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Forgive me, for this is going to be long, but I will try to break it up into at least two posts. I started working on this and just got on a roll. Thanks Ragnar02 for the idea.
What if the Heresy were a little different than they remember it...?
The Fall:
With the ever-increasing animosity between the Imperial Fists and the Iron Warriors, Perturabo’s ire towards his brother Rogal Dorn grew into hatred. Seen by Perturabo as the Favored Son, Rogal Dorn had the ear of the Emperor, and had been given the trust of protecting Terra. Decades of seething anger kept beneath the surface caught the attention of the Dark Gods, who drew the Arch Betrayer out of this reality in the midst of one of the Legion’s bloodiest battles and slowly bent him to their will.
Though it seemed like only hours had passed to Perturabo, it had been nearly a year for his Legion when he returned bearing a “new truth” and ready to step back into command of his sons. The battle that the Legion had been fighting in had not gone well with news of the disappearance of their Primarch. Fearing him dead or captured, it was all the Master of the First Chapter, Commander Ophidion, could do to keep the Iron Warriors fighting. Though they suffered terrible losses, the Legion conquered the sector they had been fighting in. In their sorrow at the loss of their Primarch, the collective company commanders had turned to Horus Lupercal and the Emperor for guidance.
Horus was of a mind to set Ophidion, as the cool head who had seen his men through the battle despite the disappearance of their lord and master, as the Legion Commander. Instead, the Emperor overruled Horus’ decision and, in an order sent by the Emperor’s Adeptus Custodes, placed Rogal Dorn at the head of the Iron Warriors “until the return of My lost son” in an attempt to heal the growing rift between the two legions. Instead, this move angered not only Horus and his legion, at being refuted by his Father, but also the Imperial Fists, who felt that their Primarch had been taken from them.
The Betrayal:
Eleven months and six days from when he entered the Warp, Perturabo was placed back on the world which he had been striving to conquer, eager to find his Legion and spread the word of the new Gods he had found. Instead, what he found was an embittered platoon of his Iron Warriors that had been left to secure the world. The veteran sergeant who had been left in charge of the garrison informed Perturabo of both the events that had transpired with the Legion in his absence, and some truly disturbing news. While he was gone, Perturabo’s adopted father had died and his home world of Olympia had fallen into a state of chaos.
Gathering the platoon with him, Perturabo sped towards his home planet in an attempt to reclaim the world. What he found instead was that his Legion had arrived before him. Commander Ophidion had been sent by Rogal Dorn to quell the uprising, and he had brought more than a great company with him, over two thousand Marines in all. When he approached Commander Ophidion to reclaim his role, Ophidion acquiesced, but begrudgingly so. He feared that Perturabo would only leave them again.
The orders that Perturabo gave while reclaiming the world were carried out, but the horrors that the Great Company had to commit were beyond even their battle-hardened sensibilities, and they soon saw through their Primarch’s guise of sanity into his true nature. When the siege of Olympia had ended, more than five million Olympians, and hundreds of Iron Warriors, lay dead. Ophidion confronted Perturabo in the throne room of the palace where the Primarch had been raised, and was backhanded through the door for his insubordination.
This was the last straw that broke the relationship between Primarch and Legion. He had abandoned them in their time of need, ordered them to murder their own families and commit atrocities in “pacifying” their own world, and now he had assaulted one of their own, their chosen champion. All but the platoon of Iron Warriors who had come with Perturabo departed at once, bound for Terra and the Emperor’s Palace.
While all of this was occurring, the Word Bearers legion was spreading their religion of discord throughout the Great Crusade. Perturabo met with one of their Dark Apostles and showed him the “gifts” he had been given by the Dark Gods. These gifts were sent to four of his brother Primarchs.
