Purging of Contqual
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The Purging of Contqual was a major campaign by the Iron Hands Space Marines chapter to purge the forces of Chaos from the Contqual Subsector in 812.M41[1b].
History
The citizens of Contqual lived a decadent and carefree existence, believing they had created a paradise free from the ugliness found throughout the rest of the Imperium. As a result of this decadence, in late 812.M41, the High Governor of the subsector succumbed to the influence of the Chaos God Slaanesh. Within a month, the entire subsector was tainted by Chaos, and the worst effects of this taint were on the sector capital world of Shardenus, where a Warp rift had opened, disgorging hordes of Daemons into the Materium, where they were embraced and worshiped by the native inhabitants[1a]. The Imperium's vengeance came in the forms of the Iron Hands Clan Raukaan, who hated Chaos and its influences more than any other Space Marine chapter. The Iron Hands reclaimed a dozen worlds in the subsector, purging the tainted populations without mercy[1a].
The Battle of Shardenus
The largest and most desperate battle of the campaign was upon the Hive World of Shardenus where a direct Warp Portal opened up, unleashing hordes of Daemons which were welcomed by the twisted denizens of the world. Clan Raukaan arrived with Imperial Guard and Titan reinforcements, but disregarded all calls for caution from Imperial command and instead launched an all-out assault on the bunker complexes on Shardenus Prime. Casualties were heavy, especially with the Iron Hands accompanying Guard formations. Worse still, treachery within the Militarum High Command saw the Iron Hands abandoned by their supposed allies. But the Iron Hands never slowed or yielded and cleansed the Hive City Spire by Spire. Eventually, the climatic battle to seal the Warp Rift began and the architect of Contqual's horror's at last revealed itself: Julius Kaesoron: First Captain of the Emperor's Children, the right hand of Fulgrim, murderer of Gabriel Santar upon Isstvan V ten thousand years previous, and now a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh. While Kaesoron taunted the Iron Hands with tales of Ferrus Manus' supposed last words, Chief Librarian Telach made the ultimate sacrifice. Harnessing his own power, Telach managed to collapse the rift and cut off Kaesoron's link to the Warp. This left him vulnerable to the fury of the Iron Hands, and he was banished back to the Warp.[3]
With the Warp rift closed and the Daemons banished, Clan Raukaan was free to purge Shardenus of all taint. With uncompromising ruthlessness, they strode through the streets, purging Mutants and madmen before them. No tally of the dead exists, for Clan Raukaan found little evidence of innocence and the corpses were too numerous to count.[3]
In the year following the closing of the warp rift, one in every three Imperial citizens of the Contqual sector, including on Shardenus, were executed, as a harsh lesson against complacency and falling to the temptations of Chaos[1a].
