Terran Crusade
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This article is about the Roboute Guilliman's campaign to reach Terra; for the Black Templars Crusade, see Wars of Apostasy. |
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The Terran Crusade was an Imperial Crusade fought shortly after the Thirteenth Black Crusade and the destruction of Cadia. It saw the resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman leave Ultramar on a pilgrimage to Terra.
Contents
Overview
Prelude
During the Ultramar Campaign, Belisarius Cawl and his Eldar allies managed to revive the wounded Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman as Ultramar was besieged by Abaddon the Despoiler's Chaos Space Marine forces. After driving out the Chaos invaders, Guilliman immediately ordered a war council and a debriefing on the situation. Disgusted by what he heard regarding the state of the Imperium, Guilliman entered his private chambers for four days along with Marneus Calgar, Tigurius, Voldus, Saint Celestine, Greyfax, and Belisarius Cawl. When he emerged, he declared his plan to reach Terra and manage the situation from there. After a massive parade on Macragge to unveil the reborn Primarch, Guilliman and his forces leave on the Macragge's Honour for Terra. Soon enough word of the Primarch's revival has spread throughout Ultima Segmentum and reinforcements from the Raven Guard, Space Wolves, White Scars, and Dark Angels arrive to bolster Guilliman. These are later joined by fresh Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, Mechanicus forces, Sisters of Battle, Knight Houses, and Titan Legions. Soon enough, Guilliman has a pilgrimage of war for his journey to Terra.[1a]
However the rebirth of the Primarch drew the attention of the Chaos Gods and the entire Warp was flung into disarray. The Great Game escalates in the Warp as hysterical Daemonic armies move on their patron Gods realms in renewed attacks. The collective result from these disturbances are a series of massive Warp Storms across the Galaxy on a scale not seen since the Age of Strife. Guilliman's journey to Terra is thus far more difficult than originally expected. The Dark Gods are not the only ones to sense his revival, Mortarion and Magnus both feel the resurrection of their brother and begin to plan for the future as well. Fulgrim possesses the Arch-Consul of Macragge and goads the brother he had previously wounded for 10,000 years.[1a]
Pilgrimage
For the next seven months, Guilliman moves through Ultima Segmentum and reclaims worlds under Chaos assault. The surviving Chaos invaders from the Ultramar Campaign have set their sights on these defenseless worlds. Even worse is the spread of a new blindness-inducing disease that decimates the Imperial warriors and civilians alike. It soon becomes clear that this plague is the product of Mortarion, who has summoned the powers of Nurgle in its creation. However the mere presence of Guilliman is able to cure the afflicted, and the Primarch is forced to suspend his trip to Terra to journey across diseased planets and cure its populous. Guilliman's miracles causes further religious hysteria around his return. The Primarch speculates that this was a deliberate plan by the Gods of Chaos to delay his return to Terra.[1b]
With the Warp in turmoil, Guilliman's fleet can only make short inaccurate jumps and the journey takes far longer than it otherwise would. When the fleet arrives at the edge of the Maelstrom they find themselves under a massive Thousand Sons ambush led by Magnus the Red himself. At its center is a massive craft bearing the great pyramid of Tizca. Magnus has no desire to slay his brother yet, and instead conducts a psychic ritual that pulls the Imperial ships into the Maelstrom. Many of the vessels are destroyed during the ritual as they did not have time to raise their Gellar Fields. Once inside the Maelstrom, Guilliman's fleet comes under massive Red Corsairs attack. The Imperials are able to defeat the Red Corsairs, but one of the surviving corsair marines becomes possessed by Kairos Fateweaver, who declares that Guilliman will wander the Maelstrom forever.[1b]
For a time, the Imperials do indeed wander the Maelstrom aimlessly. Time is inconsistent in the Maelstrom and it is not clear how long they are trapped here. To make matters worse, abushes by Chaos Space Marines and Tzeentch Daemons take their toll on Guilliman's pilgrimage. Guided by the visions of a mysterious Eldar the Imperials are eventually able to navigate the Maelstrom and arrive at a navigational point, finding a vast graveyard of ships linked together in a web of chains. This web stretches endlessly in all directions, trapping the Imperials. It is here that the Red Corsairs launch another ambush.[1b]
