Welcome Brother Marine to the Fandex: Book of the Unforgiven, a book dedicated to the most secretive of all Space Marine Chapters. Fandex: Book of the Unforgiven is the definitive guide to collecting, painting and playing with a Dark Angels army in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop wargame.
THE WARHAMMER 40,000 GAME
The Warhammer 40,000 rulebook contains the rules you need to fight battles with your Citadel miniatures in the war-torn universe of the 41st Millennium. Every army has its own Codex book that works with these rules and allows you to turn your collection of miniatures into an organised force, ready for battle. This particular fandex, although self created and not completely official, details everything you need to know about the Dark Angels, and allows you to use them in your games of Warhammer 40,000.
WHY COLLECT A DARK ANGELS ARMY
Space Marines are amongst the most powerful warriors of the 41st Millennium. They are not Human, but gene-enhanced superhumans, armed with the mighty bolter and protected by suits of power armour. Though few in number compared to the innumerable ranks of the Imperial Guard, each is a formidable warrior the equal of a score of mortal Men. They are able to call on a fearsome array of weapons, equipment and vehicles. The Dark Angels Space Marines are all of this and more. Their story is one of bitter betrayal and a secret mission they have pursued for ten thousand years – the truth of this quest for redemption known only by a select few. The Dark Angels appeal to players who like their Space Marines dark, gothic and sinister!
HOW THIS FANDEX WORKS
This Fandex is split into four main sections that deal with different aspects of the army.
• The Dark Angels: The first section introduces the Dark Angels Chapter of Space Marines and their part in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It includes details of their origins, the terrible events of the Fall of Caliban, and the Dark Angels’ organisation. Also included are details of famous battles in which the Chapter has fought.
• Forces of the Dark Angels: Within the Forces of the Dark Angels section you will find special rules relating to the Dark Angels and Special Character profiles with a brief history on each.
• The Dark Angels Army: This section contains photographs of the range of Citadel Miniatures available for your Dark Angels army, gloriously painted by members of the Dark Angels community. Markings for the various squad types and vehicles are included, as well as the history and colour schemes supported by some of the successor chapters.
• Dark Angels Army List: The army list takes all of the units presented in the Forces of the Dark Angels section and arranges them so you can choose a force for your games. A force organisation chart categorises the units you can pick into HQ, Elites, Troops, Fast Attack and Heavy Support choices. Each unit type also has a points value attached to help you pit a force against an opponent’s in a fair match. • The Fallen Angels: The Dark Angels Fallen Brethren
are mentioned within this section of the fandex including character profiles and special rules needed to use them within your own games of Warhammer 40,000.
FIND OUT MORE
While Fandex: Book of the Unforgiven contains everything you need to play a game with your army, there are always more tactics to use, different battles to fight and painting ideas to try out. The monthly magazine White Dwarf contains articles about all aspects of the Warhammer 40,000 game and hobby, and you can find articles specific to the Dark Angels at:
Deep within the core of the Asteroid that was once Caliban lie a myriad of dungeons and passageways. Ancient caverns that predated the heresy lie side by side with those cored out by modern science. Some such chambers are so secret that very few within the entire chapter know even of their existence. Within one such chamber called the Liber Mortis Angelus lie great tomes and data crystals bristling with a vast array of information. Secreted within the depths of the Liber Mortis Angelus lies a single massive tome with embedded data crystals that chronicle the entire history of the Dark Angels Legion and their Unforgiven chapters, from their inception by the most benevolent emperor to their current activities. This is the Apocrypha of Caliban. Only the Grandmasters of the Inner Circle even know of it's existence, let alone it’s content. It is the most complete accumulation of the events comprising the history of the Dark Angels. To understand fully, the origin of the Unforgiven chapters and their antecedent legion, one must delve far in to the early history of humanity. One must go far back in time to the period preceding the birth of the emperor, his subsequent birth on Terra and hence on to the golden era when the holy emperor walked amongst his warriors. One must then study the events in that era of magnificent achievements and horrendous deeds! Of brilliant conquests and cataclysmic wars!
Much has been lost in the mists of time, yet much is remembered! Time moves inexorable forward, washing the events of history in to insignificant dust. Time is the mortal enemy of man as it disposes his achievements and buries his memories without second thought. History becomes legend....Legends become myths....Myths turns in to fables...and fables slowly fade away.
Yet the immortal emperor endures for the sake of humanity and as do the emperor's first legion!
The Universe, Warp and the Early man.
The universe in the Warhammer 40K system, as we know it is made up of two parallel realms. The physical realm is the one we know of, consisting of galaxies, star systems and worlds with physical space in between. This realm is influenced by the conventional science of physics. The alternate reality is called by many names, such as "the warp", "warp space", "sea of souls" or "the realm of chaos" It is composed entirely of psychic energy, which whirl and eddy constantly. Every living creature contributes its psychic energy to this alternate realm. Our thoughts and emotions are mirrored there. It is the spiritual reflection of the life of the entire universe. The laws of physics do not apply in this realm, which is inhabited by creatures of the warp, that you will later learn to be called demons and
demon gods.
Originally the natural psychic forces of all animals and plants flowed harmoniously creating a unifying force flowing through all living beings. Their relatively simple thoughts and emotions maintained smooth psychic flow within the warp. As intelligent races developed, their extremely potent minds filled the warp with very powerful energies, which were not harmonious. These negative energies, in time coalesced in to troublesome spots, which then grew in size, developing a consciousness of their own, resulting in the chaos powers that we know now as chaos gods.
The primitive man, the hunters and harvesters of ancient times had a special relationship with the warp. The natural energies of the warp flowed harmoniously through them too. Some humans were more sensitive to these energies, and being able to discern subtle variations, were able to predict future occurrences and therefore benefit their communities. These were the witch doctors; the shamans; the psychics. However as humans and their civilisations developed, their myriad feelings such as power ambition and greed began to disturb the natural flow of the warp. This inevitably made the warp less accessible to the shamans and also detached the human race from their natural connection to the warp. These new forces became localised forming new focuses in the warp resulting in the formation of the chaos powers.
Long before the human race developed their appreciation of this realm of chaos, many other races had flourished in the universe. As old as the stars themselves, sentient beings were born within the roiling energy of massive stars. These would in later millennia be known and feared as the C'tan gods. These beings lived off the energy of newly born stars, completely ignorant of the cooler planetary systems forming around them and the sentient beings beginning to flourish. The earliest of the sentient beings that mastered star travel were the Slaan. Highly intelligent, the Slaan or the Old Ones, defined the science of astronomy and the art of astrology to a finite level. Their mastery of the warp was paramount and they understood the importance that each sentient life played in the universe. They nourished and nurtured new life and newer races wherever they went.
