The Volcanic Heresyevtrax
Chapter 2: Index Astartes- Dark Angels
Chapter Text
Index Astartes - Dark Angels: The Blood Knights
Where once these Astartes were held as the greatest of the legions, now they are the playthings of Khorne himself. Unlike the mindless berserkers who so often serve the Blood God, the Dark Angels keep their minds. They have tactics and a twisted honor system, seeking honorable blood and heroic skulls, framing themselves as the honorable knights they once were. They march to war alongside hordes of those broken by the Interrogator-Chaplains and the many chaos knights that still owe their allegiance to the Dark Angels. Upon the world of Mordred, itself a twisted bloody copy of the long ago destroyed Caliban, Lion El'Jonson sits upon a throne of skulls brooding upon the wound his foster father gave him. Treachery is prevented by his power and the knowledge that he defeated Doombreed when he was still a mere Primarch. He orders his legion to hunt the fallen, those among his sons who remain loyal to the Throne. Only when they are all killed will the sorcery of Sar Luther be undone, and then will make the imperium bleed. He will lead his armies and take Terra for Khorne, and the skull of the Emperor will be added to the Skull Throne of the Blood God.
origins
Caliban is a forested death world, afflicted by a form of chaotic corruption. While its closeness to the Eye of Terror can be blamed for the rise of the Beasts that terrorized Caliban for much of the Age of Strife, the truth is much darker. Only those with the highest clearance (such as those who are permitted to read these files) can handle the simple truth; Caliban was damned since it was born. Its origins lie in the War in Heaven and was the prison for the warp entity known as the Ouroboros. This creature is an equal to the chaos gods in power, and part of an evil triumvirate that serves a deep warp entity so alien that reality cannot handle its name. The Ouroboros was kept in check by the xenos species known as the Watchers in the Dark, who now inhabit the Inquisitional fortress known as the Rock, which is formed from the remnants of Caliban.
But it was upon Caliban that one of the Primarch pods landed. It is unknown how the child who would become known as Lion El'Jonson would survive. Indeed, some amongst the Inquisition would claim that his survival was proof that Lion had fallen to Khorne as a mere infant, but that is severely doubtful. It was as a young man that the Primarch was found by Sar Luther, a high-ranking member of the organization known as the Order. This organization was like the knights of old earth, nobles dedicated to protecting the innocent from all threats. The other knights bade Luther to kill the Primarch, for surely this being was a beast in human form. After all, no child could have survived the savage forests. But Luther refused, and adopted the Primarch, naming him Lion El'Jonson, which meant The Lion, Son of the Forest. Some believe that Luther was partially motivated by the recent deaths of his wife and daughter at the claws of a beast, but others say it was merely his nobility and kindness that caused his adoption. Many believe that if Luther had killed the Primarch then the galaxy would be a better place, but it is much more likely that Khorne would have merely found a different champion.
Lion El'Jonson quickly rose through the ranks of the Order and convinced the grand masters of the order to commit a grand crusade against the beasts that infested Caliban, as well as the Knights of Lupus who had become corrupted. Lion's oratory skills and martial might earned him the title of Supreme Grand Master of the Order. While lesser men might have been jealous at this, Luther was merely proud of the man he considered his son. It was after this crusade that the Imperium found Caliban and the Emperor met his lost son. The Order supplied many new recruits for the first legion, either becoming Astartes if young enough, or becoming genetically enhanced beings nicknamed Half-Bloods, or Half-Astartes, if too old.
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Half-Bloods
a sad truth about the geneseed implantation process is that it requires children. age 10 is the preferred age, but the traitor legion known as the Space Wolves, before their treachery, reported inductees twice that age. This is because the still developing body of a male is required to give the geneseed its proper function, working with the testosterone to elevate a mere boy to the might of a space marine. However, there are those who are too old to become space marines yet too close to the Primarch to be unenhanced.
Using gene enhancements developed by the Emperor himself, a man or woman can become an equal to an Astarte. While they gain no extra organs, there strength and intelligence is increased, and they gain the ageless immortality typical to those enhanced by the Emperor. It is possible for an Astarte or a Custode to live forever but given the state of the galaxy that is unlikely to happen. War, disease or assassination is the fate of the Emperor's Angels of Death and his Custodians.
The name Half-Blood is attributed to Lorgar, and most of the foster families of the Primarchs were made into Half-Bloods, at least those that lived to see the Emperors arrival. Some examples include Sar Luther, Amon, Callaphone, Andos and Herakon.
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The new direction of Caliban did not sit well with many of the older knights of the Order and attempted to assassinate both Lion and The Emperor himself, both attempts foiled by the psyker Zahariel. It was after Caliban's loyalty was assured that Lion was brought to Terra to assume command of his legion.
