guitari like a cannonball Magnus brandish your staff and reality went apart a tide of cackling demons boiling from The Wharf to join the battle recognizing that the demon Primark would swiftly destroy his army if allowed free reign killerman broke into a headlong charge giving vent to a booming war cry the Primark of the ultramarine smashed a path through the rubric before him and launched himself into a heroic leap from the lip of the crater Gilman's sword burning blade leaving a trail of flame behind him Magnus saw his brother coming and began an incantition of pain but before he could finish it the Lord of Ultramar struck Magnus managed to Parry his brother's arcing Blade with his glaive but the battering ram impact of gidderman's leap carried the Crimson King backward away from the fight the two primarks tumbled across the lunar surface dust billowing around him and smashed into a rusted wreck of an imperial frigate slabs of metal and corroded iron were crashed down around them burying the fighting Brothers in an avalanche of wreckage meanwhile the battle around the crater raged on the last remnants of the Terran Crusade fighting furiously to survive Gilman fought his way to Freedom hurling aside a slab of rusted metal and ignoring the alarm rings within his helm his armor was compromised its Air Supply venting and the cold of the Void leaking in word not for his Godlike Constitution and cause life-sustaining technology Gilman would likely have been dead instead he raised his blade and kicked his way clear of the scattered wreckage Magnus shouted through his Vox Grill searching around him the Primark knew his dubiously gifted brother could hear his words even in the void of space I know better than toasting you dead face me deep laughter rolled around galliman a sound red olent with ancient evil as he watched magnus's ethereal form Rose from the wreckage and drifted down to loom over him the demon Primark solidified once more huge and menacing her very well robote laughed Magnus and his words conjured crystalline showers that rained down upon the pale ground here I am in the flesh and somehow there you are Magnus cocked his head to one side and smirked I don't remember you seeming so insignificant 10 Millennia have made you no less Ireland then rarely circling his towering foe inside his Helm a look of disgust twisted his Patrician features as he regarded the monstrous form of the Crimson King certainly those years have done you no other kindness Magnus side how you can have such Grand plans and yet such scant Vision has always eluded me this the demon Primark said empiric energy swirling as they gathered around his little glaive is what true power looks like I see no power here said Gilman shaking his head in dismay icy corruption an enslavement to monsters that are worshiped as gods Magnus laughed sparing a guns at the loyalist fighting nearby perhaps we can finally agree the cyclopean Sorceress smile turned into a sneer when he noticed his brother's glance to the skies above hoping to keep my sons and I occupied until the remnants of this palsy Imperium come to save you I may not reach our father's throne room today but I promise that you won't either you will be dead long before help arise that alone will be worth all this trouble and with that Madness attacked the giant moved far faster than Gilman could have believed his and sourceled glaive flashing out to split the Lord of Ultramar in two Gilman leapt backwards pulling his midriff in as he did so magnus's weapon Drew Sparks from his armor as it whistled past and Gilman landed Atop The crumpled prowl of nearby frigate before he could take stock Magnus was hurling boars of Bruce filed him Gillman threw himself out of their path sliding down the prowl's Rusted flank and dropping into a Crouch at its feet he broke into a charge bursting from the drifting crowd of dust raised by his landing and weaving skillfully around his brother's sorceress projectiles the ammunition in the hand of dominion was spent but it was still a phenomenally powerful weapon sides dipping a downward cut from magnus's grave gilliman slid inside his brother's guard and delivered a thunderous uppercut the impact lifted Magnus from his feet and sent him tumbling upwards into the inky Blackness fiery blood drifted in strings from magnus's shattered jaw causing kaleidoscopic fungi to sprout from where it spattered on Luna's surface roiling energy wrapped around Magnus arresting his motion and writing him as he howled in anger the demon Primark stared hatefully down with his single eye and get him a new Fresh sorrow as he realized how truly mad and lost his sibling had become arrogance arrogance shouted killerman it was always your undoing brother you thought that this would be an easy fight that the guests are your so-called Gods would render me impotent perhaps those you serve are not all you believe them to be magnus's rage vanished in an eye blink and he laughed scornfully in response to Gilman's job you would like to believe that wouldn't you though the dutiful rebooted Gilman was justified in his loyalty but now the ramifications are what choices have become clear you can look down on me as you always did with sudden violence Magnus jumped downward with his grave multi-colored Flames exploded from its blade engulfing gullerman and the Bedrock upon which he stood Moon dust exploded upwards and crackling clouds Corpus Hunter danced across iron and Robert had cried out as Agony wracked his body crackling with raw power Magnus descended still pouring warped fire into his brother Gilliam screamed again dropping to one knee as his armor blazed with searing energy Sparks burst from overloaded systems and