In there wake younger more vibrant races also thrived. One such race of beings, called the Necrontyr was born in a terrible star system. Constantly bombarded by their ultra radiant star, they had but a very short life and all their energy was focused in to scientific achievements aimed at survival. As they came in to contact with the Old Ones, the longevity nearing on near immortality and mastery of the universe the latter displayed resulted in terrible and vengeful conflict. Despite the scientifically advanced nature of the Necrontyr, they were consistently outmanoeuvred by the old ones who used their warp portals and understanding of the universe to dramatic
effect. The Necrontyr were pushed back to their system. It was then that the Necrontyr somehow tapped the potential of the sentient beings within the stars, awakening what would eventually be the truly awesome might of the C'tan Gods. These beings provided the Necrontyr with terrible weapons of war and as a final gift harvested the entire population in to automatons, giving them the immortality they had so dearly sought. The entire Necrontyr civilization then became Necrons, the mechanical slaves of the C'tan gods.
Armed with terrible weapons of war and supported by their inhumane gods, the Necrons now took the battle back to the Old Ones. Hundreds upon hundreds of civilizations nurtured by the Old Ones became fodder for the C'tan gods as billions were culled without mercy. The essence of life becoming a much sought after morsel amongst those terrible gods. It was around this time that the C'tan Gods turned amongst each other, consuming one another with hated passion until only four were left. As the Old Ones were pushed back, their legendary patience running short, they contemplated their options. This respite had allowed them to develop the newer, psychically more powerful races able to tap the energy of the empyrean. These launched a counter attack against the relentless assault of the mechanoid Necrons sending them reeling back. The warp was anathema to the C'tan, who once and for all devised a great plan to completely separate the warp from the material universe thus depriving the Old Ones of their source of power.
However, before that could happen, the psychic emotions, which were mirrored in the warp, resulted in unforeseen creations. These warp entities became terrible predators, invading the material realm through the warp portals and the minds of Psychers. As the Old Ones turned to face this unforeseen threat, other races took advantage, especially the enslavers. As the Old Ones' warp portals were lost to them, their civilization collapsed. As the live population of the galaxy was culled, the C'tan gods were running out of sustenance so went in to hibernation in a vast number of dead worlds. They would re-emerge when a race suitable to be their slaves disturbed their tombs once again. Thus the galaxy suffered the most terrible of wars and in its aftermath returned to a peaceful quiet as the new life began anew. The Eldar race, created by the Old Ones, reached an unimaginable level of psychic development. Having discovered their warp portal technology, they held sway over the universe even as the human society slowly developed in to a space-faring race.
Birth of the New Man
When shamans, those humans with the gift of tapping in to the warp died, their souls entered the warp bathing and flowing with the natural energies until reborn in another body. However, with the disturbances in the natural rhythm of the warp that humanity created, this was becoming more difficult. Souls were being lost to the malign predatory chaos powers that now emerged in the warp. As their ability to lead and
protect their communities receded, the worried shamans began a long debate and research lasting hundreds of years. At its conclusion they realised that they were doomed, as they would gradually be consumed by the warp entities, and that without them, all of mankind was doomed to the predations of the chaos powers.
They finally concluded that the only hope for mankind was to pool all their energies in to the creation of a single immortal being who would guide humankind to their destiny. Being immortal, he would not need to be reincarnated and thus not be at the mercy of the chaos powers in the warp. Shamans in the thousands committed suicide and their kind was gone forever from the earth. Their energies coalesced together in the warp and within a year was born as a single entity of immense power. The new man. The emperor of mankind!
For thirty eight thousand years the immortal New man wandered the earth, first observing but then taking on various personae to guide and advance humanity. As the human race prospered the warp became disturbed by their myriad thoughts and emotions and its natural flow could no longer sustain the planet. Despite the New mans' best efforts, the intrinsic traits of martial honour, self -satisfaction and ambition resulted in persecution and war. These emotions also fed the newly developing powers in the warp.
Even before the coalesced emotions and psychic forces in the warp developed their own consciousness, they sensed the presence of the new man and that this future Emperor was their greatest enemy. Khorne, the blood god, was the first of these chaos powers to fully awaken, as massive wars swept throughout the earth. This was followed by Tzeentch, the Changer of ways as nations developed political intrigue and diplomatic manipulations. Finally Nurgle, the god of plague awoke, sweeping the earth with famine and disease. By the middle ages, all three had fully awakened.
Humanity reaches for the stars
The New Man realized the latent psychic potential of the human race and the threat posed to them by the warp entities. He also came to realize that it was near impossible to prevent the highly attuned human psyche from conflict. As nations and races grew and warred for supremacy, the malign chaos powers in the warp became stronger, fed constantly by the psychic turmoil of conflict, deceit and disease.
The New Man thus took on many roles and identities to minimize these effects and to direct humanity's technological advancements. As a consequence of the scientific advancements under the unseen direction of the New Man humanity began to head out in to space in the 15th millennium. Using early sub-light engines, travel was painstakingly slow, taking up to ten generations to reach and colonise other systems.
With the constant direction and advice by the New Man behind the scenes, human scientists discovered warp engine technology in the 20th millennium. In parallel to this, massive computerised databases called Standard
Template Constructs were also developed. These STCs could be the basis to produce everything a colony needed from food to weapons using locally available raw materials. Both these developments, pioneered subtly by the new man, revolutionised space expeditions resulting in an enormous expansion of space farers.
It is around this same time a new "Navigator" gene developed in human society. This gene resulted in their owners being blind but being able to see and feel the tides and flow of the warp. The navigator gene allowed them to steer space vessels within the warp very accurately enabling longer and more accurate warp jumps. As a consequence Navigator families and cartels become very powerful, controlling trade and communications between systems.
The New Man had thus directed the human society's scientific development in readiness for the coming of the Navigator gene. This was one of the early great steps towards the creation of the Imperium of Man and an excellent example of the long-term designs of the New Man. Thus followed a golden age of scientific exploration and expansion. A massive explosion of human colonization of the known space occurs as humanity pushes back the frontiers of space.
The Age of Strife (25th millennium)
In the early period of the 25th millennium, termed the age of strife by contemporary scholars, the emperor remained in the background, gently guiding humanity as they reach the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Alien races were encountered; especially the ubiquitous Orks, and localised conflicts break out. Order is maintained by commerce and communication through the warp. Commerce and trade from the colonies sustains the civilization on earth.
Then two events of enormous significance occurred concurrently. First, humans with psychic ability begin to appear on many worlds across the galaxy. The human race was not yet aware of nor were they ready to tap the potential of the warp. With no training and experience, the minds of these latent Psykers were an open gateway to the warp leading to daemonic possession and insanity. Civilizations across the human empire began to fall because of such rogue Psykers. It is in this period that the Eldar race had reached its full psychic potential. Having achieved the ultimate in scientific, cultural and psychic development, the majority of the race looked elsewhere for fulfilment. Apart from a few far-sighted individuals, the bulk of Eldar society descended in to debased cults and activities, unknowingly feeding their own doom. Their lust for pleasure was amplified by their strong psychic presence in the warp and these currents began to coalesce in to another focus. The Eldar race was unwittingly creating another chaos entity. The tremors of its slow growth began to result in colossal disturbances in the warp, producing massive warp storms, which erupted across the galaxy. This turmoil cut of and prevented most systems from each other.
No communication was possible as warp travel first
became perilous and then altogether impossible. This age of strife lasted from the 26th millennium to the 31st. During these five thousand years the ancient pan-galactic human civilisation of the past broke down and was replaced by many thousands of local civilisations based around either a single solar system or, occasionally, a small cluster of nearby stars.