The Great Crusade
"On my homeworld of Caliban, there is a myth about a creature known as a Dark Angel. They are defenders of the innocent and heroes, destroying the monsters that would see humanity destroyed and the traitors who would poison humanity from within. No longer are we merely the first, we are the Dark Angels, and we shall rid the galaxy of the beasts and traitors just as I did on Caliban."
extract from Lion's speech upon assuming command of his legion.
The first legion was a prototype in many ways, not specializing in anything but being able to do all things. When Malcador the Hero, once Malcador the Sigilite, referred to the first legion he called them "Jacks of all trades, masters of none." Recruited mainly from the lands that were once known as Britain, the first quickly proved itself against myriad forces. Upon Terra they fought in the war of merica, where all legions fought against the myriad horrors birthed in the country once called the united states of America, which had sadly become a nation of horrors only Ursh rivaled, and even then the horror of Ursh was based in the influence of the Ruinous Powers. The first destroyed the psyker covens and their mannequin minions in the commerce-hive that was once the mall of America and a horde of strange bionic bats in the hive of bay city. Once they turned to the wider solar system they were instrumental in freeing nine moons of Jupiter from the now annihilated xenos species called the muses. In addition, alongside the 5th and 6th legions, they were instrumental in the destruction of the unseen masters who planned to use the lost moons of Jupiter as weapons to take their vengeance upon the Imperium. In the wider galaxy the first were the ones who cast down the tyrannical living holograms of duwen 5 and destroyed the pain lords of duriel. In what might be irony the first was the legion that most often encountered knight worlds, where the STC constructs known as knights were found and feudal society's existed. Alongside the knights they destroyed the Hawkwood ork empire, which possessed twisted orkish mockeries of the knight houses.
When Lion took command of the legion he named them after a being from Caliban myth. Quickly trouble was encountered in the form of the Rangdan. The Dark Angel legion was involved in all three of the horrible and bloody conflicts known as the Rangdan Xenocides, which severely reduced the legion. It is said that during the third xenocide Lion was approached by a being called Alpharius but considering that Alpharius had not been discovered this creature is believed to be the daemon of Tzeench known as the changeling. Amongst the less costly victory's the Dark Angels won include the freedom of Cantus from the Bardic college that enslaved the people through an obsessive melody and the destruction of the Gizogoth xenos, bloated humanoids with the heads of bugs who spread heresy and rebellion amongst the masses through controlled bugs.
Amongst the Primarchs Lion was a loner, his closet bond being with Leman Russ. This was born during the Dulan Campaign, where Lion killed a rebel leader that had insulted Russ. They dueled for 24 hours before Russ started laughing, having realized that the duel was petty. This resulted in Lion knocking Russ out, and the two began dueling very frequently. Even in the 41st millennium the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves possess a friendly rivalry.
It was during the Saorosh campaign, Luther saved Lion from a nuclear bomb planted by the chaos cult that ruled that planet. However, in attempting to defuse the bomb Luther seemingly hesitated. This resulted in Luther being banished to Caliban. Many other Caliban born legionaries who disagreed with Lion were also banished.
As with all of the eighteen legions the Dark Angels saw action during the Ullanor campaign, breaking the mightiest ork empire. they engaged the survivors of the Hawkwood empire, alongside other ork knights. At the triumph when Horus was named Warmaster, Lion was disappointed. His encounter with the Changeling had led him to believe he was meant to be the Warmaster. However, despite what some critics might believe the elevation of Horus was not an act of nepotism but choosing the best candidate for the job. Lion was far too secretive and stoic to be the Warmaster, he even admitted he didn't understand the emotions of others. However, he asked for the permission of Horus to take his legions forces into the ghoul stars, which was granted.
The Ghoul Stars: the fall to Khorne
The Ghoul Stars are a place lit by the light of dying stars, with threats that can only be described as supernatural. Astropathic communications were sporadic, and what reports were given were horrifying. Most creatures and civilizations the Dark Angels encountered would shatter the sanity of even the most harden inquisitor, however somewhere more comprehensible. Some things they encountered included Orkish empires, the Bone Kingdom of Drazzak, and the vermin lords of arakin. And while the Bone Kingdom survived, the Herdlords and their summer cattle that brought sun and desert heat with them did not. Nor did the twisted time deer xenos race, upright willowy deer like beasts of truly impossible grace and striking beauty who caused time itself to ripple in their wake.
It was during these campaigns that Khorne's influence came over the legion. As with many things involving chaos the information available to the imperium, which is known to be true, comes primarily from three sources. These are the Thousand Sons psyker arts, the Night Lords investigative skills and the enhanced interrogation techniques used by the Alpha Legion. While the nature of the natives of the ghoul stars has made this information more of a rough outline than a true story, the basics of the fall are all that are needed.
