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Rogal Dorn

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Rogal Dorn, one of the Emperor's twenty primarchs, was leader of the Imperial Fists.

Youth

Very little is known about Rogal Dorn's youth or even which planet he grew up on. But as the history goes, when Great Crusade reached the Ice Hives of Inwit, Dorn greeted the Emperor at the helm of the the enormous starship, the Phalanx. The Emperor welcomed Dorn, and returned the Phalanx to his care, making it the Fortress Monastery of the Imperial Fists.

Great Crusade

Dorn himself was fiercely loyal to the Emperor, and never once sought any favour from him. He exemplified the truth, and could never tell a lie, even if it would have aided his cause. Because of this, Dorn's statue stands as one of four on Macragge, next to Roboute Guilliman.

When the Emperor returned to Terra to build a capital worthy of ruling a million planets, Dorn went as well. He was tasked with building the defences for the Imperial Palace. These were magnificent, and would be well tested in the following years. Fulgrim once asked if Rogal Dorn thought it could withstand the Iron Warriors legion, and Dorn's truthful answer infuriated Perturabo to such a degree they would almost destroy each other in battle years later.

Horus Heresy

During the Horus Heresy, Dorn would be the one to find the bodies of the Emperor, Sanguinius and Horus. He was also the one to take notes from the crippled Emperor on how to build the Golden Throne.

Post Heresy

After the fall of the Emperor, Dorn was stricken with grief. He felt the Emperor's near demise to be his fault and led his legion on a crusade of penitance across the Imperium. He was summoned back to Terra when Roboute Guilliman announced the adoption of his Codex Astartes, turning legions into chapters. Dorn was initially outraged at this proposal, feeling that the Imperium blamed him (and rightly so, he thought) for the fall of his brother marines. But realizing what damage another internal conflict could do to the fragile peace of the Imperium, Dorn agreed. This was a dark period in Rogal Dorns life; he had both failed the Emperor and his legion faltered without the guiding light of the Emperor.

Some controversy exists about the next event in Rogal Dorns life. What we do know is that the Imperial Fists could not be as easily divided into chapters as, for example the Ultramarines could. The total commitment to the legion was bred into each marine and many didn't wish to form their own chapters. Dorn found the answer to this problem in meditation through self-inflicted pain (Using a device known as the Pain Glove). The vision revealed that his legion had to be redeemed in the eyes of the Emperor, and that the way to salvation was through pain and self-sacrifice.

The 'collective pain' needed to cleanse the Chapter was decided by Dorn to be an Iron Warriors' fortress, the Iron Cage. Perturabo had built the massive fortifications to mock the Imperial Fists, and Dorn led his most die-hard followers in a siege that would last for several weeks. Followers of the Iron Warriors claim that the Imperial Fists suffered a crushing defeat, and that Dorn and his legion would have been wiped out if Perturabo hadn't prolonged Dorns suffering so long the Ultramarines managed to intervene.

Imperial records indicate otherwise. The Imperial Fists had always been masters of siege craft, and even unprepared and at a disadvantage they fought like lions. Dorn stood as a giant in their midst, his mind clear with purpose after years of doubt and guilt. The Iron Warriors would have had to sacrifice their lives and primarch to destroy the Imperial Fists, a price they weren't ready to pay. The arrival of the Ultramarines cut the conflict short and the Iron Warriors fled for the Eye of Terror. The Imperial Fists had suffered staggering losses, but they had proved their loyalty to the Emperor and cleansed themselves of earlier failures.

What remained of the legion was divided into three chapters. The most zealous marines formed the Black Templars; the more rational and newly recruited marines the Crimson Fists and the ones most devoted to their primarch and legion remained Imperial Fists. Rogal Dorn spent the next twenty years rebuilding and reforming his chapter after the Index Astartes.

Rogal Dorn died fighting on board a Chaos ship, after attacking the first Black Crusade fleet with a vastly outnumbered force. Seeing the importance of attacking the enemy fleet while they were still preparing he relied on hit-and-run attacks until his reinforcements could arrive. Dorn died on board the Despoiler Class Battleship Sword of Sacrilege after leading a desperate attack on its bridge. His remains were recovered and his engraved skeletal hand is kept in stasis by his chapter.1

Some claim that Dorn is still alive in M41, attending to the Golden Throne and its guardians, the Adeptus Custodes.


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