During the Age of Strife Earth and the other planets of the Terran solar system were unable to communicate with other human worlds, but maintained contact with each other. For much of this period the government of Earth held sway over the entire system, at other times Mars and the Moon were dominant. For much of the time the different worlds found themselves at war. During the 28th millennium Earth government broke down completely and the planet divided into dozens of inter-warring nations. After two and a half thousand years of continuous warfare little remained of the once sophisticated civilisation of the past. The planet had become a battleground fought over by techno-barbarian warlords and their warrior hordes. This was a dark time for the people of Earth. A time dominated by brutal rulers like Kalagann of Ursh, Cardinal Tang, and the most infamous of all, the half-mad half-genius Narthan Dume Tyrant of the Pan pacific Empire. It was against this background of techno-barbaric warfare that the New Man finally shed his cover and began to lead his people openly.
Conquest of the Solar System
With the mighty psychic powers, immortal physique and the combined intelligence provided by the thousands of Shamans who pooled their psychic powers to create him, the New Man now stepped in to his role as a warlord intent on conquering earth and then the solar system. When the Emperor began his conquest of the planet his retinue was equipped and armed in the same way as the troops of other warlords. The first Space Marines formed part of that retinue and were equipped with the same sort of armour as other warriors of the time.
The techno-barbaric state of science lent itself to the creation of early genetically modified warriors and the first prototypes of powered personal armour. Thus the first Space Marines were created and the first Space Marine Armour type developed during the conquest of earth. Personally leading these genetically enhanced warriors, who would subsequently form the first Space Marine legion, the New Man conquers all who opposed him on earth and then on all the planets of the Solar system. The tech-priests of Mars subjugate themselves to his will, awed by his intricate knowledge of the arts of the machine god.
After bringing the Solar system under his control the New Man ascends the throne and has since been known only as the Emperor of Man. With the Solar system well and truly under his control, and still cut off from the rest of the galaxy by warp storms, the process of rebuilding the civilization is put in to motion. The tech adepts of Mars begin the process of rearming humanity. Their forges and armouries work constantly to produce every weapon conceivable to support the emperor's plans. Genetic engineering is further developed to enhance the
emperor's warriors. New, space capable armour is created in preparation for subsequent space conquests.
The Adeptus Astra Telepathica was established to train and sanction Psykers in the ways of the warp. A massive underground base was built in the Himalayas range, containing the psychic conduit necessary to project the Astronomicon. This was a psychic beacon, maintained by a choir of a thousand Psykers, which would emit a psychic beacon in to the warp, to allow navigators a site of reference for safe and accurate warp travel.
Primarch Project
In a secret laboratory on Earth's Luna colony, the emperor begins his most wondrous and potent creations after a lengthy research and development program in the utmost secrecy. It was the Primarch project. Based on his own genetic code, he directs his scientists in the creation of 20 superhuman and highly potent beings, termed the Primarchs. Each one was superhuman in physique and psyche but also had individual traits. These were to be the leaders of the human recon quest of the galaxy. The threat posed to the chaos powers by these Primarchs was immense. The painstaking creation of each Primarch was a very long and arduous process. The first Primarch created was tailored to be a grand tactician.
Extra-ordinary precautions were taken. Massive psychic shields and wards were placed by the emperor on Luna to protect the whole project and to keep it a secret from chaos powers. But the depredations of chaos are everywhere, and through the weak willed and self-aggrandised minds of one of the scientists on Luna, the chaos powers learned of the project. Using the mind of the weakling as a gateway the combined chaos powers made a concerted effort to infiltrate and destroy the Luna scientific facility. Warp entities cannot enter the physical realm directly. They may take over the physical body of a mortal being by entering his minds (daemonic possession) or in the presence of a concentrated psychic energy, materialize for short periods of time. The latter needs to be maintained by sacrifice as the warp entities consume souls in order to remain in the material realm. So powerful was the immortal emperor and his psychic wards that the combined powers of Khorne, Nurgle and Tzeentch could not remain on Luna long enough to destroy the nascent Primarchs in their incubation capsules. All they managed to do was to thrust the capsules in to the warp, with the aim of subsequently destroying them.
The twenty incubation capsules drifted through the warp for decades or even centuries, until finally coming to rest on human-inhabited worlds throughout the galaxy. The capsule of one Primarch, he who was to become known as Lion El'Jonson, Primarch of the Dark Angels, was dropped on an isolated planet on the northern fringe of the Eye of Terror - the death world of Caliban.
The Space Marine Legions
The emperor realized that time was fast running out. The new chaos god was beginning to stir. Recreating more Primarchs would take too much time and he had to get the human civilization ready for their great re-conquest. In his infinite wisdom and foresight he had foreseen the fall of the Eldar, the rise of that Daemon God of pleasure and the abating of the warp storms. Thus, using the Primarchs' DNA, the emperor began a process of creating Space Marines by a faster method of implanting the gene-seed in to suitable human subjects. The geneseed from the first Primarch was used to implant the warriors who had formed his retinue during the conquest of the Solar system. This was the first legion of the Space marines. This first legion was named by the emperor to be the Dark Angels Legion and was to be the Emperor's personal guard during their future battles.
Though these Space Marines were nowhere as powerful as the Primarchs, they were still superhumans. Twenty legions of Space Marines were created each numbering in the tens of thousands, each legion containing the traits of their founding Primarch. Along with the creation of the Space Marine legions, the ships of the Imperial Navy and the massive numbers of the Imperial Guard were also readied.
Death of an ancient race & the Great Crusade
At this same time the more psychically and technologically advanced Eldar were finally hurtling towards their ultimate doom. Having conquered all aspects of science and technology and outgrown the need for physical labour, as their society provided all that was needed, most Eldar immersed themselves in spurious acts of wanton pleasure. Many gave in to the most hedonistic impulses and cults developed all over their domains focused on arcane knowledge sensual excesses. The majority of the Eldar society became depraved and wanton, sinking deeper and deeper in to their desires for sensual satisfaction. The mirror echoes of their emotions coalesced in the warp, creating another monstrous consciousness. This creature was the image of the depraved and corrupt Eldar desires. As this monstrous entity dreamed in its slumber in the warp, the Eldar were riven with madness as their society crumbled around them and their worlds went up in flames.
The fall of the Eldar is said to have happened in a single massive orgy of destruction. Their rabid thoughts, lustful emotions and worship of pleasure finally peaked to such an intensity, that with a mighty roar, the slumbering monster reached divine consciousness. Thus was born Slaanesh, the chaos god of pleasure, drawing all Eldar consciousness to itself and literally draining the minds of the Eldar. The energies of the Eldar passed into the warp, and infused the creature known as Slaanesh, the Power of Chaos given form by the dreams of the Eldar. As Slaanesh cried out in his birthing pain, a psychic implosion of massive proportions tore at the universe. Every Eldar mind within a ten thousand light year radius was torn to shreds and their spirits sucked in to the warp to sate the thirsting Slaanesh. The epicentre of this implosion was at the heart of the Eldar domain.
