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Fall of the Pale Emperor

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The Fall of the Pale Emperor was a battle fought by the White Scars Legion during the Great Crusade.[1]


Overview

The war began when the White Scars came across a handful of worlds sparsely inhabited by humans of ancient Terran descent, though they were never named. Unlike many other civilizations during the Age of Strife, these colonists had prospered. However, despite peaceful overtures, these humans saw the Scars as invaders and resisted them. In space, White Scars vessels battled with the sturdy Cruisers of this enemy civilization, which had been hardened in battles against Xenos raiders over many years. However, they were too few to stand before the Imperial fleet and quickly overwhelmed; in recognition of their bravery Jaghatai Khan allowed them to withdraw. Having secured orbital space, the Khan initiated a Drop Pod and airborne assault.[1]

The Scars were met by heavily armored and armed infantry more akin to mobile tanks. Though formidable, these warriors could not match the Scars' speed and were constantly outflanked and outmanoeuvred by the Space Marines' Jetbike formations. One by one, the machine-infantry were cut down but Jaghatai left their cities untouched out of mercy. He instead sent three ambassadors to these cities to once again offer the terms of surrender and assimilation into the Imperium. However these emissaries instead returned in pieces, slaughtered by order of the ruler of this realm who is now known only as the Pale Emperor. Enraged, the Khan razed an enemy city to ruin and slew every inhabitant within. This process repeated itself city after city and soon enough world after world as the Scars sacked all they came across on their path to the Pale Emperor's throneworld.[1]

Once arriving at the Pale Emperor's throneworld, they ravaged the planet and smashed open his palace. All within were slain except one, the Emperor himself who was brought before Jaghatai Khan. Two contradictory accounts of what transpired next exist, with one tale stating that the disgusted Khan letting the Pale Emperor live so he could tell others the price of pride. The other states that the Khan was impressed by the Pale Emperor's rejection of servitude, and left him alive so that he himself could remember the price of pride and why he sullies his blade with the blood of petty Emperors.[1]

Trivia

The murder of the White Scars emissaries and their subsequent wrathful genocide of the local population bears strong similarities to Genghis Khan's conquest of Khwarazmian Persia.

See also

Sources