the smell of his own cooking flesh filled his nostrils desperate Gilman drove himself backwards in a graceful leap he flew in an ark to smash down amidst a tumble heap of ingenarium debris armor still flickering with flames Magnus 2 landed cackling cruelly spoiled amidst a tangle of wreckage Gilman tried to push himself to his feet the primark's body was a mass of pain and his armor responded sluggishly a number of its Servo Motors burnt out no brother said Magnus you stay where you are the demon Primark gestured and spectral claws tore several hundred tons of Machinery loose from a nearby wreck gilliman had time to brace himself before the ungainly Mass impacted like a comet burying him completely beneath an avalanche of crushing metal getterman was entombed alarms chimed in his ears red warning signs flashed in his peripheral vision the pain of lacerated organs and shattered bones dragged at him and for a moment the Lord of Ultramar was tempted simply to give in then he thought again of his long-suffering Sons fighting so hard for the ideals of an Imperium they had never ever known he would not betray them he would not let one of his degenerate Brothers keep him from his responsibilities not again muscles tensing strength surging Gilman ripped his way up through the tumbled mountain of wreckage he roared as he heard aside a capacitor unit the size of a land reader and stiffed bloodied but unbroken into the hard light of Luna Madness act an eye about the sight embraced his glaive to hurl another spell but it was then that the void lit with fire the emperor's Wrath Grandmaster waldus looked up and gave thanks as the emperor's Deliverance rained down upon the battlefield The Crusade Force had broken into small islands of resistance some hunkered down amid spacecraft wreckage others crouching behind jutting lunar rocks the Thousand Sons had surrounded them relentlessly pouring fire into the loyalist positions while xinji and demons hurtled overhead on gold discs to rain warp flame upon them now though help had arrived guilt chased fightercraft streamed down over the lunar landscape as they did so Rippling lines of fire exploded amidst lubricate and Horrors alike Lance blasts and hails of exposive shells toward the sentient foot soldiers apart bombs fail amongst them sundering armor and flesh at the same time vast leviathans of adamantium and plastille rumbled in overhead Naval system monitors of the Terran defense Fleet Hove into low orbit their enormous forms swamping the battlefield in Shadow as they came aided by triangulatory targeting data transmitted by archimigos call the ship's Reign pinpoint accurate fire upon the foal lunar dust World in Sovereign vortices as teleport energies snatched it up bright light flared and the gold Giants of the adapter's custodies stepped from it with their Guardian Spears leveled hails of bold fire ripped into the rubric cursing the sorcerers ordered their Golem Warriors to turn and address these new foes but to no avail moving with breathtaking speed and skill the custodians hacked their way into the heretic studies each fought like a hero born their blade splitting powered armor like firewood and sending empty Helms spinning lazily away across the lunar surface rallying as Aid appeared the last enclaves of these Warriors who set out from a Crag fought back with renewed Fury lolda stepped out from the wreckage of a bulk carrier bleeding his remaining gray Knights and dreadnites in a valiant charge his hammer smashed apart ceramide wherever it connected and psychic lightning danced about him despite the sorcerer's best efforts to banish it Katarina Graphics fought alongside him her iron will bringing xinshin conjurers to their knees before she struck off their head with her Masterwork blade seizing the moment Saint Celestine swept through the enemy ranks the Ardent blade slashing left and right as a Gemini Superior rigged the demons with bolt fire Captain zakari has followed in her wake rallying ultramarines and primogenitors behind him as they cut a path towards the Adept his custodies the muffled boom of engine sounded overhead heralding the arrival of further Imperial forces Stark yellow drop ships slammed down susters flaring their hatches opened and squads of Imperial fists Space Marines emerged from within baltus blazing at the enemy gunships bumbled overhead yellow hauled storm Ravens and storm Talons whose weapons tore through the Thousand signs several were spotted by baltus sorcery and hails a rotary cannon fire flames belching from ruptured hulls as they span down to crash amidst the wreckage of Starships amongst these craft flew a trio of Valkyries with hulls of crimson and black a Sigil of the deputies telepathica emblazoned upon their flanks arcing through the explosions of Mayhem above the battlefield the gum ships made for the point some way distant where gilliman still battled his monstrous brother purple fire speared upwards ripping the wing from their leading craft and sending it rolling to a halt in a blazing Fireball the other two swept on towards their Quarry an essay came in low the side doors slid open while their Brave pilot blitzed fire at Magnus the red two squads of helmed sisters of Silence dropped from the gunships they landed near Gilman in fighting crouches angrily Magnus swept his clawed hand through the air dragging one gunship sideways with retalikine power and smashing it into the other both Valkyries exploded and tumbled downwards but the sisters of Silence left nimbly aside Magnus cloward jabbing with his glaive and sending tendrils of green and yellow flames spiraling in their Direction the sorcery sputtered and died before it reached them undone by The empiric