Slaanesh's violent birth sucked the souls of virtually all Eldar from their bodies, the warp energy ripping through their fragile minds and spilling in to real space. The vast majority of the Eldar race died that day. The place where they lived and died became known as the eye of terror. Here warp space and real-space overlap. Many craft worlds were caught in the implosion even as they fled. Thousands of Eldar exodites all over the galaxy also perished that night. A few far-sighted Eldar, who had steered their craft worlds away from their civilizations and some exodites in the farthest reaches of the galaxy were all that was left of this once proud and galaxy spanning civilization.
The positive consequence of Slaanesh's birth was the sudden and near complete abatement of the warp storms in the galaxy. The warp became gentle and ready for travel just as the Emperor had foreseen. His legions, which had been primed and readied for this day, were then unleashed like a massive juggernaut. The largest armada of spaceships and transports left their orbital docks in the solar system in the greatest conquest ever attempted by mankind. At the cutting edge of this massive force were the warriors of the twenty legions. The great crusade had begun with the aim of to restoring the galaxy to human control. World after world and system after system were reached in all directions. Those that did not submit were pacified, purified and brought under imperial rule. Wherever the resistance was greatest, there the Emperor led his warriors personally. And where the Emperor went, there stood by his side, his first legion, his Praetorian Guard, the warriors of the Dark Angels legion.
Caliban
The world of Caliban was part of a single star system, just at the outer edge of a region of space, which subsequently became the Eye of terror. The planet was the only inhabitable one in their system, which was also known by the same name.
It was an extremely beautiful planet with lush green forests leading to moderate sized mountain ranges. Swirling rivers and gushing waterfalls criss-crossed the landscape. The blue oceans provided some mixture of contrast with the green and brown mountainous forests, which covered the majority of the world. Off-worlders marvelled at this single planet of beauty in an otherwise barren system. During the Dark Age of Technology, human exploration reached out and discovered Caliban. Many of the explorers had been riveted by its beauty and made it their home. There were few humanoid inhabitants in that planet. Those that were present were in very small numbers and rapidly assimilated or eliminated. The society in Caliban had initially developed along feudal lines, with regional leaders dominating their mainly agricultural and forestry based society. Trade and commerce links were established with nearby systems and earth itself. The fine variety of agri-foods was it's main commercial output. However it was also made famous for the delicate
craftsmanship from the forestry where unique trees and elements lent themselves to the creation of highly sought after artefacts. The individual regions generally were at peace with each other and the planet and society of Caliban thrived. Then came the warp storms during the Age of Strife. Off-world communication and trade became more and more dangerous until finally all warp travel and communications became impossible. Cut off from earth and its trade, and having no other hospitable planet in their system, the society of Caliban became isolated. The once self sufficient society of Caliban had grown to be dependent on off-world imports and as such, social order slowly began to degenerate. Regional leaders had to resort to military measures and harsh laws to maintain order. Their society transformed from an agri-industrial-craftman society to one of martial society lead by semi-feudal warlords. Aggression between the warlords resulted in the building of massive citadels built in clearings hacked out of the lush forests. Over the millennia of the age of strife, the society of Caliban finally changed to one of a military society with a strong martial code and sense of honour. Then, as the Eldar race decimated themselves and Slaanesh was born, everything changed.
The gargantuan tear in the reality of space that marked the passing of the Eldar race also decimated every world and system in a 10,000 light year radius. At the northern most edge of this massive rend in the fabric of reality lay the system of Caliban. The absence of any psychically attuned human in the planet of Caliban meant that the majority of the populace noticed nothing was amiss. However the rapidly abating warp storms were noticed, although the feudal warlord-led societies had long given up the maintenance or knowledge of space travel. Over the next decades, the population of Caliban saw their once beautiful world slowly transform in to a blighted death world. Deadly warp spawned creatures began to roam the jungles. Trees and vegetation mutated in some areas becoming more deadly than the jungle's predators. Surprisingly the lushness of the forests remained, hiding the gruesome transformation. Human settlements gradually gravitated towards the citadels of their warlords. These citadels were carved in to the bedrock of the planet and maintained within massive clearings of the jungles. The society became more warrior-orientated, with knightly orders forming to become the ruling elite. Many millennia of feudal warfare were replaced by decades of battle for survival against the warped beasts. As a consequence the populace of Caliban had become accustomed to many an unnatural phenomena. So it was that, when a fiery comet streaked through the bright starlit night and crashed in the jungle within earshot of one of the largest citadels of Caliban, no one took notice. The Nobility of Caliban
The nobility of Caliban were a pugnacious race. Each group of settlements had a protector or warlord and his retinue of knightly warriors. Each such knightly order was based around a massive citadel as their base, which provided much needed security in the face of evil. Extremely brave and well versed in martial honour, they were raised from childhood to live and die by the sword. They were clad in a form of power armour similar to the early power armour used by the Emperor's retinue on
earth. They were armed with the boltpistol and a chainsword as their personal armament. Mounted on huge warhorses called "Destrieres" these noble knights were a fearsome sight and one welcomed by the besieged populace of Caliban. The life of the nobles was a constant struggle as they fought repeatedly to vanquish the multitude of chaotic beasts that appeared in their jungles. Occasionally a particularly terrifying creature may cause prolonged terror and require the declaration of a quest. Noble from many separate feudal societies would then congregate to attempt to kill the creature. To the slayer went great honour and fortune but more often than not only a horrific death awaited them. As the nobles rose in their achievements they were honoured with the title of "Master" and given a retinue of warrior knights to lead. The leader of each order was referred to as the Grandmaster of the Order.
One such knightly order was always known simply as "The Order" and the brave warrior knights known as the "Knights of the Order" They were one of the largest such orders in Caliban and had a reputation across all of Caliban for the honesty, nobility and fearless skills of its brother-knights in battle. Unlike other such orders in Caliban, where admission was a birthright, members of The Order were chosen on their military prowess and martial honour. Anyone, from a lowly farm boy to a rich merchant could join the order based entirely on their merit. Contingents of brother-knights would travel across Caliban, giving their aid to whoever required it.
Life and times of the young lion
The fiery comet streaked through Caliban's blighted atmosphere, completely ignored by the populace in the scattered settlements. By providence, it came to rest within earshot of Caliban's greatest citadel, the fortress monastery of "The Order". The comet, which was in fact the Primarch capsule containing the nascent infant Primarch, who was the emperor's first born. As to what happened thereafter is lost in the mists of time and mythology. Suffice to say that for then next ten years no one in Caliban paid much attention to the crashing of the comet. However, whispers of old sooth-sayers were heard that there was a change in the jungles surrounding the Fortress of the citadel. Groups of knight warriors of the order began to tell eerie tales of being watched but yet not feeling endangered. The attacks by chaotic beasts around the Order's monastery began to abate. Most attributed these events to the martial prowess of the Order's knights. For ten years, spurred by their apparent success, the knightly order repeatedly and frequently began to foray deeper in to the jungles in search of such horrendous beasts. Hope began to swell, that perhaps finally there might be an end to the depredations of the mystical terror.
