Welcome to Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum! Log in and join the community.

Battle of Thessala

From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
Jump to: navigation, search
Battle of Thessala
Conflict Great Scouring
Date 121.M31
Location Thessala orbit
Outcome Traitor Victory
Combatants
Imperium Emperor's Children
Commanders
Primarch Roboute Guilliman (WIA)
Chapter Master Lucretius Corvo
Chapter Master Ludon
First Captain Andros (KIA)
Second Captain Aeonid Thiel
Primarch Fulgrim
Strength
Ultramarines
Aurora Chapter
Novamarines
Doom Eagles
Iron Snakes
Another two Ultramarines Successor Chapters
Emperor's Children Traitor Legion
Casualties
Nearly the entire fleet Pride of the Emperor crippled

The Battle of Thessala was a battle between the Imperium and the Emperor's Children fought in 121.M31[2], during the Great Scouring.[1]

Battle

In order to finally kill his traitorous Brother Fulgrim, who continued to plague the Imperium, the Primarch Guilliman assembled a fleet composed of his Ultramarines Chapter, as well as six of its Successor Chapters and began hunting down the corrupted Primarch. After some time, Guilliman's goal seemed to be close at hand, when his fleet tracked his Brother to the world Xolco. There they clashed with Fulgrim, but the traitor escaped and Guilliman relentlessly pursued him to Thessala and prepared himself to end his Brother's life.[3a]

However once they neared Thessala, Fulgrim showed his escape had been merely a ruse, as an Emperor's Children fleet suddenly ambushed the loyalists, who found themselves trapped and outnumbered. During the fierce battle that followed, Fulgrim's flagship the Pride of the Emperor heeled over Guilliman's flagship the Gauntlet of Power and the Ultramarines Battle Barge responded with a barrage that created an opening in the Pride's void shields. Seeing a small opportunity to save his fleet, Guilliman led one hundred Ultramarines and strike teams from their Successor Chapters in a desperate teleportation attack against the Pride of the Emperor.[3a]

Aboard the Pride, Guilliman went to confront his Brother with a force composed of his Suzerain Invictarus, along with fifty Ultramarines from the First Company, led by Captain Andros, and fifty from the Second Company, led by Captain Thiel, while the Successor Chapters went to cripple the Pride of the Emperor.[3a]

Guilliman and his forces were left undisturbed, while they traveled through the Triumphal Way and eventually reached the entrance to the Heliopolis, where the Primarch knew Fulgrim was waiting for him. During this time, the Chapter Masters Ludon and Corvo voxed Guilliman and told him of the resistance their forces were facing from the Emperor's Children, as they sought to disable the Pride of the Emperor. After hearing this, Guilliman told his forces to wait outside the the Heliopolis, while he confronted Fulgrim by himself. He stated that he would talk with Fulgrim and hopefully distract his Brother long enough for the Successor Chapters to cripple the Pride of the Emperor; this would greatly aid their outnumbered fleet. Andros and Thiel immediately protested against this though and told Guilliman his pride was getting the better of him and that he was simply looking for an excuse to personally kill Fulgrim by himself, in order to avenge the traitor's treachery against the Imperium. Though Guilliman's decision was final, he relented and told his Captains that if Fulgrim attacked and began to overpower him, he would call for their aid. The two Captains agreed and Guilliman entered the Heliopolis alone[3b], where he was soon confronted by Fulgrim, who tried to convince Guilliman to embrace the worship of the Chaos Gods like he had. Guilliman refused and the two Primarchs clashed, but it was soon obvious that Guilliman was no match for Fulgrim's Warp-enhanced strength. Seeing that he was about to be killed, Guilliman called for Andros and Thiel to aid him, but as their forces entered the Heliopolis, Fulgrim called forth a horde of Emperor's Children who had been waiting nearby as well.[3c]

As their sons fought around them, the two Primarchs clashed once again, but Fulgrim was victorious and he slit his Brother's throat with his poisoned sword. A shocked Guilliman asked his Brother how he was able to fatally wound him and Fulgrim replied that his Warp infused eyes saw the scar[3c] that Kor Phaeron's athame had inflicted upon Guilliman during the Battle of Calth.[4] Guilliman then collapsed, but was teleported back to safety aboard the Gauntlet of Power, along with Captain Thiel and the surviving Ultramarines of the First and Second Companies that had accompanied them.[3c] Afterwards, the Emperor's Children massacred Guilliman's fleet and the Gauntlet of Power was among the few loyalist ships that escaped Fulgrim's wrath.[3d]

Aftermath

To reward his actions at Thessala, Slaanesh gifted Fulgrim with a Daemon World, called Callax; the Primarch subsequently abandoned his Legion, leaving them to their fate. The remaining Emperor's Children leaders, Fabius, Lucius, and Eidolon squabbled, starting a process which would result in the Legion fracturing into infighting warbands.[5]

Sources