Dead Zone around the warrior Niles seeing a strategic Advantage at last gilliman left down from the mound of wreckage and landed amidst the sisters of Silence they would Shield him from his brother's failed Powers together the Primark and the sisters charged towards Magnus with their blades at the ready the demon Primark heard another volley of psychic destruction growling in frustration as it flickered out like the first angry Magnus hefted his glaive and swooped forward to meet his enemies At Close Quarters if he could not destroy them with the powers of the warp he would hack and Crush The Immortal bodies until nothing remained but meat beneath the dark Luna sky with Terror hanging ancient and hallowed above them the two primars crashed together once again Vale Walker bounded into the air she drove one foot into the side of a Rubik's Helm ripping it free with the force of her kick the Shadows here pushed off from her first victim spinning through the thin air to hurl a bewildering glamor into the face of a nearby sorcerer worshiper howled in panic clawing at his Helm and ripping it free his flesh froze in second his eyes bursting as bloody Puffs and Gore squirting from his nose mouth and ears the Shadows here trilled a mocking laugh as she landed spinning her Stave low to sweep the legs from two more Rubik before sketching an elaborate bow to their fellows amidst a hail of insocial bots Vale Walker sprang away as her kin cartwheeled into the enemy's midst from another Direction in such low gravity conditions the harlequins could achieve Feats of agility and Grace Beyond even their normal binding skill and Veil Walker laughed again as she saw the rubric rendered clumsy by comparison bounding in a high pirouette over the battle Veil Walker sought he who wore the armor of fate and there he was amidst the wrecks of crude human spacecraft battling his monstrous brother alongside a band of warriors even from here the mere presence of the Knowles made selhandry's shudder man and Magnus were trading hate-filled blows the weapons crashing together with Titanic Force the nulls were doing what they could to eat the fight stabbing Blades of the demon in their midst or pouring bold fire into him already several layers broken corpses for their troubles but arrests were doing an effective job of deadening magnus's sorceress powers landed gracefully ignoring a storm of magical Flames that exploded away to her left demons befuddled by her Domino field casting their Spells at where they believed her to be with a thought celandry activated the communications inlay in her Helm communicating with her death Jester the hollow Prince the moment has arrived she said her drama has played out and the brothers enmity Burns anew now the final curtain then whispered the voice of the hollow Prince rich with Wicked Mirth indignation outrage Vendetta it must be thus agreed Veil Walker I shall ready the gate for truth this time you deliver your lines and let matters play out without waiting for an answer Vale Walker cutter Communications she sprinted for the crater from which they had all emerged she wove and sprang dodged and tumbled through the Raging battle finally throwing herself into a feet first slide over the Creator's lip Veil Walker arced gracefully down Moon dust falling about her like snow and landed in a Crouch amid the mountains of armored Corpses across the crater floor the darkness was lit by the whirling storm of purple light that spat from the corrupted whip-way gate Magnus had done that causing the portal to permit his unnatural Passage Vale Walker smoked coldly behind her mask he would pay for that hubris across the field of battle she knew that the hollow Prince would be communicating with Gilman explaining their plan to the Primark the death Jester would be telling the Primark that Magnus could be destroyed only by casting his body into the corrupted webweight gate if Veil Walker's Visions were correct gilliman would believe him meanwhile she had to prepare the Gateway which was currently guarded by a pair of sorcerers ghosting closer through the bodies with Illusions flickering about her Vale Walker Drew her sugar can pistol a gentle squeeze of its trigger a flick of her wrist and several more gentle depressions first one Sorcerer And then the other staggered as round struck them perfectly placed to puncture their Gorge at seals and opened their jugular arteries the two Sorcerers crumpled and Veil Walker hurriedly began her incantations the energies around the Gateway paused and shuddered the runes on its side going brighter as a Keening vibration shook in the dark pit at that moment battling demigods appeared upon the creature's Edge Gilman and Magnus both bleeding from the wounds they had dealt one another still flanked by a last handful of the Nile Warriors Magnus bisected another of the women with a brutal swing of his glaive which lashed around to hack a chunk from Gilman's breastplate in return the Lord of Ultramar drove Magnus back with hammering blows from the emperor's blade then slammed his shoulder into his brother's chest and sent the Crimson King crashing down the steep slope Gilman leapt after him not giving Magnus a chance to recover the primark's onslaught was punishing the wounded gearman visibly pouring everything he had into his last storm of blows Vale Walker melted away into the shadows as the warring Brothers neared the Weber gate still muttering her incantations and weaving her staff back and forth Magnus conjured a deadly sphere of warp energies and hurled it at his brother with all his might Gilman's iron Halo absorbed the west of the blast but still he was sent staggering back with his back to the gate the