It is undoubtedly true that the nascent Primarch survived the crash of the capsule. The emperor himself, in his infinite foresight, designed the Primarch’s capsule to cater for all eventualities. What the infant Primarch felt or thought as he lay
within the capsule, sustained by its perpetual energy sources and nutri-supplements one would never know. But as the infant grew up rapidly in a matter of weeks within the capsule he would have imbibed the knowledge reposited within the capsules memory banks. Finally leaving the capsule, the child Primarch began to wander the forests of Caliban. How he survived or what ordeals he endured remain a mystery to this day. The only person to whom he had spoken of this was his future friend and brother in arms Luther. Imperial scholars attribute the reduction in chaos predations near the Order's monastery and settlements to the arrival of the child-Primarch though this can never be verified in any manner. However surviving in the death-world jungles of Caliban for ten years without any armour or man made weapons does indeed speak volumes as to the capabilities of this god-like superhuman son of the Emperor. It is god-likely that the battle-honed senses of the warriors of the Order were true and the Primarch was perhaps observing them for a considerable time. Their sense of the absence of danger was perhaps the Primarchs psyche permeating the warriors mind, setting them at ease.
Discovery!
A large expedition of the knightly order had set off on a deep expedition in to the jungle. This one was a specific mission intended to penetrate deeper in to the jungle wasteland than ever before. Danger lurked everywhere but the knights felt the feeling of safety around them as well. Occasionally chaotic beasts were sighted, but surprisingly no ambushes were encountered. At each step, where previously an ambush by such terrifying creatures would cost the expedition dearly in lives, now they were forewarned by natural phenomena. Sometimes the ambushing creatures gave themselves away by sudden movement, sometimes they were found dead. It was as if though there was a force protecting the expedition. In the end they had penetrated deeper than ever before, not losing a single knight and collecting the carcasses of many horrendous creatures. The fact that some of those creatures had been found dead puzzled the knights, but their minds were squarely on the task ahead.
Just as they were about to make camp for the night, before turning back, they heard the sounds of a scuffle ahead. They charged their steeds ahead, thinking that perhaps two chaos beasts were fighting each other, which may give them the opportunity to kill both in one battle. As they neared the area of the scuffle, an unearthly scream was heard and the sounds of battle died down. The knights thundered on and were startled to hear an almighty bestial roar! It was a cry of victory but what stunned them was that it had a human quality to it. The massive warhorses, battle-hardened by many campaigns thundered on, fully trusting their riders’ instincts. They suddenly burst out in to a clearing and saw the carnage of a massive battle between two powerful beings. One was dead. It was definitely a chaos beast, with warped heads and taloned limbs. It's broken wings lay at an odd angle, almost comical in death. Its head had been smashed on the rock on which it lay dead. The warriors reared their horses as they assimilated the scene. Standing on the head of the beast was another bipedal beast. Blood and gore spattered its body. It's
head covered in long blonde hair. As one, the knights raised their bolt pistol to rid this abomination from their beloved planet. Twenty bolt shells clicked in their chambers. The leader of the expedition, a master of the order and a veteran of many campaigns, was faster than the others. His bolt shell left the barrel at an unwitting speed. It should have removed the beast's head cleanly, but for the lightning reflexes it demonstrated. Certainly a hell-spawned creation the other knights contended and let loose a volley from their boltpistols. The beast twisted and turned, dived and rolled and evaded all the shots. All but one! A single bolt shell hit the beast in the shoulder and spun it around, throwing it to the ground. The knights stared in amazement as it slowly raised itself to its feet. Realising that this was no ordinary chaos beast, they chambered their pistols as one and raised their weapons.
A single knight suddenly rode across their line of sight. Holstering his pistol he called out to his brothers to stay their hands. He had observed the creature keenly and realized that it was not attacking them and that there was something human in this creature. The knight then dismounted from his steed, sheathed his sword and slowly and courageously walked up to the creature, which stood still and met his gaze. Slowly sweeping the golden flock of hair that covered its face, they were shocked to see the noble and handsome features of a human being. They were yet more amazed to find that the wound caused by the bolt pistol had begun to heal. Realising that this was indeed a human in some form or the other and that he had in fact saved their lives by killing another warp creature, which was preparing to attack them in their camp they tended to its wounds and made their way back to their fortress monastery. Significantly, there was not a single encounter with the chaos beasts on their return voyage. Luther would reminisce years later, that the sense of protection that they felt on their return journey was almost measurable. From that time onwards, the legend of the "Watchers in the Dark" found substance in Caliban society. They were said to be mystical beings that protected the weary traveller from harm. No proof was ever afforded to confirm such legend but for the personal experiences of many a battle weary knight. Perhaps the watchers had indeed watched over the young Primarch. Word of the successful quest preceded the arrival of the warrior knights. A victorious quest was not an unusual occurrence within the ranks of the Order. But returning with nary an injury let alone a single casualty was extremely unusual. Tales of their successful quest, along with trophies of the heads of the felled beasts spread like wild fire. Most intriguing of all was the rumour that the group had captured a beast alive. The inquisitiveness and excitement of the crowds that thronged the settlements turned to amazement when they saw the so-called beast riding with Luther on his warhorse. The knights passed through settlement after settlement, being feted as heroes until finally they reached the imposing fortress monastery of the Order.
The band was greeted by the supreme grandmaster of the order himself, who met them at the entrance with his retinue. Although amazed by the exploits of the knights, their attention slowly turned to the issue of the handsome but wild figure riding with Luther. The Primarch looked like a fully-grown man, though the warrior knights had no inclination that he was but ten years old. There was a majesty about him that appealed to all who saw him. Even though he was technically a captive, Luther presented him to the supreme grandmaster, offering to take on the role of friend and guide. A great feast was declared to celebrate the victorious knights and it was deemed that the newcomer would be given a name and ordained in to the order. To have single handedly, and unarmed, killed a chaos beast was a martial achievement never before heard of on Caliban.
At the grand feast the young Primarch, now clad in the exquisite clothing of the nobility and flanked by Luther, made a grand entrance. As the festivities began the supreme grandmaster of the order turned to Luther and offered him the honour of giving their new brother-in-arm his warrior name. Thinking for a moment, with a grand gesture so characteristic of him, Luther named the Primarch Lion El' Jonson. In the tongue of Caliban it meant son of the forest. Incidentally, in the language of ancient terra it also referred to a majestic warrior beast. An apt description of the young lion! In response this tall, handsome and majestic figure slowly rose and raised his arms asking for quiet. To the astonishment of all who had gathered there he then spoke his thanks fluently in their own tongue. The celebrations went on unabated for days after which the Lion and Luther both returned to Luther’s home.
The Lion Ascendant.
The young Primarch was still growing and Luther was more than happy to be a guide as well as be guided. Their friendship was cemented as they grew, learning the skills and knowledge required of a warrior knight. The two men complimented each other perfectly. Where Jonson was temperamental and taciturn, Luther was charming and charismatic. Where Luther was rash and emotional, Jonson was a brilliant strategist and unstoppable once decided upon a course of action. Together they made some initial forays in to the surrounding jungles. In this time of familiarization the Lion realized that a greater effort was needed to rid the planet of chaos. Together with a band of knights they first toured the entire landmass of Caliban, personally reconnoitring and assessing the extent of the challenge while achieving many victorious exploits. Men from all over Caliban flocked to join the ranks of the Order. During this time, both him and Luther rapidly rose through the ranks of the Caliban nobility, reaching the ranks of grandmaster. It was in this position the Lion had set in motion a long-term strategic plan. Old technology that had been abandoned was sought after and re-established. Simple space-faring craft were constructed to re-establish contact with closer systems. Many new fortress monasteries were built to accommodate the burgeoning ranks of the Order. The forges of the fortress monasteries rang with the sound of armament production. New warriors were inducted in to the ranks of the knights.
