Legio Praesagius
 |
| Colour Scheme | Legion Info | Symbol | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Name: | Legio Praesagius |  |
| Alternative name: | True Messengers[5b] | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
| Founded: | Pre-Imperium[5b] | ||
| Forge World: | Gantz[5b] | ||
| Colours: | Blue & white[5b] | ||
| Strength: | ~112 Titans (Heresy-era)[6a] | ||
| Arch Enemies: | Legio Mortis/Legio Suturvora[6a] | ||
The Legio Praesagius, also known as the True Messengers, was a Titan Legion of the Collegia Titanica at the time of the Horus Heresy from the Forge World of Gantz.[5b]
Contents
History
The Legio Praesagius is one of the most ancient Titan Legions with a service record second only to the Triad Ferrum Morgulus. The Legio was originally founded on Mars as scions of the Legio Gryphonicus.[5b] They had a reputation of secular zeal and strict chivalric honor that forbade collateral damage.[6a]
The legion gained great fame during the Great Crusade at Tentrion under Grand Master Bohemond, where he ensured minimal civilian losses while also emerging victorious.[6a] Other hard-fought battles followed as the True Messengers found themselves assigned to the vanguard of a number of Expedition Fleets, often fighting alongside the XVIIth and XIIIth Legiones Astartes. In many campaigns they found themselves summoned to battles others had dubbed impossible, called upon to champion the armies of the Great Crusade and to bolster flagging morale. Amidst the howling dust wastes of Akeron Cards and the towering cities of Benthur, they fought with stoic pride and utter devotion to the cause of the fledgling Imperium, and paid a high price in blood and the precious Battle Titans that were the soul of the Titan Legion to achieve victory.[3b]
By the dawning of the 31st Millennium the True Messengers had been crippled by the continuing pace of their deployment, reduced to a third by casualties and with many of their surviving Titans unable to take to the field due to damage. Though the reputation of the Titan Legion remained intact, it could ill afford to remain at the tip of the spear of men and machines that was the Great Crusade.[3a] During this time, they gained the hatred of the Legio Mortis and Legio Suturvora due to its growing influence.[6a] In recognition of the Titan Legion's service and eager to add to the defences of his newly established realm, Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines, prevailed upon the magos of the newly founded Forge World of Gantz to offer a new home to the Legio Praesagius.[3a]
By the dawn of the Horus Heresy, the Legio Praesagius fielded 112 Titans, most of which were Reavers and Warlords. This was down from their initial size of 300 which had included large numbers of Warlords, Imperators, and Carnivores. Due to its larger size, it was separated into Demi-Legio battlegroups that encouraged individual initiative and dispersion.[6a]
Staying loyal to the forces of the Emperor during the Horus Heresy they defended the population of Ithraca from the Fire Masters with the aid of the Ultramarines during the Calth campaign.[1][2] The Legion took heavy losses during the Heresy, largely due to the surprise attack by the Word Bearers and their allies.[6a]
The nine Warlords of the Legio were destroyed in action during the Betrayal at Ithraca, sacrificing themselves to allow the remaining war engines of the Legio to disperse into Ithraca and continue the battle. In the annals of the Collegia Titanica, they are known as the Nine Paragons of Ithraca.[3a]
Assets
Known Titans
Warlord-class
- Auric Pegasus — Deployed to Ithraca during the Battle of Calth.[4][5b][6b] Destroyed.[5b][6b]
- Ecocatus — Deployed to Ithraca during the Battle of Calth.[7b] Destroyed by the Ardenti Dominus.[7c]
- Honores Verax — Deployed to Ithraca during the Battle of Calth.[7b] Destroyed by the Tenebris Proles.[7c]
- Pride of Konor — Commanded by Princeps Dae Vergos and deployed during the Crusade of Iron. Destroyed.[5a]
Warbringer Nemesis-class
- Fortitudo Domitor — Deployed to Ithraca during the Battle of Calth.[7b] Destroyed by the Traitor Titans of the Fire Masters.[7d]
- Sonitus Iustitiae — Deployed during the Crusade of Iron.[5b]
Reaver-class
- Deliverance — Deployed to Ithraca during the Battle of Calth.[7b] Destroyed by the Ardenti Dominus.[7d]
- Gyrfalcon — Deployed to Ithraca during the Battle of Calth.[7b] Destroyed by a Traitor artillery bombardment.[7e]
- Invigilator — Deployed during the Battle of Calth.[5b]
- Suilis Vestra — War Maniple Honouris δ9. Took part and destroyed in the battle for Ithraca city, Calth.[3c]
Warhound-class
- The Argent Courser — War Maniple Honouris δ9. Took part and destroyed in Battle for Ithraca city, Calth[3c]
- Misericorde — War Maniple Honouris δ9. Took part in the Battle for Ithraca city, Calth. It was the last Titan from the Maniple which ceased transmitting, having managed to report of four enemy god-engine kills.[3c]
Other/Unknown Class
- Chrysaor's Wake[Needs Citation]
- The Lion of Mars[Needs Citation]
- Plutarchos[Needs Citation]
- Reason's Thunder[Needs Citation]
- Sabris Regnum[Needs Citation]
- The Silver Thorn[Needs Citation]
- Splendour of Palaris — Destroyed by the Legio Suturvora during the Betrayal at Ithraca.[4]
- The Triumph of Accatran[Needs Citation]
- The Will of Adamant[Needs Citation]
Void Ships
- Arutan — Heavy Transport. Destroyed at the outbreak of the Battle of Calth, the Arutan's remains crash-landed in the city of Ithraca.[4]
Notable Members
- Bohemond — Grand Master of the Legio during the Great Crusade.[6a]
- Rhiko Trieste — Master-Princeps of Auric Pegasus.[5a][6b]
- Arutis — Princeps.[5a]
- Ceto — Princeps of Deliverance.[7a]
- Chrysaor — Princeps of Honores Verax.[7a]
- Hilaine — Princeps of Gyrfalcon.[7d]
- Dae Vergos — Princeps.[5a]
Images
Warbringer Nemesis Titan Sonitus Iustitiae during the Crusade of Iron
Reaver Titan Invigilator at the Battle of Calth
Legio Praesagius emblem[3d]
See also
Sources
- 1: Black Library - Honour to the Dead (last accessed 21 February 2020)
- 2: Honour to the Dead (Audio Drama)
- 3: The Horus Heresy Book Five - Tempest:
- 4: Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy Rulebook, pg. 70
- 5: Adeptus Titanicus: Shadow and Iron:
- 6: Adeptus Titanicus: Loyalist Legios:
- 7: White Dwarf 455 — Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy - Battle Report: Betrayal at Ithraca