The endless conflict against the monsters and deviant cultures wore on Lion El'Jonson. The horrible truth of war was being constantly exposed to him, conflicting with the code of his knightly upbringing. Here was boundless proof that war was horrible, not glorious. It was soon after the purging of a world that contained two factions, strange antimatter ghosts and a deviant human culture that sacrificed unborn babies to fight aforementioned ghosts, that something strange happened. Lion El'Jonson inadvertently activated the psyker powers all Primarchs possess, afflicting the entire legion with visions of his childhood on Caliban. Not even the most powerful device of the Alpha Legion, the Dictaphone and its twisted Shaving Engine (which owes their names to Lorgar) could get any being who experienced these visions to explain anything beyond savage nightmares and horrible claws and teeth. These visions caused the tensions in the fleet to rise even higher.
It was then that they encountered a world seemingly empty of life. Suspecting a trap, Lion took only the Deathwing, his personal guard, with him. Exploring the sole remaining city on this world, once the capital of the great civilization that made its home here, they saw signs of battle long past. The walls were scratched with sword marks. In reality, this world had experimented with the warp and had inadvertently unleashed the blood legions, the daemonic legions of the blood god Khorne. They had destroyed all but this capital, and the daemon sent to corrupt Lion and the first legion sat upon a throne of brass and blood. This daemon is known as Doombreed.
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Doombreed, the first of Khorne's princes While it is an indisputable fact that Be'lakor is the first of the Daemon Princes, Doombreed is most likely the first to arise from humanity, and most definitely the first to be one of Khorne's. In life he was the warlord known as Genghis Khan, and his atrocities were so great that he was given Daemonhood by Khorne. Doombreed is known to be able to slaughter an entire world by himself and to be stronger than even the Daemon Primarchs, wielding a mighty axe of Khorne and the Rod of Khorne. The fact that Lion defeated him while still a mortal is most likely a sign of Khorne's favor for said Primarch, though none dare test the theory.
The involvement of Doombreed in imperial history did not stop after his defeat by Lion in the Ghoul Stars, and during the heresy he fought alongside chaotic forces. Argonis, the treasonous herald of Horus, summoned Doombreed to destroy the world of Accazzar-Beta for refusing to surrender to Vulkan. Aboard the Flamewrought he witnessed the death of Horus and the banishment of Sanguinius, and alongside N'kari he prevented the Custodes from aiding the Emperor.
Only two other major battles are known to have the involvement of Doombreed. The first took place in the scouring, more specifically the battle known as the Second Damnation of Janus. During this battle the world of Soritarius came under attack by Janus's Cabal, the second chaotic organization to bear the name. Ctesias, a traitorous Thousand Son and a master of Daemonology, used the true name of Doombreed to summon him and make him destroy Czetherrtihor, a powerful titan bound to defend the remnants of the city of Tizca. While the attempt to undo the Rubric and damn the Rubric marines to Tzeench's service failed, the real purpose of the attack was achieved, and Janus became twice-damned.
The second conflict was the fifth black crusade, where Forgefather He'stan sacrificed all 10 million souls of the world of Tarinth. Doombreed was enticed by the idea of thousand space marine skulls, he declared war upon the Iron Warriors and the Night Lords. Two companies were slaughtered by him, and it was here he gained his infamous cloak of skulls, made up of a thousand loyal space marine skulls. Only the sacrifice of a force of the Sons of Horus and their battle barge the Eclipse of Hope managed to banish the daemon prince. However, as the 13th Black Crusade begins Doombreed is allied with the Forgefather.
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Doombreed stated that Khorne had chosen the Dark Angels as his legion in the coming war against the Emperor. However, Doombreed wanted to test the Lion to ensure his strength was worthy of the blood god. He challenged the Primarch to a duel, if Doombreed won then he would possess the Lion and lead his legion, if he lost then the Lion was worthy of bathing the Galaxy in blood. Lion and Doombreed dueled, and during the duel visions of Lion's childhood on Caliban assaulted him. These were undoubtedly the worst visions, and while what he saw is unknown it did convert him completely to the service of Khorne. Once the Lion's soul fully belonged to the blood god he defeated Doombreed and dedicated his legion to Khorne's service.
The sorcerers of the Dark Angels (Khorne only hates those psykers who use their powers to fight their battles for them) detected a force that would enable them to get to the Istvaan system and thus participate in the war that would split the galaxy asunder. They headed for this force, slaughtering every civilization in their path for the glory of Khorne. Eventually they reached a world that was seemingly lifeless and landed upon the world. They encountered many fields of dust and other stasis induced deaths, including groups frozen as they fled from there doom (who were quickly sacrificed to Khorne). Upon this world was the Tuchulcha, a daemon engine who was sister to the Ouroboros, a spider to counterpart the snake. It worked by harnessing the power of stasis to truly horrible effects. Like the rest of the Triumvirate its origins lay in the War in Heaven. In addition, it could weave webs of stasis allowing for perfectly safe warp travel. If this engine remained in traitor hands, the history of the galaxy could have taken a much darker turn. However, the Tuchulcha was lost during the battle of Caliban.