Primark of the Thousand Sons conjured a wave of telekinetic Fury and used it to fling a mass of Space Marine corpses loyalist and traitor at the last few nulls they vanished from cylindry's sight their Contra empiric drag blinking out as they were buried beneath the Macabre heap of the Dead the Shadows here started forward fearing for the fate of the Final Act then with a roar of hate and rage getterman struck the Lord of ultrabar lunged at his brother the burning blade drove in under the demon primark's guard and sank deep into his chest golden Flames left a Magnus howled in agony as they chewed hungry at his flesh he Unleashed his powers in an uncontrolled sorceress blast its shock wave racing out across the crater and throwing cilandry from her feet the burst of power hurled Gilman onto his back bayed in hand and sent Magnus staggering free back through the pulsating webway gate cilandry had one chance a single moment in which the altar fate with a final word she shattered the runestones that glowed hot in her palm and severed the way by gate forever power surged Magnus roared his Fury a name was cut off from Luna his Warriors and his brother banished to the depths of the labyrinth dimensions dust to dust Gilman staggered to his feet limping and wounded underneath his smoldering and blackened armor the web way gate Rose before him a note trace of his brother remained had Magnus been destroyed Gilman hoped so but he did not believe it the harlequin's sudden plan for victory had been too convenient The Disappearance of Magnus to abrupt the Primark cast about for cylindry Vale Walker but found that she too had disappeared a swiftly voxed question to his Warriors revealed that the remainder of the veil path had vanished with her though none could say how if it had all been a trick killerman could not fathom its intent but for now at least Magnus was gone listening to the Vox report of his lieutenant galliman realized that the battle was as good as one even while fighting his brother Gilman had kept a portion of his mind upon the wider strategic picture it took him only moments to piece together the battle's events bolstered by the sudden arrival of the deptis custodies and the Imperial fists The Crusade had driven a thousand Sons back zinjan automatically scattered across this region of the Malay tempestas little more than vacant suits of ornate armor Tangled amidst the wreckage the Demons of Magnus had summoned were gone also banished along with their master with orbital barrages and hurtling fighter craft annihilating any traitors who attempted to break for Freedom the last of the sorcerers had Gaza de Rupert K in their Scarab occult and were driving steadily and relentlessly for the crater's edge they had sensed the punishment of their Lord but they did not know that the web way gate had been severed the last of the traitors were making a bid to escape and galliman stood directly in their path warily the Primark squared his shoulders and Shrugged off his hurt walking with a limp armored sparking indented rebute Gilman made for the Creator's Edge his or specs showed him the route of the incoming traitors and the Imperial forces harassing their fangs though badly mauled the Thousand Sons still had numbers and had broken through the last faltering ranks of course guitari Gilman strolled up the crater wall to meet them and as he did so the mountain of corpse is behind him stirred and shifted heaving themselves to Freedom three Tanisha sisters of Silence escaped their gruesome can and hasted to stand at Gilman's side the remaining thousand Sons were several hundred yards from the creature's Edge marching relentlessly in Gilman's Direction They traveled in a Loosely circular formation the rubric facing outward in a ceramide ring and moving in eerily perfect lockstep loyalist forces surrounded them squads of infantry and Scorch battle tanks pouring fire into the retreating traitors more lubricate fell by the moment but with their Sorcerers safe at the heart of the formation the Thousand Sun's momentum was hard to stop they would come no further resolved Gilman voxing orders to every Imperial Warrior the Primark instructed his followers to charge the Thousand sons from every side and all remaining vehicles to provide supporting fire kiliman banished his flaming blade and swept into battle the last of the sisters of Silence ran at his side they bought his stomping the Imperial forces closed upon the treaters like a clinching fist the muffled Thunder of gunfire carried across the mere tempestas as a devastating storm of shots engulfed the Thousand Suns at the same time laldus Cipher drafax call and Celestine charged into their enemy's midst with their guns blazing and warriors at their backs Thunder hammers swung connecting with tectonic Force Power sword slids through armor like naisu Silk sorcery transformed Noble Warriors to Crystal statues or collapsing heaps of mutated flesh through the Mayhem weighted rebooted Gilman hacking and bludgeoning his way towards a sorceress at the heart of the enemy formation enough loyal blood had been shed enough brave warriors had been slain and more besides to bring galliman within Striking Distance of the throne world the losses ended now and the ultramarine's Primark would be the one to end them the first sorcerer he met was backhanded from his disc tumbling away like a ragdoll the next two failed to lethal sword Strokes their blood puffing out in slow clouds three more turned their powers upon the Primark only to find hex's faltering and hellfire's flickering to nothing as the sisters of Silence joined The Fray one sorcerer succeeded in driving his sword through Gilman's paladrant and drawing the