To Horus Lupercal – Warmaster and Primarch of the Lunar Wolves, was sent the Scepter of Tzeentch himself, allowing him to believe himself the “true” changer of ways and enthralling him to that dark God. To Leman Russ – Greatest Huntsman and Primarch of the Space Wolves, was sent the Claws of Blood, driving him mad with the lust for its namesake and binding him to Khorne for all time. To Fulgrim – Narcisist supreme and Primarch of the Emperor’s Children, was sent the most beautiful and elegant sword he had ever seen, the Hand of Cornelia. This sword was possessed by a deamon who took over his body and exiled his soul to a painting of the Primarch so he could watch as the deamon ruled his Legion in the name of Slaanesh. And finally to Alpharius and Omegon, Soul Twins and joint Primarchs of the Alpha Legion, was sent a pair of green rings. The rings, once donned, shattered the spiritual bond between them, but formed a more physical one. The two are now forever bound at front and back of the same body, their distorted heads spewing noxious fumes and vile liquids in an attempt to destroy each other as their plague legion falls further into the corrupting grasp of Nurgle.
His own Legion turning traitor to him, Perturabo set his sights on Rogal Dorn and plotted his revenge. Through secret communications, Perturabo, with the assistance of Horus, convinced the Imperial Fists Legion that their Primarch had abandoned them in favor of the Iron Warriors. He appealed to them as a forsaken father to forsaken sons. In the end, they were turned to Chaos and secretly began weakening the defenses of Terra in preparation for the coming rebellion.
Rogal Dorn, for his part, caught wind of Perturabo’s return and immediately made preparations to return to Olympia and present his lost brother with his former command, which would allow Dorn to return to Terra and his own warriors. Rogal Dorn had to use every ounce of his leadership and guile in commanding the Iron Warriors and was glad to be rid of the manipulative lot of them. Before the Legion departed, however, Dorn received word from his brother that he should bring only a single cruiser and make haste for an urgent conference of Primarchs to be held on Olympia in secret.
He made all haste to the meeting, but was greeted with a sight so horrible that it broke even his stalwart heart. A thousand Imperial Fists were lined up to greet him at the landing field. Each one had removed all Legion markings from their armor, leaving them a solid yellow, but dipping their right hand (the hand one placed over the heart in salute) in the blood of fallen Olympians, and each one held a bolter that had been twisted and perverted by the warp. Standing at the head of this Chapter was Perturabo, Fulgrim, and Ferrus Manus (who had recently been swayed by his friend to join the cause), all laughed evilly as Rogal Dorn, the one Primarch who could have prevented the destruction of Terra, was gunned down by his own sons.
More to follow...
What if the Heresy were a little different than they remember it...?
The Fall:
With the ever-increasing animosity between the Imperial Fists and the Iron Warriors, Perturabo’s ire towards his brother Rogal Dorn grew into hatred. Seen by Perturabo as the Favored Son, Rogal Dorn had the ear of the Emperor, and had been given the trust of protecting Terra. Decades of seething anger kept beneath the surface caught the attention of the Dark Gods, who drew the Arch Betrayer out of this reality in the midst of one of the Legion’s bloodiest battles and slowly bent him to their will.
Though it seemed like only hours had passed to Perturabo, it had been nearly a year for his Legion when he returned bearing a “new truth” and ready to step back into command of his sons. The battle that the Legion had been fighting in had not gone well with news of the disappearance of their Primarch. Fearing him dead or captured, it was all the Master of the First Chapter, Commander Ophidion, could do to keep the Iron Warriors fighting. Though they suffered terrible losses, the Legion conquered the sector they had been fighting in. In their sorrow at the loss of their Primarch, the collective company commanders had turned to Horus Lupercal and the Emperor for guidance.
Horus was of a mind to set Ophidion, as the cool head who had seen his men through the battle despite the disappearance of their lord and master, as the Legion Commander. Instead, the Emperor overruled Horus’ decision and, in an order sent by the Emperor’s Adeptus Custodes, placed Rogal Dorn at the head of the Iron Warriors “until the return of My lost son” in an attempt to heal the growing rift between the two legions. Instead, this move angered not only Horus and his legion, at being refuted by his Father, but also the Imperial Fists, who felt that their Primarch had been taken from them.
The Betrayal:
Eleven months and six days from when he entered the Warp, Perturabo was placed back on the world which he had been striving to conquer, eager to find his Legion and spread the word of the new Gods he had found. Instead, what he found was an embittered platoon of his Iron Warriors that had been left to secure the world. The veteran sergeant who had been left in charge of the garrison informed Perturabo of both the events that had transpired with the Legion in his absence, and some truly disturbing news. While he was gone, Perturabo’s adopted father had died and his home world of Olympia had fallen into a state of chaos.