It was during the planning before the Drop Site Massacre that questions were raised about the red coloration of the Dark Angels armor. A partial truth was told that the new coloration was in honor of a particularly momentous victory in the ghoul stars. But the truth was that they had merely stopped cleaning their armor, permanently staining it red with the blood of those they slaughtered. The truth was revealed during the massacre, as much of the blood upon the sands was split by the Dark Angels.
The Heresy: The Doom of Caliban
Ever since Lion had defeated Doombreed he had been bursting with warp power, on the cusp of ascending to Daemonhood. In fact, the only reason he wasn't suspected by the loyalist Primarchs at the planning was that none of them had truly accessed there psyker powers. However, something was keeping him tied to the mortal realm. Then he realized what it was, Caliban. Upon his home world was a contingent of Astartes who would reinforce his armies and gain him his rightful place as champion of the blood god.
When the fleet materialized in orbit around Caliban they were attacked. Once again, the efforts of the Alpha Legion and their ability to get people to talk have proved invaluable. Through conversation with the fallen (those Dark Angels who remained loyal), the truth of what happened on Caliban was revealed. Caliban had been afflicted with a resurgence of beasts, undoubtedly the result of the Ouroboros being awakened by the chaos. In addition, a cabal of sorcerers from Terra led armies of undead alongside those knights who believed that Lion had betrayed them. It was during this conflict that Luther declared himself and his forces loyal to the throne.
The betrayal of his sons caused Lion to rage so greatly that he literally exploded, becoming the first of the Daemon Primarchs. He then descended upon the planet and dueled his foster father.
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Luther was horrified by what his son had become. The monster before him was a being like the knights of old, his armor seeping and stained with the blood of the innocent. His face was that of a snarling hound, and he spoke with a voice that was a horrible thing of noble hypocrisy and bloody tyranny, "Why do you fight my father? You must accept the fact that the blood god has use for us. He can give us purpose where the Emperor could not." Luther's response was simple, "You would enslave us to a blood thirsty savage. I am loyal to humanity and the Imperium!" Lion scowled and laconically responded, "Then you will die!"
It was then that Luther slashed his sword through the monster his son had become while Lord Cypher, once librarian Zahariel, banished both the Ouroboros and the Tuchulcha. Caliban was engulfed in a warp storm, destroying it and sending the fallen across time and space.
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After the destruction of Caliban, Lion El'Jonson stopped commanding his forces. The wound he had been inflicted by Luther was not healing despite his power. This worried him, and he quickly realized that those who he had declared fallen, those who remained loyal to the Emperor, were the cause of his wound's permanency. The magic Luther had cast upon him was bound to the fallen, and his wound would only heal once all the fallen were dead. The wound caused Lion to remain out of combat, and while his legion still fought he did not fight in the heresy. Only one battle saw him enter the field, the siege of Terra.
The Siege of Terra: the Attack on the Citadel
It is a sad truth that the War in the Webway was not only the death of the Emperors ultimate plan, but also a big reason, perhaps the main reason, the heresy lasted for so long. Were it not for the battle against the endless hosts of Daemons and the twisted beings that would form the basis of the Baator empire, as well as hosts of traitors, kept the Emperor and his talons, along with the forces of Cegorach and the Harlequins, from engaging the traitors. If the Emperor was not focused on keeping Terra safe then he could have easily crushed the traitors. That is not to say his decision was wrong, far from it, but it is merely a statement of fact. Vulkan also knew this, and thus sent a force to make sure that those fighting in the Webway could not reinforce those of the Harlequins and the talons currently fighting in the siege of Terra.
The order of blanks known as the Sisterhood of Silence was one of the talons of the Emperor, an all-female order much like the Adeptus Sororitas. They were vital in keeping many of the Daemonic hordes at bay, and at the border of the Imperium controlled Webway was the Somnus Citadel. Unlike the structure of the same name on Luna, this base could move depending on the borders controlled by the Imperium. Vulkan knew that the sisterhood could easily wreak havoc on his forces, so he sent the blessed of Khorne to prevent this from happening. Using the Ghastbone provided by the Ynnari, a massive force of Dark Angels led by Lion managed to invade the Webway. As the blessed of the blood god, they were immune to the psychic power of the blanks. Indeed, those fighting on Terra proper were either the Interrogator-Chaplains that had been librarians before the corruption and those who had been considered expendable, bolstered by hordes of the broken. The vast majority of these broken were butcher gangs and were slaughtered by the World Eaters.