primark's blood another cracked one Island to his Helm with a desperate thrust of his staff no other harm did the sorcerer's cause to the Lord of Ultramar who passed through them like a storm of death and left all as drifting Corpses at last the battle was done the final rubric a leaderless and without direction will cut swiftly to pieces the whirling storm of moon does settle as a battle Fury abated with his loyal Warriors kneeling around him and his foes destroyed Gilman allowed himself to lean for a moment upon his blade and to feel the pain of both Body and Soul Throne world after the battle of lunar matters moved swiftly fresh waves of craft descended to scour away the treater corpses that littered the region inquisitorial agents and teams of magos xenotechnologists swarmed the battlefield the former sing to matters of containment and secrecy while the latter fell upon the deactivated web way gate like vultures galliman ignored them all he allowed the senior Apothecary amidst the Imperial fist to tend to his immediate hurts and then insisted that he and his companions be allowed to press on none was foolish enough to gain say a living Primark indeed Shu saved the custodies could stop staring in wonderment long enough to communicate with him and so kiliman's demands were soon met down from on high came an enormous Lander of remarkable design glimmering gold in the harsh light of Saul the craft resembled the two-headed Imperial Aquila red large gouts of flame leapt from its wings slowing its descent and it landed on heavy Talent struts just beyond the fuel of battle more Warriors of the adeptus custodies stowed down the ship's boarding ramp joining with their battle scarred comrades and lining the route on board man and his surviving Warriors pass between them with their heads held high Space Marines gray Knights and the once leaders of the celestian Crusade marching into a capricious hold of the Aquila craft only once the ramp had wind shut behind them an oxygen flowed back into the chamber did the custodies remove their Helms and Bow Low to Gilman as the craft shuddered and lifted off the shield Captain who led them introduced himself as Thai andronitus and explained that gilliman and his Warriors would be born to Terror with all haste they were to put down at the eternity wall Spaceport and from there would travel as part of a triumphant parade to The Emperor's Palace the high Lords had anticipated the primark's desire to stand before The Golden Throne explained Shield captain andronitus they would do everything they could to facilitate it and to fate the living primarks returned to the throne world kiliman approved the arrangements that had been made for him though they would have fought on stubbornly until their dying breaths as the situation had demanded it gilliman and his warriors were varied by the constant hardships they had endured since setting out from the Crag thus as the Aquila craft swept up from Luna's surface and Away towards Terror killerman and his comrades settle back in Flight Thrones and simply watched the external pictures many reflected upon the astronomical losses the Terran Crusade had taken to get the Primark here but none could be altogether distracted from the breathtaking sites that slid past as the ship rose up away from Luna the orbital docks and shipyards of the Moon spread out in all their industrial grandeur hundreds of ships thousands of forges weapons platforms gravhabs and docking spindles sprawled through the void above the moon's chalky white surface while sways of the Moon itself was captured in micro hives and spalling junkyards like the one the Crusades had so recently fought amidst further out the void teamed with craft and defenses of every sort dense minefields field hundreds of miles of space every charge crafted to resemble a brushed steel skull vast Battle Stations and deep space weapons platforms hung menacingly each one a gun-studded cathedral the size of a city immense spacecraft at the minaslorum played the darkness penitent arcs and solar relinquiries dozens of miles long within those cold dark the faithful wailed prayers and self-flagellated for the emperor's Glory system monitors prowl the heavens in vast numbers swarming like stinging insects around their hive all were equipped in size by the immense mobile star Fortress that hung halfway between Terror and Luna engulfed in repair cradles and servo armatures the Imperial fist's mobile base of operations the Stafford fangs had returned from the Acadian system to watch over the throne world like an eagle over its nest far distant further out towards the Solar System's Edge could be seen the Angry Red glint of Mars and its attended orbital platforms closer to Terror kiliman was disquieted to see the drifting wrecks of Warships both Imperial and traitor being picked over by heavy adeptice mechanicus dredges and scavenger factorums the war it seemed had reached trumanity's system of origin before them and would surely only become worse in the days to come as they began their final descent Terrace weld in the pictures it was a bloated giant its natural resources expanded oceans long boiled away and land masses covered entirely in never-ending cityscapes Glides Beyond count burned all across the platte's surface while macro structures and super statues pierced the throne Wars population choked atmosphere spacecraft spiers Rose into the darkness amid swirming masses of Cherub satellites Electro sermon be conservator defense platforms and millions of administratum Transport Champs their craft swung down through the organized Bedlam its route given the highest priority clearance and descended in a haze of chem Smog and glaring artificial