Gathering the platoon with him, Perturabo sped towards his home planet in an attempt to reclaim the world. What he found instead was that his Legion had arrived before him. Commander Ophidion had been sent by Rogal Dorn to quell the uprising, and he had brought more than a great company with him, over two thousand Marines in all. When he approached Commander Ophidion to reclaim his role, Ophidion acquiesced, but begrudgingly so. He feared that Perturabo would only leave them again.
The orders that Perturabo gave while reclaiming the world were carried out, but the horrors that the Great Company had to commit were beyond even their battle-hardened sensibilities, and they soon saw through their Primarch’s guise of sanity into his true nature. When the siege of Olympia had ended, more than five million Olympians, and hundreds of Iron Warriors, lay dead. Ophidion confronted Perturabo in the throne room of the palace where the Primarch had been raised, and was backhanded through the door for his insubordination.
This was the last straw that broke the relationship between Primarch and Legion. He had abandoned them in their time of need, ordered them to murder their own families and commit atrocities in “pacifying” their own world, and now he had assaulted one of their own, their chosen champion. All but the platoon of Iron Warriors who had come with Perturabo departed at once, bound for Terra and the Emperor’s Palace.
While all of this was occurring, the Word Bearers legion was spreading their religion of discord throughout the Great Crusade. Perturabo met with one of their Dark Apostles and showed him the “gifts” he had been given by the Dark Gods. These gifts were sent to four of his brother Primarchs.
To Horus Lupercal – Warmaster and Primarch of the Lunar Wolves, was sent the Scepter of Tzeentch himself, allowing him to believe himself the “true” changer of ways and enthralling him to that dark God. To Leman Russ – Greatest Huntsman and Primarch of the Space Wolves, was sent the Claws of Blood, driving him mad with the lust for its namesake and binding him to Khorne for all time. To Fulgrim – Narcisist supreme and Primarch of the Emperor’s Children, was sent the most beautiful and elegant sword he had ever seen, the Hand of Cornelia. This sword was possessed by a deamon who took over his body and exiled his soul to a painting of the Primarch so he could watch as the deamon ruled his Legion in the name of Slaanesh. And finally to Alpharius and Omegon, Soul Twins and joint Primarchs of the Alpha Legion, was sent a pair of green rings. The rings, once donned, shattered the spiritual bond between them, but formed a more physical one. The two are now forever bound at front and back of the same body, their distorted heads spewing noxious fumes and vile liquids in an attempt to destroy each other as their plague legion falls further into the corrupting grasp of Nurgle.
His own Legion turning traitor to him, Perturabo set his sights on Rogal Dorn and plotted his revenge. Through secret communications, Perturabo, with the assistance of Horus, convinced the Imperial Fists Legion that their Primarch had abandoned them in favor of the Iron Warriors. He appealed to them as a forsaken father to forsaken sons. In the end, they were turned to Chaos and secretly began weakening the defenses of Terra in preparation for the coming rebellion.
Rogal Dorn, for his part, caught wind of Perturabo’s return and immediately made preparations to return to Olympia and present his lost brother with his former command, which would allow Dorn to return to Terra and his own warriors. Rogal Dorn had to use every ounce of his leadership and guile in commanding the Iron Warriors and was glad to be rid of the manipulative lot of them. Before the Legion departed, however, Dorn received word from his brother that he should bring only a single cruiser and make haste for an urgent conference of Primarchs to be held on Olympia in secret.
He made all haste to the meeting, but was greeted with a sight so horrible that it broke even his stalwart heart. A thousand Imperial Fists were lined up to greet him at the landing field. Each one had removed all Legion markings from their armor, leaving them a solid yellow, but dipping their right hand (the hand one placed over the heart in salute) in the blood of fallen Olympians, and each one held a bolter that had been twisted and perverted by the warp. Standing at the head of this Chapter was Perturabo, Fulgrim, and Ferrus Manus (who had recently been swayed by his friend to join the cause), all laughed evilly as Rogal Dorn, the one Primarch who could have prevented the destruction of Terra, was gunned down by his own sons.
More to follow...