In the Webway Lion led the charge against the sisterhood, slaughtering many of them before he and the Dark Angels were confronted by the Fallen, who were led by Luther. In the wreckage of the Citadel father and son clashed. No words were spoken, for anything worth saying had already been said during the battle of Caliban. Here however, Luther was at a disadvantage. On Caliban he had merely been stalling for time and used his relative speed and Lion's lack of knowledge about his new forms abilities to his advantage. In addition, Lion was still exhausted from the Drop Site Massacre, and was slightly sluggish. But here Lion had the advantage, the slain witches giving him power, and even though he was wounded he knew his forms powers perfectly. In addition, Luther was the one tired, having spent months repelling countless horrors. An Astarte cannot take a Primarch on and win, and Luther was not even a true Astarte.
Luther was slain by his son, but before his lifeless body could be decapitated the heresy was over. It was no yell over the vox that caused the forces of chaos in the Webway to retreat, but a side effect of the Emperor's blow against Vulkan. The full power of the Emperor was unleashed, utterly annihilating his Perpetual son, leaving nothing behind, no body or even his soul. This shockwave echoed through the Warp and every Daemon in the solar system was banished. Not even the Daemon Primarchs were immune, and Lion roared his rage at being denied his prize. It is believed that were it not for the actions of Janus then no Daemon would be able to manifest in the solar system for more than a few seconds, outside of the twisted techno-hells that lie beneath the surface of Mars. Seeing that their Daemon allies were banished, the other chaotic forces fled.
Post-Heresy: The Pursuit of the Fallen
Once the heresy ended, the Dark Angels fled to the warp storms like the rest of the traitor legions. Eventually on the Daemon World Mordred Lion was found, and during the time of imprisonment before Janus delivered the rituals and the first Black Crusade was launched Lion was attacked by ambitious underlings and assassins who saw his wound as a weakness. Each time they were effortlessly slaughtered, and soon it became known that the wound in no way weakened him. When the freedom came in Janus and the Crusades Lion made a proclamation. The Fallen, those who betrayed him, would be hunted and killed. Even when the Dark Angels fragmented into warbands, they all followed this command. Most blood crusades have their origins in the appearance of one of the fallen, either manifesting upon a world from the ritual that saved them so long ago or being found despite their efforts to hide.
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notable engagements with the fallen
M34: the Deathwing launches a Blood Crusade against Obidiah Hrakon, who has taken refuge on a knight world. The grand master of the Deathwing challenges Obidiah to duel, and if he wins or loses then the wider world will be spared. They duel and Obidiah is defeated, his head is taken by the grand master, who withdraws his forces in honor of the duel.
M38: The event known as the Hundred World rebellion is enacted by the Disciples of Caliban with the aid of the heretic priest Alldric the Subverter, and while the cults spawned by Alldric engage in a war against the Death Guard that the legion wins at great cost, the Disciples hunt down Cypher.
M41: During the Macharian Heresy, the Ravenwing hunts down Cypher while occasionally fighting the Alpha Legion amongst the territory's that were engulfed in civil war at the end of the Macharian Conquests.
M41: In an event known as Cegorach's due amongst the Harlequins, a Blood Crusade chases the fallen known as Neziek to the world of Vriedos, and they confront him at a Webway portal. They are stopped by an entire Masque of Harlequins, who hold the blood thirsty chaos marines at bay long enough for Neziek to retreat into the labyrinth dimension.
M41: The Black Templars join forces with the Dark Angels during the attack on Parabulus, a Rogue Trader world on which Cypher was sighted. Soon the argument over who gets to kill the fallen causes the warbands to fight each other, and for thirty years the Unforgiven and the Black Templars war with each other. Only the Lion's direct intervention stops the combat.
M41: The Deathwing gains a rich prize when they attack the world of Darkenhel, as two dozen fallen are captured. The cells of the Hall of Punishment echo with screams for many months, and Khorne scores highly in the Great Game.
M41: When the 13th Black Crusade is launched, Lion decrees that the Unforgiven will aid this effort. When asked why he seemingly bows to the Forgefather, he bloodily gutted the foolish asker, leading the Dark Angels to believe that the crusade will see the end of the fallen. More cynical minds point to Khorne's influence over his legion.