The Red Corsairs launch a boarding operation of the Macragge's Honour and move towards the bridge. These attackers are accompanied by Daemons of Tzeentch and Fateweaver himself. Quickly reaching the bridge, Guilliman and Fateweaver begin to duel one another. The Lord of Change reveals that he has been implanting subtle doubt into the mind of Guilliman since he entered the Maelstrom, and now will use that doubt as a ritualistic catalyst to finish him. Guilliman is forced to his knees by the negative emotion and becomes trapped in psychic crystal chains. Fateweaver orders that the Imperials surrender themselves lest he execute their Primarch. Faced with no other option, the Imperials surrender and are taken captive. Those that refuse are forcibly taken or killed.[1b]
Captivity
The Imperial captives are moved to a Blackstone Fortress that Abaddon had gifted to Huron Blackheart. Fateweaver refuses to kill his prisoners, instead wishing to find some use for them in the future. This does not sit well with all the Chaos forces, and Skarbrand and his Khornate legions assail the Fortress in search of the heads of Guilliman and his men. A massive battle erupts between the forces of Tzeentch and Khorne within the Blackstone Fortress.[1c]
Using this distraction to their advantage, an unseen force quietly slips into the Blackstone Fortress and is able to free the Imperials from their cells. Revealing themselves as Fallen Angels led by Cypher himself, the freed Imperials have no choice but to trust this new ally. Cypher's Fallen are accompanied by Sylandri Veilwalker, who is revealed to be the source of the visions that had guided Guilliman in the Maelstrom. Reinvigorated, the freed Imperials go on to liberate the rest of their number throughout the Blackstone Fortress. They are also able to acquire their ships and tanks that had been taken by the Red Corsairs. The Imperials take up these vehicles and make their way for the same Webway Portal that Cypher and Veilwalker had arrived in. The fleeing prisoners come under massive Daemonic assault as the forces of Khorne and Tzeentch temporarily put aside their battle in the face of new prey, but the arrival of the Legion of the Damned turns the tide.[1c]
As they reach the Webway Portal Skarbrand himself attacks Guilliman. Guilliman is saved by the efforts of Black Templars Marshal Amalrich, who sacrifices himself to drive his sword through the Bloodthirster's heart. Guilliman hits this buried blade with his wrist-mounted Bolter, shredding apart the Bloodthirster. With Skarebrand dealt with, Guilliman and the survivors make it through the Webway Portal.[1c]
The Battle of Luna
Inside the Webway, the Imperials and their Eldar allies come under renewed Chaos Assault, this time from Magnus' Thousand Sons who had foreseen their escape. Guilliman deduces that Magnus wants the Eldar to open up the Webway Gate to Terra in order to allow his Thousand Sons to exploit the breach and invade the planet. Not wishing to play along with Magnus' scheme, Guilliman and Veilwalker instead move for the Webway Portal to Luna. Despite being hounded by the Thousand Sons at every turn, the Imperials and Eldar eventually reach the portal to Luna.[1c]
On the other side of the Portal, Guilliman and the others arrive in the craters on Luna's surface. However before Veilwalker can seal the gate the Thousand Sons burst through, this time accompanied by Magnus himself. A vicious battle erupts as the Imperials and Eldar attempt to stop Magnus from capturing Terra's moon. Brothers once more engage in a fateful duel as Guilliman battles Magnus. The Daemon Primarch's psychic powers overwhelm Guilliman, but before he can be defeated Battlefleet Solar, Imperial Fists, Sisters of Silence, and the Adeptus Custodes arrive from Terra. The Thousand Sons are now being pushed back, and the null-field created by the Silent Sisters negates some of Magnus' powers. This allows Guilliman to drive his sword through the Daemon Primarch's back. Magnus is forced back through the Webway Portal as Veilwalker closes the gate. With the gate closed the rest of the Thousand Sons, as well as the Eldar, simply vanish.[1c]
Aftermath
With the battle over, Guilliman and his forces land at the Imperial Palace. The Primarch confronts Shield-Captain Adronitus and orders that he is allowed entry past the Eternity Gate so he may confer with the Emperor himself. Hesitantly Adronitus agrees, on the condition that Guilliman enter the chamber alone. As Guilliman enters the Emperor's throneroom, the Custodes arrest Cypher and his Fallen.[1c]
A day later, Guilliman steps out from the Eternity Gate. What transpired before the Golden Throne is not known. However he gathers all of the High Lords of Terra and declares himself the new Lord Commander of the Imperium. The Primarch declares that dark days are ahead, and he will reorganize the Imperium and its fighting forces in order to confront it and ensure humanity's survival.[1c]
Sources
- Battles (Imperium)
- Battles (Ultramarines)
- Battles (Space Marines)
- Battles (Raven Guard)
- Battles (Black Templars)
- Battles (White Scars)
- Battles (Space Wolves)
- Battles (Chaos)
- Battles (Thousand Sons)
- Battles (Adepta Sororitas)
- Battles (Imperial Guard)
- Battles (Imperial Navy)
- Battles (Adeptus Mechanicus)
- Battles (Eldar)
- Black Crusades