light towering structures of gray gold and Brass rose on every side encrusted with Grime Street Gothic architecture and studied with cold electric lights sofo scars and cyber cherubs gunships and bulk haulers transports and prison barges Patrol ships of the albities and Bell's gifts of the ministorum all world around the Aquila craft in a storm downward it flew until the Towering gargoyle-like topped spiers that rose on every side completely obscured The Fading darkness of space finally government's transport swung into dark on a dedicated platform setting the flanks of The Eternity Ward Spaceport it put down upon a Deus of age 1 marble surrounded on all sides by Verdigris and heavily weaponized statues for much hung burning braziers of incense robed Figures were gathered on every side to witness and honor the primark's arrival Servo choir sung out hymns to the emperor while Auto scribe scribbled with eagle feather quills in Iron tomes borne by Chain slaves dignitaries of the administratum and the adeptus terror flocked close mingling with bombastic Priests of the ministorum a Nobles garbed in outrageous finery as he emerged from the transport forming the sign of the Aquila with their hands and vying to cry out their devotion the loudest the Primark did his best to smile and to acknowledge the clamoring masses with dignity and respect his mind was a whirl the last time Gilman had seen Terror was many thousands of years before and where once there had been industrious Glory now all was buried in grotesque layers of Gothic over construction industrial sprawl and Macabre religious ornamentation the Primark sense of dislocation and sorrow only increased as he and his followers were LED through the masses and ascended in mag lifts to what passed for ground level they pass through a cavernous space of gloomy administratum offices where queues of petitioners stretched away into the hazy middle distance men and women young and old called out their devotion and wept for joy to see the Primark pass yet even his presence could not draw them from their places in cues that their ancestors had first joined and that their progeny one day aspired to reach the front of galliman and his Warriors still accompanied by their custodies guards emerged from that impossibly vast structure to find themselves in a plaza packed out with droning shuffling downtrodden crowds on every side Rose maal High stained glass windows each depicting a different Primark kaliman saw sanguinous Wings spread atop a mountain of mutant Corpses he saw the Khan riding a skull-faced comet that sped between the Stars there was Brave Vulcan to ask me an impossibly huge Hammer as he used a world for his anvil and there Kellerman stared at a distorted image of himself haloed in light with his codex astartes in one hand and the severed head of a horned demon in the other he was depicted as a giant amongst worshiping crowds of angelic figures and for a moment fulgrim's words to him at the parade on mccrag echoed in Gilman's mind all of humanity would worship him as a living God man must never come to believe it himself he mounting up in ornate super heavy transporters gilliman and his companions were born through endless streets and Transit waves boulevards and processionals they passed tribes itinerant petitioners and clans of indigenous priests faceless masses of administratum drones and ragged shanties in which the poor and the maimed Court like maggots in a wound billions watched the processions progress as they passed through the dark heart of the emperor's realm the mountainous structures of the Imperial Palace looned ever larger upon the Horizon a vast structure for which could be seen the cloud piercing light of the astronomic in itself for two days galliman and his followers traveled through endless crowds and places of grandeur and gurim horror they passed beneath an art City hung with pain frames and beneath the Gaze or a dozen statues of Imperial Saints each as large as an imperative Titan they crossed a vast bridge that spanned for 50 miles over a smog gladen trench whose wars were formed from munatorums and smelteries Beyond count they traveled beneath the Titanic guns of orbital defense silos that dwarfed any weapon even galliman had ever seen at last they passed into the palace proper by way of a dizzyingly tall gate Graven with warring angels and demons there they dismounted their lumbering transport and Gilman was glad to proceed on foot through the precincts of the inner Palace more gates and Splendor followed past so much that it all blurred into an impossible assault upon the senses at last feeling more exhausted by his homecoming than he ever had by any battle Gilman came before the final gate beyond that expensive Archway later Emperor's throne room and there The Golden Throne of the master of mankind Before the Throne there were many routes to the emperor's throne room this gilded doorway stood at the end of a towering Cathedral processional its worn flagstones thronged with millions of desperate petitioners and pilgrims Golden Light filtered through immense stained glass windows that depicted the emperor's greatest Deeds innumerable candles burned in the cavernous space filling the air with greasy smoke and hymnals rang from the mouths of hunched cyber cherubim incense billowed and bells told while Minister and Priests delivered wrathful sermons from Servo pulpit throngs of tech priests muttered and swayed in shadowed Corners officers of the Imperial Navy and astrum militarum spoke earnestly together gesturing to data slates held by Road minions penitent Nobles dangled in Golden pane cages whimpering blandishments to the custodian guards who walked their