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It is a great honor to either bring one of the fallen before Lion or to bring back proof of their death, and a Dark Angel who does so is gifted a Black Pearl, formed from the congealed blood of the Daemon Primarch. It is the greatest honor to possess one of these objects, and all Dark Angels strive to get as many as they can. Hundreds of fallen have been found, either captured and brought to Mordred or killed in particularly spectacular ways, but there are many more who with there every breath and waking moment oppose the first legion. The fallen are allies to the Imperium, and typically act as knights errant, wandering from world to world fighting for the Imperium with every step they take. While most fallen are singular beings, some ally with the Eldar or the Inquisition in the fight against Chaos. Indeed, even the most puritanical of inquisitors does not hunt the fallen because of the decree of Malcador. Some fallen, Luther amongst them, emerged on Terra and fought in the War in the Webway, and thus Malcador made sure that his heirs would not hunt them. Should a failure to capture one of the fallen occur however, Lion does not rage or outright kill the one who failed, unlike what other servants of chaos would. He merely makes sure they explain satisfactorily why they failed, and ensures they aid the next Blood Crusade against one of the fallen.
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Cypher, lord of the fallen
The most famous of the fallen, many hunt for lord Cypher. Before the heresy, many bore the title of Lord Cypher, the keeper of traditions. This title comes from the sole survivor of the Knights of Lupus, those ancient chaos corrupted knights purged by Lion before he even knew of the Emperor or his demigod nature. It is unknown who is the fallen who currently bears this title, but what is known is that he is completely loyal to the Imperium and wins victory's against Chaos whose true extent take years to be revealed.
His first sighting was in the 31st millennium, so soon it is believed by some that he was unaffected by the ritual that scattered the fallen throughout time and space. His first appearance caused an imperium victory against a Dark Angel warband that had managed to cause half of the world's population to join the broken. How he travels across the galaxy is unknown, but he always appears where hope seems lost and leaves once the threat is vanquished. He seems to follow a pattern unknown to any but him and appears unkillable. He has died many times yet has always returned.
The threat Cypher poses to Chaos in undoubtable, and in the 37th millennium the Chaos Lord Anaziel formed a warband dedicated to the capture of Cypher. This warband, the Disciples of Caliban, is a fleet-based organization. They strike with blistering speed and ferocity, with each ship the best the Dark Mechanicus can offer, and the geneseed used is uncorrupted despite the mutating properties of a warp storm. Only the best is reserved for the most powerful of the fallen, who some of the Broken refer to as the Heir of Luther, out of earshot of their transhuman masters.
Cypher wields twin guns, a bolter and a plasma gun, but he never draws the sword he bears upon his back. Psykers who get close to Cypher can immediately tell that this sword is an artifact of untold power, but its exact nature escapes them. The new eldar empire believes it to be the fifth cronesword, and thus hunt Cypher ceaselessly. The Red Corsairs thus also dedicate a small force to finding Cypher, not wanting to take any chances. If it is the cronesword then it cannot be allowed to fall into Ynnari hands. If not, Cypher is still an ally of the Imperium, and the Red Corsairs are to fight the new eldar empire wherever it is.
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Homeworld
Caliban is no more, having been destroyed during the heresy. It's remains have become an asteroid field that hosts the inquisitorial base known as the Rock. Many are the Dark Angel warbands that seek to destroy what remains of Caliban in vengeance for Sar Luther's wounding of Lion. It has a warp drive, making it mobile, and it has many powerful weapons. Indeed, when the Iron Warrior recruitment world came under attack by the Tau, it was the Rock that annihilated the Xenos in a mere day. Its sides are studded with gun turrets, lance battery's, torpedo tubes, observation centers and communication arrays. Its massive docking bays can accommodate hundreds of smaller vessels, and it can house an entire legion. In truth, it wasn't just a desire to keep the remains of Caliban out of Dark Angel hands that motivated the creation of the Rock. It is also a failsafe, for should the unthinkable happen should Holy Terra, or the solar system, fall then the Rock will become the base of the Grey Knights.
As befitting such an important base it is protected with the best. Indeed a vast vault of machines untouched since the Dark Age of Technology went into the construction of the Rock. Indeed, its shield generator is so powerful not even the Dark Gods can break through it. But there is a weakness in the shield, as if the very warp storm that sundered Caliban all those years ago still rages. Chain lighting rips through the artificial atmosphere, revealing the source of the disturbance. The Tower of Angels, where Lion and Luther first dueled, now lies in ruin. No effort to repair the Tower was made, and even now it is left alone. It is an eerily silent sight, with an storm always above.
In the Eye of Terror the Dark Angels have made their home on the world of Mordred, a twisted reflection of Caliban where hordes of the broken and entire houses of chaos knights fight, and the great beasts of Caliban run rampant. And in the skies are the horrible drakes, representations of the Salamanders. Dotting this world are eternal fields of battle, the opponents of which do not matter to the Blood God. On these fields Broken might fight Chaos Knight, Great Beast, Chaos Marines, Daemons or even other Broken. What matters is that there is eternal fighting, for Khorne does not care from where the blood comes so long as the blood flows. Also dotting the world are Dark Mechanicus forges, known as the Knightwoods. Each of which has a Screaming Oubliettes, a dark mirror of the Chamber of Echoes that is necessary to become an Imperial Knight. Many Chaos Knights, both pilot and corrupted Throne alike, have their origins upon Mordred. It is not only those devoted to Khorne or to Chaos Undivided, for all the gods, even Slannesh, have gained Knights from these places.
