Vengeful Spirit
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This article is about the naval vessel; for the novel by Graham McNeill, see Vengeful Spirit (Novel). |
The Vengeful Spirit was a Gloriana Class Battleship[2] that served as the flagship of the Warmaster Horus during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. Today, it serves as the flagship of Abaddon the Despoiler and the Black Legion.[1]
Overview
The Vengeful Spirit is an ancient vessel, constructed in the 30th Millennium by the artisans of Mars. The Vengeful Spirit was the largest of the Gloriana-class command vessels alongside the Hrafnkel, Conqueror, and Iron Blood.[3] Heavily armed, the Vengeful Spirit gained a formidable reputation during the Great Crusade as the command ship of Primarch and later Imperial Warmaster Horus Lupercal. The mere arrival of the Vengeful Spirit would often result in the surrender of an entire System.[2]
From the strategium, and later Lupercal's Court, upon the command deck, Horus would coordinate the military and diplomatic efforts of the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet, and countless thousands of personnel lived and worked on board. Additionally because it was so old the core of the ship was a rotting, empty labyrinth of filth and rats. Over time as the Sons of Horus became corrupted during the Horus Heresy, it became less of a warship and more of a temple to the dark gods of Chaos whom Horus came to revere. The final battle between Horus and the Emperor took place on the twisted bridge of the ship where humanity's bright future was shattered beyond repair.
Following death of Horus and the defeat of the traitors in The Scouring, the Vengeful Spirit fell under the control First Captain Ezekyle Abaddon. Somehow, the vessel became embedded under the former Eldar world of Asa'ciaral deep within the Eye of Terror. With the Sons of Horus in disarray after the fall of Maleum, an expedition led by Falkus Kibre, Iskandar Khayon, and others eventually managed to find both Abaddon and the Vengeful Spirit. Convinced to command once again, Abaddon used the vessel to crush the Emperor's Children and their clone of Horus on Harmony. Following the Battle of Harmony, Abaddon resumed command of the Sons of Horus. The Vengeful Spirit became the flagship of the newly christened Black Legion, a role it continues to this day.[4] The Vengeful Spirit is known to have appeared in the 10th[7] 12th[5] and 13th[6] Black Crusades.
Sources
- 1: Soul Hunter (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Chapter 4
- 2: Vengeful Spirit (Novel), by Graham McNeill, Chapter 5
- 3: Wolf King (Novella)
- 4: Talon of Horus (Novel)
- 5: Battlefleet Gothic Compendium pg.112
- 6: The 13th Black Crusade (Background Book)
- 7: Black Legion - A Codex: Chaos Space Marines Supplement, "The Conflict of Helica", pgs. 39-40
Uncited
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- Horus Rising (Novel) by Dan Abnett
- False Gods (Novel) by Graham McNeill
- Galaxy In Flames (Novel) by Ben Counter