patrol routes below the door itself was beautifully worked in Gold bronze and precious stones though it had the look of ancient faded grandeur it stood 50 feet high within an arch of black marble atop a flight of stone steps into which deep Crews have been worn by the passage of countless feet the edges of each step were piled with petitioner's bones atop the steps stood 20 at adepter's custodies they were accompanied by a martian priest and led by a Regal warrior in a high plumed Helm golden armor and an ermine trimmed cloak [Music] strolled up the processional through masses of pilgrims and petitioners who reached out quivering hands to touch his armor as he passed with him walked Captain zakarias Grand Master Valdez Shield captain andronitus and mysterious Cipher and his battle brothers along with belisarius core Catalina graphics and Saint Celestine this last figure was scarcely less adored by the crowds than Gilman himself and she turned aside before the steps to offer her blessings to all behind the marched the last battle brothers of the Terran Crusade foot Force crashing and weapons held at parade ground readiness despite all they had endured the space Marine's gray Nights made for a magnificent sight kiliman halted at the foot of the stairs and looked up into the Steely eyes of the custodians their leader stepped forward wrapping his ornate spear Thrice against the top step and announcing himself as Aquila Commander Callum varanor informal High Gothic varanor asked who came before The Throne Room of the emperor of mankind equally formal Shield Captain adronatus announced the leaders of the Terran Crusade one by one further words were exchanged ancient forms repeated by wrote but lent gravitas by the arrival of Olivia living Primark Gilman's purpose was demanded and given to gain an audience with his father the emperor the air thickened with tension millions of onlookers holding their Collective breaths as the Aquila Commander held the Gaze of The Returned Primark would Callum valinor suspect some treachery would he decry Gilman as false or demand further proof of his identity the Aquila Commando looked at the Martian priest hunched the Gilman side the robe figure inclined its head in ascent and varanor announced his verdict the Primark would be permitted to pass alone into the throne room all others would wait outside at this Cipher stiffened his hands strained towards his hosted pistols killerman had expected this moment and had planned for it accordingly the hooded Dark Angel and his men had upheld their end of the bargain granting Gilman his freedom on the Blackstone Fortress here the Primark was not full enough to trust such an ominous figure blindly he might do not have recognized sci-fi but he knew the blade on the dark Angel's back the sight of it made him shadow with Dread he would not permit such a weapon such a thing into his father's presence stepping aside galliman commanded the custodian guards to apprehend Cipher and his Warriors their presence was a riddle one that could be solved once more pressing matters had been attended to him Cypher responded with the first show of emotion any there had seen from him he snarled in Anger ripping his pistols from their hostas before hesitating for one crucial moment visibly torn between attempting escape and making a doomed lunge for the doorway above in that second the custodians closed in with their Guardian Spears leveled Cipher and his followers found themselves surrounded in a ring of crackling blades slowly his half-scene expression Grim Cipher Holsted his weapons and he and his brothers knelt in submission before their captains respond with Electro cuffs they were LED Away by Stern custodians and locked away with an awarded prison block that for thousands of years now a single inmate had ever escaped in just a few short hours however Cipher would do just that and in doing so leave no trace of his passing for the moment though get him a knew only to the Sinister Figures were dealt with and more pressing matters could be attended to face solemn blade cheat and Helm tucked under his arm the Primark ascended to his father's throne room at the top of the steps the custodian guards parted to allow the Primark Passage the tech priest stepped forward however emitting a blurt of binary Kent and bowing before girderman with skittering haste archimagos calls suede up the stairs behind the Primark and came to his side gillerman waited impatient as a two Martian priests exchanged encoded by Natick blurt then call turned to him and spoke cryptic words only the custodies heard what was said a secret pact on Mars and long work storing a blast to their conclusion but as with so many Dark Secrets exchanged over the Millennia upon these very steps they affected deafness and ignorance their exchange concluded coal turned without comment and swept down the stairs his acolyte in tow the priests vanished through the crowd and ends from Terror entirely for they had matters of significant import to attend to upon the red planet kiliman was left standing alone before the ornate doorway dwarfed by its immensity a single booming chime rang through the cathedral processional and a collective sigh of Wonder and Fear Escape the pilgrims gathered there as the doorway cracked open solely silently the tall doors swung inwards to reveal only darkness and drifting Mists Beyond the vapors twined about Gilman's limbs like serpents and Spilled down the steps behind him amidst the Fate echo of sorrowful ghostly voices Noble features set in an impeccable mask kiliman took a slow deep breath and stepped into the emperor's throne room as silently as they had opened the door swept closed behind him and the