War Within the Webway
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This article is about the Battle during the Horus Heresy; for the other Webway conflict, see Webway War. |
The War Within the Webway was a hidden engagement during the Horus Heresy.[1]
Overview
Following the attempt of Magnus the Red to warn the Emperor of Horus' treachery, catastrophe struck Terra. Magnus' psychic warning breached the wards the Emperor had placed around the Imperial Palace, causing the Golden Throne, a device intended to allow Human travel within the Webway, to malfunction. As the Golden Throne broke down, the Webway Portal deep within the Imperial Palace became breached. Through this breach floods of Daemons rushed through, and the Emperor dispatched the Custodes and Sisters of Silence to hold the line and prevent Terra from being overrun. As the Custodes and Silent Sisterhood fought back immense Daemonic hordes, the Emperor sat upon the Golden Throne in a desperate attempt to stabilize the Webway Portal. Even the Emperor's psychic might was tested in this endeavor, and he became visibly exerted.[2] The war within the Webway forced the Emperor's entire attention, leaving the waging of the simultaneous Horus Heresy to Malcador and Rogal Dorn. Malcador was the only one allowed to regularly visit with the Emperor.[1]
Soon enough the war within the Webway fall into a pattern. The Custodians established a series of blockades across the tunnels within the Webway. Behind these defended areas the Mechanicum workers were repairing the damaged sections of tunnel and sealing the rifts to prevent more daemons from getting inside the webway. In front of the blockades, the Custodians and Sisters launched lightning-fast counterattacks to keep the daemonic horde offbalance and prevent them massing in strength. Slowly, but surely, the Imperial forces were pushing the blockades forward as the pressure from the daemons'attacks waned. Nevertheless, some daemon assaults did manage to break through the imperial defences and on those rare occasions the attackers wreaked havoc on the Imperial workers. More than once the daemonic entities were able to fight their way to the warp-gate of the Golden Throne. Desperate fighting ensued as the Custodians and Sisters doubled their efforts to throw back the daemons and prevent them surging through the warp-gate and into the Imperial Dungeon beyond.[1]
As the war raged on new troops appeared amongst the hordes of daemons attacking the Imperial forces. The powers of Chaos sent foully corrupted Chaos Space Marines, Titans and other war machines into the webway to try and force a victory. Mighty Greater Daemons including Bloodthirsters joined the battle as well. The sanctity of the Imperial Palace, the fate of the Imperium and the very life of the Emperor depended on the Custodian Guard and the Sisters of Silence. If they couldn't defeat the daemonic horde and its corrupted allies then Humanity was surely doomed.[1]
The war within the Webway was waged for a grueling period, all the way until shortly before the Battle of Terra. As the Imperial forces withdrew as the last repairs on the Imperial portal were completed, the Emperor himself appeared and created a burning star in the Webway. The star shone with a golden psychic energy that forced the Daemons back, and as the last of the Imperials retreated from the portal the Emperor was able to at last close it with the Golden Throne. The gate would remain closed to the daemons for as long as the Emperor
was able to power it from his throne atop the golden portal. Only the mightiest of psykers had power enough to do this and even then most wound be
exhausted and die in a short time. Only the Emperor had the might to keep
the gate closed permanently and for him the effort got harder as the Daemonic forces gathered about him. For as long as the daemon horde
threatened to breach the portal, the Golden Throne would be his prison.[1]
When the Emperor decided to confront Horus aboard the Vengeful Spirit, Malcador was left to maintain the Golden Throne and keep the portal closed in his place. After the injured body of the Emperor was brought back to the Golden Throne, the immense effort exerted by Malcador in keeping the portal shut had reduced him to mere dust. As the Emperor was placed back onto the Golden Throne, his body has allowed the portal to remain closed for the last 10,000 years. Should the Emperor die, the Imperial Palace would be breached Terra itself would be overrun by Daemons.[1]
Sources
- 1: Collected Visions pgs.326-330, 350-351