Grandmasters of all the orders in Caliban were invited to join in the ultimate crusade and they flocked under the banner of the Lion. The massive crusade was finally put in to motion with the Lion and Luther leading from the vanguard. Under his brilliant strategic foresight and tactical leadership, it took just over a decade to rid the jungles of Caliban of all chaos-infested life forms. Finally the blighted world of Caliban was free once again. A golden age dawned for the inhabitants of the once troubled planet.
On his return the Lion was elevated to the position of Supreme Grandmaster of the Order and ruler of all Caliban. The society of Caliban began to prosper once again. Craftsmanship and agriculture thrived. Science and technology were rejuvenated. Contact was established with the nearby star systems although warp travel was still beyond their grasp. While Jonson was conquering and clearing Caliban of evil the Emperor was waging his Great Crusade across the galaxy, reuniting humanity and purging entire star systems of their alien oppressors. As the Imperium's wave of conquest advanced across the galaxy, Imperial Scouts rediscovered the isolated world of Caliban. The emperor heard of the changes that had occurred in Caliban and sensing that his first born was the Lion decided to move directly to meet him in person.
Father and Son
Finally, one day a massive armada of spaceships was seen entering their atmosphere. While most remained in orbit a single ship descended to land in a clearing near the Order's fortress. Realising that the warp storms that had cut off Caliban from the rest of the universe was finally at an end, the Lion and his retinue personally arrived to greet the new comers. Those who witnessed the subsequent events were in awestruck at the majesty of the newcomer, who descended from the star ship. Wearing a magnificently crafted suit of personal armour and radiating a glow of authority and compassion he opened his arms, and embraced his long lost son, his first born! There was no hesitation or lack of recognition between the two of them. While the Apocrypha of Skaros describes a number of Primarchs fighting or challenging the emperor, Jonson simply embraced him. A close bond that could only occur between father and son was formed. The arrival of the emperor changed the society of Caliban even more. Jonson learned that the legion that had accompanied his father from the conquest of terra to the farthest reaches of the great crusade was none other than the Dark Angels Legion. A legion created in his own image, from his own genetic code. He accepted command of the ten thousand Dark Angels of his legion. The warrior elite of Caliban clamoured for the honour of becoming Space Marines. Those knights who were still young enough had the Legion's gene seed implanted within them, while those too old for this process underwent surgery to transform them into elite warriors of the Imperium. The first to be brought into the Legion in this way was Luther, who became Jonson's
second-in-command, just as he always had been within the Order. The emperor dictated that Caliban would be the home world of the Dark Angels. The entire strength of the Order and a vast number of warriors from other orders were rapidly incorporated in to the Dark Angels legion. Caliban's nomenclature and command structure permeated the legion. Their leaders were henceforth called masters and grandmasters while the Lion remained supreme grandmaster.
The next few years were spent restructuring the Caliban society, making them self sufficient and proficient in the science of interplanetary travel and space warfare. The Dark Angle legion was rested and invigorated with the almost never-ending infusion of the warrior elite. These were ideal subjects for the transformation to Space Marines. The fortress monasteries of the Order became the bastions of the Dark Angels Legion. Space defence grids were deployed and the legion as a whole restructured. To manage the thousands of Space Marines in to flexible formations they were divided in to regiments or chapters depending on the local nomenclature. Each of these regiments contained approximately one thousand fighting men, divided in to ten companies of one hundred men each. In addition command and support staff accompanied these troops in to battle. Always thinking in strategic and tactical sense Jonson departed from the standard structure of the legions and not only concentrated his veterans in to the first company of each regiment. Where these deferred from other legions was they were entirely and always equipped with the formidable tactical dreadnought armour. This concentration of force and rigorous exercise resulted in the formidable 1st companies becoming renown for their fearlessness in battle. Following a number of boarding missions they were honoured with the term "Deathwing" which subsequently became infamous across the universe striking fear in to the hearts of the enemy. A further departure from the norm was the creation of an entirely mounted company for each regiment. Keeping their knightly inheritance, the seventh company in each regiment was armed entirely of bikes and jet bikes, resulting in a rapid reaction force paralleled only by the brother marines of the White Scars Legion. Taking their name from a mythological bird from old terra, the "Ravenwing" became as well known as their Deathwing brethren. As time went by and their exploits became legendary, the company number was changed to second place.
During this period of rest and refit for the legion the Lion achieved a number of personal glories, which included the first sublight circum-navigation of the outer Dolomons and also personally effected the incineration of the Goyas asteroid that was approaching Caliban dangerously closely. Then came the request from the emperor for his son and his legion to join him once more to continue on humanity's great crusade. After much deliberation Jonson embarked upon this journey, leaving behind a small force of Dark Angels to guard his home planet. He left his best friend and most trusted brother-in-arms, Luther, in charge of the planet and its surrounding system. The strategically thinking Jonson did this with the future of his chapter in mind. In the event of his own demise during the great crusade, his brother would be
the most suited to continue his legacy. However the embers jealousy were being stoked within Luther’s heart as he realized he would not be able to bask in the glory of the great victories that the Lion would surely achieve. Despite the importance of Luther's position, it was not one that suited his ambitious personality. Thus began the seeds of envy that would subsequently tear the chapter apart.
Great Crusade
Jonson led the Dark Angels from victory to brilliant victory. His battle plans were always detailed and thorough. Every possible eventuality was discerned rapidly and acted upon. His subordinates were trained to think along the same lines. He would personally reconnoitre the battlefields where possible. The creation of the dedicated Ravenwing units paid off handsome dividends as the intelligence gathered by these units reaped a deadly harvest of the enemy. The use of large units of Deathwing terminators in spearheading their assaults began to tell on enemy defences. The Dark Angels campaigns were always short and sharp, the enemy nearly always being completely outmanoeuvred in the strategic sense. Only Horus had greater number of victories than Jonson, although Jonson never looked at his achievement in competition with his other erstwhile brothers. His relationship with Leman Russ of the Space Wolves was, however different. Johnson thought Russ to be boastful and vain, though such was the true nature of the Fenrisian warriors, whose noble deeds are immortalised in ballads. Russ on the other hand, mistaking Jonson's quiet demeanour for arrogance hardly spoke to him while they were on terra.