wute Gilman was lost aside hours passed during which the Warriors of the Terran Crusade stood silently to attention Before the Throne room doors Ward murmuring amongst the crowds turned to fervent prayer and more than one petitioner ventured forward to present Captain sicarius Grand Master volders and their brothers with meager devotional offerings and words of thanks Celestine and Inquisitor Graphics chose this moment to depart the former to spread her blessings and a latter to report to her order hereticus superiors The Emperor's Palace had no natural cycles of Night and Day the sky long lost amidst the miasma of artificial light and swirling pollutant clouds instead the electro sconces and Lumen chandeliers dimmed low at the tap of lamp servators ones the petitioners huddled around parchment fires still in toning prayers for the Primark as they forced down the bowls of neutral and cruel brought to them by ministorum servators many lay down upon Paths of thread-based surpluses to sleep while the ultramarines kept their tires visual at the base of the steps as they waited for their Gene sire to return to them only when the day cycled dawned again with soaring hymns and a swelling glare of lumen light did the doors finally swing open going miss spilled from within silver now like the cold Shimmer of Moonlight on Bones and from the cold Radiance step to a boutique element the primark's expression was unreadable as he strolled down the steps to rejoin his Warriors the crowds cried out in awe and Dread begging the Primark for enlightenment instead golemen gathered his soldiers around him and bade Aquila Commander varanor to attend him also Gilman demanded an immediate assembly of the high Lords of Terror stating that he intended to resume his seat upon their Auguste Council would become the Lord commander of the Imperium of mankind once more of his meeting with the emperor Gilman would say only that he had received all the enlightenment that he required there was much to be done for the threat of chaos grew Greater by the hour Gilman knew what must be done and he would not shy from doing it in the days that followed the primer became the center of Whirlwind of activity he addressed the high Lord claiming the emperor's personal mandate as he forcibly removed several of them from office and replaced them with individuals of his own choosing Gilman warned the high Lords of an encroaching Darkness a terrible warp phenomenon that was even now manifesting itself across the Galaxy from end to end the war against the dark Gods was entering a new phase more desperate and doom Laden than ever before the Great Rift was opening the ever-growing flood of astropathic distress calls reaching Terror supported the primark's warnings cater had been only the beginning from the ravaged Fenris sector an orc infested Armageddon to the systems of Attila and Baylor all felt the grasping claws of Chaos new warp Rifts were splitting the void in terrifying number while existing phenomena roiled outwards like the pyroclastic clouds of volcanic eruptions which light swam between the stars and monstrous things moved behind the veil of reality all gnashing fangs and glaring eyes all sectors of the Imperium were going dark While others reported the onslaught of rabid green-skin horde aggressive towel fleets or deathless necron hosts seemingly driven to Conquest in the face of the expanding storm France heretic Cults and Rogues Cycles rose up in their billions and every Imperial world seems set to burn in the fires of Galactic warmer for all these disturbing Omens and disastrous losses kiliman urged Humanity's leaders not to give up hope the emperor of the Imperium was not blind to their plight Anaya was its Lord Commander new armies would be raised in breathtaking numbers from belasares calls forges on Mars kilimanpan to bring forth new and terrible weapons whose Fury even the worshipers of the chaos Gods will be unable to withstand fresh fleets would be built Grand War engines constructed in the emperor's Holy Name the manufactorums would labor like never before and every single servant of the emperor would do their part the Imperium faced Total War on a galactic scale with warp storms spreading and intensifying no world was safe yet Humanity would not down in this tide of War but instead would ride upon the crest of a bloody wave of Triumph against a Darkness rubute Gilman vowed that he would not cower behind terror's walls and wait for Mankind's oppressors to bring death to his door he would start it out amongst the stars and meet the enemy in the emperor's name as he always had the Imperium would unite as one in the face of neutral Annihilation and take the battle to the mutant dead traitor the alien and their heretic Soul commanded rubute Gilman and thus even as the warp storms raged and the astronomicon itself stove to pierce their ever blackening clouds vast armies and armadas were raised in numbers not seen since the great Crusade a dark new age called from amidst the fires of endless war and the Imperium would answer

Channel: Baldermort's Guide to Warhammer

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Keywords: 40K LORE, WARHAMMER 40K LORE, Warhammer 40000 lore, Baldemort, Baldermort, Guide to Warhammer, Warhammer for beginners, Warhammer stories, Warhammer 40000, Lore, Warhammer Lore, Warhammer Audiodrama, THE FALL OF CADIA, BLACK TEMPLARS, BALDER, MORT, Fracture of Biel Tan, Ynnari, RISE OF THE PRIMARCH - HOW ROBOUTE GUILLIMAN RETURNED - FULL LORE NARRATED, RISE OF THE PRIMARCH, ROBOUTE GUILLIMAN LORE, Lord Commander Guilliman, Imperial lore

Id: ONRyi34-t1I

Length: 283min 36sec (17016 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 16 2023