Of note are two locations, the first of which is Lion's castle. Here he has rebuilt the castle of the Order where he spent his childhood with Luther. In this place he sits upon a throne of skulls and broods upon his recreation of the Tower of Angels. This thing is called the Tower of Daemons, and no one is foolish enough to go there. The second location is called the Hall of Punishment. If a native of the Baator empire were to see it he would compare it to one of the torture palaces that are ubiquitous in his twisted home. Indeed, it does share its origins with the torture palaces, as soon after their debut Krieg Acerbus, the renegade Night Lord from whose twisted genius these abominable places were born, was contacted by Lion. In the Lion's castle the Primarch explained to the night lord that some of the fallen would be taken alive. He believed that maybe one of the fallen had a way to heal his wound, and if not they deserved to suffer. He commissioned Krieg to create a powerful hall much like his torture palaces but designed to keep Astartes alive for at least months in excruciating pain. Krieg turned his genius to the task, and soon the Hall of Punishment arose, each cell controllable by an Interrogator-Chaplain, as if it were a daemon world of its own. It is unknown what those captured fallen endure, but what is known is that none have ever talked. However, no possibility of being accepted by the corrupted legion was offered, for the fallen proved their disloyalty at Caliban. It is said a particularly horrible cell is reserved for Cypher.
Organization
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The Broken
When the Dark Angels go to war, many chaos cultists come with them. These are those who were captured alive by the Dark Angels and subjected to the non-existent mercy of the Interrogator-Chaplains. After the horrible torture they become the frothing berserkers associated with the worshipers of Khorne. They charge ahead, heedless of anything resembling tactics, desiring only the spilling of blood.
Some truly twisted Interrogator-Chaplains, who were once apothecaries, implant the horrible archeotech known as Butcher Nails into members of the broken. These groups, called Butcher gangs, suffer horrible torture as their brains are drilled into, with only bloodshed providing relief. They do not have long lives, even by the standards of the broken. The World Eaters take particular offense at the Butcher gangs, the merest sight of these hordes causing them to seek their utter destruction.
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Like all of the traitor legions, the Dark Angels have broken into warbands that still technically follow the will of there Primarch but given Daemon Primarchs retreat into the Great Game the legions are left leaderless. Lion has stated that should Vulkan return he will pledge his loyalty anew, but he will not bow to the Forgefather.
All those who bore specialized ranks amongst the Astartes (chaplains, librarians, techmarines, etc.) became the Interrogator-Chaplains once the taint of Khorne befell the legion. They are experts in torture and making pain last longer. In the Baator Empire one of the highest-grade forms of Ahuhu comes from shades who have been tortured by a Interrogator-Chaplain.
However, amongst the warbands there are two who have earned much infamy, serving the twisted inner circle that rules in the Lion's absence. The first is the Deathwing, once the royal guards of the Lion but now the most ardent hunters of the Dark Angels still loyal to the throne. Each wears terminator armor stained with the blood of their foes, and they have only blighted the materium when called by the second company. This dark warband is known as the Ravenwing, and it is all mounted. Indeed, many who know not of the evil deeds and atrocity's perpetuated by the Ravenwing could mistake them for a White Scar warband serving Dain Kahn. Indeed, all are mounted upon bikes and monsters just like a White Scar warband, but in fact are the forward scouts for the hunt of the fallen. There Interrogator-Chaplains are well versed in the ritual of freedom given to them by Thrice-Damned Janus, and to join the Ravenwing first requires a prospective to gain a mount and then hunt down one of the Beasts of Mordred.
The rest of the warbands are collectively known as the Unforgiven, and they generally follow their own goals as most warbands do. But should even the merest trace of rumor of one of the fallen will cause them to alert the Inner Circle, and a Blood Crusade will be launched. All remember the Lion's edict and know the fate that awaits them should they disobey.
Combat Doctrine
While the typical Imperium belief of Khorne are of blood thirsty savages that charge in without any heed to tactics, the Dark Angels are more levelheaded. While they can and will kill non-combatants, they are not mindless berserkers. While they lead hordes of the Broken, every attack on the Imperium has a goal. This goal is either a vengeful attack on the Imperium, a hunt for the Fallen, or a Blood Crusade. They are honorable beings, still holding to the codes of knighthood. Even those who were never amongst the Great Crusade still hold themselves to the standards of a knight. For example, if they promise something they will always uphold their end of the bargain, making them one of the most trustworthy of the servants of Chaos. In addition, if challenged to a duel they will accept it and fight fairly. In fact they always fight fairly, but sadly this does not hold true for the Broken or their other allies.