Russ was a hot headed and passionate leader of men. A true Space Wolf, his fury in battle was matched only by his true heart and loyalty to the Emperor. He was always vying for the Emperor's praise and constantly sought to prove himself in his father's eyes. Although all the Primarchs accepted Horus as a supreme strategist and tactician, thereby accepting his status as Warmaster, Russ' psyche was such that he found it somewhat difficult to accept that Jonson had far more victories than himself. Horus had a great capacity to assess and understand the psyche of those under his command and obtain the maximum effort out of them. Realising the competitive spirit of Russ, he teamed the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels in their campaigns. Both chapters constantly sought to out do each other, Jonson's tactical brilliance matching Russ' battlefield fury. Both legions fought along different principles. While the Space Wolves would manoeuvre to get in to close combat and once combat is joined their howling fury became all but unstoppable. On the other hand, the Dark Angels were methodical and planned their attacks carefully. Using combined arms techniques they would usually overcome the enemy defences by manoeuvre and firepower, but they were no less terrifying in the assault. When all elements of Jonson's legion functioned well the enemy usually was sent reeling to their destruction. Under cover of their devastators and heavy weapons the tactical
squads would manoeuvre to obtain better fire positions. The assault squads and bike mounted Ravenwing would rapidly close the range with the enemy. Landspeeders would strike from behind their lines disrupting communications and artillery positions while large groups of Deathwing terminators would teleport directly in to the command centres striking fear and swiftly bringing the emperor's justice to his enemies. The casualties suffered by the Dark Angels legion were always minimal unlike those of the Space Wolves who seemed to eschew high casualty rates as a mark of honour.
Lion and Wolf
The rivalry came to a head when both legions were taking part in the pacification of the Planet of Dulan. The governor of Dulan had swayed to the side of heresy, and sacrificed thousands of loyal imperial subjects to his chaos gods. He had proclaimed the emperor to be false and that he worshipped the true gods. He then ritually sacrificed a million imperial loyalists to his blood god. Utterly incensed at this affront to their father, Horus directed both the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels to pacify the planet and all contained within. As news of the loyalist fleet reached Dulan, the Tyrant Durath, now completely under the sway of the chaos gods, proclaimed that they were not worthy of a battle, especially since he believed Russ to be the emperor's lap dog. The fury of the Fenrisian Primarch knew no bounds. He swore a mighty oath to kill the tyrant in single combat. Jonson meanwhile prepared his forces with his usual thoroughness. As the loyalist fleets reached the planet of Dulan, they were surprised to find no orbital defences waiting for them. What they had not known was that Durath had not only fallen to the chaos gods, but had completely embraced the blood god Khorne. As such, he relished the thought of facing the Space Marines in close combat. To kill the emperor's finest in close battle and let their blood soak his beloved Dulan was his dream. Durath had known of the Space Wolves tactics and studied them well. As a khornate warrior he embraced the art of personal combat. His daemon enhanced physique longed for mortal combat with the best the Imperium could throw at him. His plans were cunningly laid to lure the coming Space Marines towards his citadel and there face them in combat. He had prepared extensive and layered fortifications, camouflaged and all but invisible to the naked eye. Batteries of heavy weapons commanded the killing fields outside the gates of his massive fortress. He knew that the space wolves would be eager to avenge their honour and could be counted on to come directly to battle. There he would kill them like dogs, with his superior firepower and then vanquish them with an almighty charge. Durath however hadn't counted on Horus' capacity to complement his forces. Namely Jonson and his Dark Angels who accompanied Russ were an unknown quantity to Durath. Upon meeting no orbital resistance, both legions made planet fall as prepared and rapidly closed around the crimson fortress, brushing aside the meagre resistance offered by the planetary defence forces. Advancing with the lead scouts, Jonson was eager to reconnoitre the defences before Russ could do anything rash. The Space Wolves were intent entirely in reaching the main gates of
the crimson fortress and bringing up their heavy weapons to bear. In the days that took the Space Wolves to deploy their forces around the main gatehouse Jonson had personally scouted the entire circumference of the citadel with his scouts. His astute eyes spied the few weaknesses of the citadel and plans were made to exploit them.
Fall of the Tyrant
It was then that Russ stormed in to Jonson's command quarters and gesturing majestically demanded that the Dark Angels stand down, as it was Russ' honour that was at stake. The Space Wolves would take the crimson fortress and expunge the stain on their honour, Quietly pointing out that the legions fought for one reason and one reason only, and that was for the emperor, their father, the taciturn Jonson explained that it would be better to launch a night assault to minimize casualties and gain the upper hand. Arguing that his meticulously planning would allow them to breach the fortress with few casualties, he wanted the Space Wolves to stage a feint assault on the main gatehouse. After a long argument late in to the bitter Dulan night, Russ stormed out of Jonson's quarters, intent on launching an assault at first light that would overcome the defences with the sheer ferocity of their combat skills. Jonson moved even faster, not wishing the hotheaded Fenrisian spoil his carefully laid plans. In the predawn darkness Dark Angel scouts infiltrated forward at a point to the south of the main gatehouse. Within a few hours they had cleared the minefields and booby traps allowing their assault squads to silently move forward to the base of the citadel. As dawn arose, with a mighty roar the Space Wolf assault began. Veteran long fangs rapidly silenced any enemy heavy weapon that dared fire. Grey hunters and blood claws charged forward with a fury that amazed even the Tyrant Durath. The sheer ferocity of the Space Wolf assault smashed asunder the gatehouse and penetrated to the inner walls of the fortress. The Space Wolf assault had been magnificent but the cost high. The hidden traps and weapon batteries had taken a heavy toll in the attackers, only the tough constitution of the Space Marines and their blessed armour preventing crippling losses. Using the Space Wolf assault as a distraction, the Dark Angel assault squads swept up the citadel walls on their jump packs and within the hour had breached the Southern gate. Scouts provided covering fire with their deadly silenced sniper rifles and heavy weapons which they had infiltrated close to the enemy positions. In a display of sheer daring and practiced accuracy, Deathwing terminators teleported directly on to the ramparts of the inner wall. Landspeeders of the Ravenwing flitted along the ramparts harrying the defenders as Jonson led his men along the ramparts like an avenging angel. Slow to anger but unstoppable once aroused, Jonson's fury knew no bounds as he spotted the Crimson Tyrant. Daemonic possession and heretic will did not stand in the way of the emperor's justice and true honour. Jonson swung his finely crafted power sword with deadly elegance as he cleaved his way towards the tyrant. With a look of horror
appearing on his face for the first time, Durath struck back. Daemon weapon struck sanctified sword with an unearthly clang of such magnitude that men on both sides ceased their fighting to look up at this mammoth clash of arms. All except one man! Russ, furious at Jonson for reaching the Tyrant before him, could only charge helplessly through the gatehouse towards the battlements when a deft stroke by the golden haired Primarch separated the heretic's head from his blasphemed body. The victorious cry of the Dark Angels and the moan of despair from the tyrant's followers nearly drowned out the anguished howl of the Fenrisian Primarch. The battle that continued was a simple blood bath as the disheartened followers of chaos were set upon by the battle lusting Space Wolves. The Dark Angels meticulously cleared the rest of the fortress and cut off any retreat for the heretics. Within hours the rest of the planet was in imperial hands.