Beliefs
The Dark Angels have a more archaic worship of Khorne than most of his followers. Indeed, they care more about honor than bloodlust, and think Khorne prefers the blood of those who will fight against them than that of citizens or the infirm. In addition, the only skulls they take are those of losers in honor duels, which are very ritualistic in nature. The heads they take are ritually removed of all flesh over eight days, then burnt in a fire lit by the blood of 888 unworthies. If Khorne accepts the skull it will disappear, and if not it will blacken and become the helmet of an Interrogator-Chaplain. Thus do those who torture the fallen torture themselves, reminding them eternal of Khorne's high standards.
Geneseed and Recruitment
The geneseed of the Dark Angels remains remarkedly stable, none of their special organs have malfunctions. However, each and every Dark Angel gains visions identical to those suffered by those in the Ghoul Stars, when Lion was slowly going mad. However, they also see visions of the battle of Caliban, of the Sorcery Luther unleashed. It is those visions that drives them to the code of honor and the completely loyalty to Khorne possessed by the Dark Angels.
As for recruitment, there are two sources, the sources used by all the chaos legions. These are Biles twisted Fleshmart and raids against the Imperium. Like all the traitor legions they have selective tastes when it comes to children they use. They only select sons of noble blood, and one of the main jobs possessed by the Orders Famulous is protecting the sons of their houses from Dark Angels and their agents.
The ritual given to the Dark Angels by Janus is simple and bloody, much like the Broken who serve them. A Great Beast of Mordred must be hunted down, captured, and the ships that will bear the Dark Angels to realspace must be covered in the Beast's blood. Most of the Beasts only have enough blood to sanctify one ship, but when one of the Drakes is captured an entire fleet can be covered and escape. However, the danger of the Drakes is such that it rarely happens. Indeed, the last time a Drake was killed and sanctified a fleet was during the Age of Apostasy.
Warcry
The standard warcry of the Dark Angels is that of the worshipers of Khorne, "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!" However, when fighting one of the fallen they typically cry something along the lines of "For Caliban!" or "the sorcery of Luther will be undone!"
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Author notes
My story observations
Now the meta reason I had the Dark Angels fall to Khorne is because I haven't seen it happen in any of the alternate heresys I have read. And thus, all that is left for a new dark angel fall, that I can think of, is a fall to Nurgle. So if anyone is making a new alternate heresy, well, that's a thought.
They worship Khorne, but an older version of him. This explains why they aren't berzerkers and have psykers, and are honorable. Each of the chaos gods is more nuanced than it first seems, and in my Dark Angels and Space Wolves that shows.
I have a seventh edition codex for the dark angels, and it shows in this writing. All those engagements with the fallen come from the book, as does the description of the rock and the fact that the disciples of Caliban were formed to hunt cypher.
My main inspiration for the alternate heresy is the Robutian heresy, which is why my dark angels go to the ghoul stars.
The Rangdan xenocides are canon, though I am uncertain if the dark angels were involved with the second one. As for the Alpharius in the third xenocide being the changeling, I don't think Alpharius was discovered yet, so it makes more sense it's a tzeenchian deception.
For Doombreed corrupting the legion, in most alternate heresy's where lion falls, it's the result of a famous daemon. In the Robutian heresy its Kairos who corrupts them, in the saguniary heresy it's the Masque, and in the fenrisian heresy it's a daemon called the huntlord (I don't know if hes canon, but his description is epic). So I decided to do something similar here.
The Rock is going to be important, for the Watchers in the Dark guard something slumbering deep within the Rock. It is ancient, older than even the ouroboros. It slumbers now, but as the end times approach it will rise, and it will help make the galaxy burn.
For Argonis and Krieg Acerbus being bad guys still, well some characters I couldn't really think of a way to keep them good, out of lack of knowledge or of story nessisity. Some characters will fall, even if they didn't in canon. Cough, Janus, Cough.
The Tau didn't attack Olympia, and the situation with the tau in this universe will be revealed in the iron warriors chapter.
For the dark angels having a lot of chaos knights, I just found it fitting.
For that ritual of escape, the inspiration comes from zahriels prince of the eye, where small bands of chaos space marines can escape. The main difference between mine and his is that mine can be preformed in the warp storms and that I actually detail the rituals. Or at least the versions that work in the warp storms.
For the dark angels taking noble children, that comes from the fenrisian heresy, I just added the part about the Orders Famulous.
For the broken, that comes from both the Robutian heresy and the sanguinary heresy.
And that's it.