Clash of Titans
As the dust of the battle died down around him an infuriated Russ searched out for Jonson. He charged through the surrounding Dark Angels, who recognizing a Primarch in anger wisely let him pass. Jonson was seated with his close advisers and captains, already planning the total pacification and maintenance of the planet and discussing their next campaign in the Allisores. Russ stormed in, livid with fury and incensed at Jonson sitting so casually after having cheated him of his honour. Unable to control his fury, Russ swung his mighty fist as Jonson turned to look up at him. The blow caught Jonson squarely on his jaw and sent him sprawling over the table, maps, data slates and other paraphernalia flying in all directions. The Dark Angel commanders, taken aback at first instantly recognized the feud between the brothers and stepped back. Jonson slowly rose to his feet. He looked up at Russ as anger and frustration built up slowly. In his eyes, Russ and his Space Wolves owed his legion their lives. He had overcome Durath in single combat and proven his martial skill. He had taken the fortress with precious few casualties as Russ needlessly rushed headlong in to the enemy's fire-lanes. Finally, he had been indignantly struck without a challenge being called. The lion of Caliban took up the challenge and charged Russ. The two mighty mortals began a personal combat that lasted throughout the night and the next day. Walls were torn down and structures demolished as the two superhumans fought each other to a stand still. Horus himself had expertly tutored both Primarchs in the art of combat. Russ was stronger than Jonson but Jonson faster and more nimble. Equally matched, each sought out the others weakness while protecting their own. They fought not only for their own pride but for the legion's honour too. After the long night and day of combat, with both men close to exhaustion, Russ realized the folly of their deeds, and seeing the humour of their actions stood up and began to laugh. For him, honour was satisfied! They had been equally matched. But to the taciturn Jonson, it was not to be. His anger at Russ' actions only worsened as he considered the initial blow to be a treacherous one. He lashed out at the laughing Russ with a mighty double handed blow that threw the Fenrisian Primarch off his feet and in to unconsciousness. As the surrounding Dark Angels burst in to a victory chant the shocked Space Wolves quietly carried their prostrate
Primarch away. By the time Russ awoke, the Dark Angels had departed to take part in the Allisore campaign and the feud between the Angels and the Wolves had been firmly established. The grudge has survived ten thousand years and although it is carried out in a spirit of kinship and brotherly competitiveness, it is carried out ritually to this day. Every time a Dark Angel and Space Wolf force is deployed together a champion chosen from each chapter would challenge each other to imitate the combat between the Primarchs.
Brotherhood Betrayed
As the great crusade continued like an unstoppable juggernaut, expanding the boundaries of the Imperium and reclaiming systems for humanity, each legion had its own share of victories and honours. The fame of the Dark Angels and their Primarch grew rapidly as Jonson's tally of victories was second only to Horus. This was no mean feat considering that Horus had been elevated to Warmaster and given overall command of fully half the legions. Jonson led his beloved Dark Angels with a tactical cunning and strategic genius that was second to only the emperor. The legion suffered relatively small numbers of casualties, while causing such single-minded destruction of the emperor's foes that their persistence and stubborn execution became legendary. Where possible the Primarch was always there to lead or direct his brethren personally to victory. As the emperor's sons pushed on with their holy crusade, the powers in the dark contemplated the threat they faced. Subtle manipulations had already begun to take effect as the convoluted machinations of the dark powers sought to undermine humanity's advance.
Jonson had come to trust Luther implicitly. The latter had saved his life in the jungles of Caliban where he had been discovered and had fought at his side ever since. They had been brothers-is-arms and had faced many dangers together. The taciturn and contemplative Jonson complimented the outgoing and flamboyant Luther. What Jonson accomplished in deeds Luther would match with his oratory. They matched and complimented each other perfectly and commanded the elite warriors of Caliban together. But when Jonson left on the great crusade with the vast majority of the Dark Angel legion after their refit on Caliban, he left Luther behind to guard his home planet and lines of communications. To Jonson this was an extremely important mission that he could not entrust to any one else. He needed a dependable and trustworthy friend to be in charge. However, Luther’s pride and martial honour were to undo everything friendship had built. The one constant fact in mankind's existence was the capacity of the dark powers to find each mans weakness in order to manipulate it. The warrior's pride was set upon with constant and unremitting whispers from the warp. As Jonson's success grew, so did Luther’s jealousy. He felt that Jonson and therefore by extension the emperor had foresworn them by ignoring him and his brethren on Caliban. Luther’s oratory was dynamic and flamboyant. Gradually, day-by-day and
month-by-month he slowly bent and twisted the Dark Angels left behind to his way of thinking. Instead of celebrating their brethrens every accomplishment they detested them. Anyone not so turned was quietly murdered. The few chaplains of the legion were the first to die, as even Luther knew they would resist his influence upon the legion.
As the ruinous powers quietly exerted their grip over Luther, so they manipulated the emperor's greatest champion, Horus. On the feral planet of Davin, he was taken ill by a virulent illness. For a Primarch’s superhuman constitution to suffer an illness was unheard of and could only have been due to a direct manifestation of the chaos god of decay, Nurgle. As he recuperated he joined the local warrior lodge, as was his custom, to encourage the imperial edict to be passed on. That the warrior coven was but a front for a chaos cult and that he was utterly possessed by a daemon has gone in to the history of mankind as one of its greatest tragedies. Possession by a daemon did nothing to blunt Horus' forward planning and cunning stratagems. He was a great judge of character and was able to size up anyone in a moment. Having carefully gleaned the weaknesses and strengths of each brother Primarch he set about slowly distancing the staunchly loyal ones away from the emperor. In the meantime the emperor was conducting the great debate on the use of sorcery and study of the arcane arts on the planet of Nikea. The proponents of the use of sorcerous ways, namely the cyclopean Magnus, Primarch of the thousand sons faced their detractors, amongst whom stood Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves. At the end of the debate, on the advice of the greatest Space Marine librarian, the emperor decreed that human Psykers be trained and sanctioned scholastica psykana under supervision and that all other by the imperial conduct of sorcery be outlawed. The outraged and disappointed Magnus returned home looking for vindication. His ability to look directly in to the depths of the warp allowed his to see the terrible evil being spawned on Davin. He saw the horrible virus bombing of the entire populace of Istvaan IV by Horus as a sacrifice to his dark masters. He clearly saw the vanity of his brother Primarchs being manipulated by Horus; The changing loyalties of Mortarion of the Death Guard, Angron of the World Eaters and the seduction of Fulgrim of the Emperor's children; The treacherous trap being laid for Corax of the Ravenguard, Vulcan of the Salamanders and Ferrus Manus of the Iron Hands as they arrived on Davin to bring Horus to justice; The treachery of Perturabo of the Iron Warriors, along with Night Haunter's Night Lords, Logar's Word Bearers and Alpharius' Alpha Legion as they planned to strike the unsuspecting loyalist legions in their rear; The decoying away of the stalwart Guilliman of the ultramarines to the eastern fringes, and the misdirection of the loyalist Space Wolves and Dark Angels to the Segmentum Tempestus. Magnus' attempt to vindicate himself in the eyes of the emperor by sending a psychic message backfired as the emperor perceived Magnus to have broken his word in dabbling with the sorcerous ways. Convinced that Magnus had indeed gone over to the dark powers, Leman Russ and his Space Wolves were sent to destroy Prospero. It was likely that the dark powers hid their arrival from Magnus in order to manipulate the cyclopean in to their clutches. The violent sacking of Prospero and the defeat of the
