The Forces of Chaos
The Arturian Scythes had once been a mighty chapter in the war machine for the Imperium of Man. A Second Founding Chapter, it was never clear what Space Marine legion had contributed to their gene seed (though many speculated they descended from the Ultramarines). Jack of all trades but master of none, their chapter did not specialize in any specific type of warfare, simply adjusting to whatever was needed to complete their mission.
They had participated in numerous campaigns against Waaaagh Rokfist; an Ork gathering that persistently threatened their monastery world of Artur Prime in Subsector Olimar. Their methods had always been deemed “efficient” as they never cared for how many non-Arturians needed to be sacrificed to earn victory. Though they were loyal to the Emperor, their primary mission was always preservation of Arturian life and society. Their Chapter Master, Grand Master Henrick, had been consistently warned that such tactics caused their chapter to be looked upon poorly by many of the governors in their subsector. He often scoffed and dismissed such warnings as stupidity coming from entitled sycophants. Unfortunately in year 254 of the 36th Millenium, a rogue Imperial governor from nearby Jaxxa Three had become incensed that many of his personal holdings had been lost in defense of his hive city. The governor blamed the Scythes for employing what he deemed “poor tactics” and swore he’d make them pay.
The governor’s plan for revenge was executed swiftly. He paid a local band of pirates to wire a false distress signal in a nearby system warning of Orks. The governor then issued what seemed to be an official Imperial Order to the Scythes to exterminate said Ork threat with extreme prejudice. With the bulk of the Scythe’s forces deployed on the mission, the governor had the pirates unload what he thought was a simple bomb on the monastery fortress of Artur Prime. Unfortunately it was a bomb with the Life Eater Virus only ever employed in an Exterminatus order. Astartes and Imperial citizens alike were wiped from the surface of Artur Prime. Upon arriving to the false distress signal, the Scythes knew something was amiss but were too late to stop the devastation on their home world. They returned in time to apprehend the pirates and learn of the Jaxxan governor’s treachery. In a rage, Grand Master Henrick unleashed the entirety of the Scythe Chapter forces on Jaxxa Three as a form of retribution for what had been done. Servants in the governor’s palace claimed that Grand Master Henrick personally ripped off the governor’s head after invading the palace with his Honor Guard. It is thought that at that precise moment, Henrick fell to the Ruinous Powers.
The High Lords of Terra sent multiple Space Marine chapters stabilize Subsector Olimar and prevent any further destruction from the Arturian Scythes. After being warned by beings of the Warp of an impending counter attack, Lord Henrick ordered all remaining Scythe forces to retreat and regroup to a distant system he used as a staging point during the conflict with Waaaagh Rokfist. This would serve as a new home for him and his brothers. Henrick's mind was filled with thoughts of conspiracy and paranoia. He blamed the Imperium for allowing such a tragedy to unfold on his world. The way he reasoned, only the High Lords of Terra had the authority to issue an Exterminatus order; the death of Artur Prime had been no accident. Still he questions, "Why issue such a devastating punishment? What did the High Lords fear?" His fellow Arturians had done nothing wrong. In his mind, the Emperor had abandoned them. Perhaps the Emperor was simply a corpse on a throne...
After the events of Jaxxa Three, the Arturian Scythes were branded traitors of the Imperium. The more time passed, the more Lord Henrick’s rage and anger seemed to grow within him. He began conducting raids on Imperial strongholds throughout the sector wishing to impart pain where ever possible. With no one else to call an ally, he began to commune with beings from the Warp while offering no allegiance to any specific deity. His warriors began to worship the various Chaos gods as well, throwing in their lot with the Chaos god that promised more power. Though this caused some infighting among his warband, Lord Henrick was seemingly blessed by all four of the Ruinous Powers and as such commanded the respect of all his men. He welcomed other traitor marines as they turned from the Emperor to bolster his forces further. He had pledged to the Ruinous Powers that the entire sector would one day fall by his hand.
Years turned to decades. Decades turned to centuries. Despite the passing of time, beings in the Warp had not forgotten him. A Daemon of Change (Tzeentch) by the name of Cambi had long known of a Greater Daemon of Nurgle perpetually keeping a sector of space from being accessed by the “lesser beings”. Cambi knew that some planets in this subsector housed objects of great power that could be used for by the Scythes in the “name of Change”. He came to Lord Henrick and presented him with a plan. The Imperium desperately needed to gain control of a planet named Entara in Subsector Strellia. He claimed he could hold off the Greater Daemon of Nurgle from unleashing another warp storm to give him and his war band a chance to capture artifacts of power. Not only would he gain strength from the artifacts, but would also gain access to some of the machines of war he needed to unleash his plans of destruction on throughout the galaxy. The chance to ruin the plans of those who followed the corpse god only further sweetened the deal for Lord Henrick.
Knowing this was the opportunity he had been waiting for, Lord Henrick immediately sent his best underling, Sorcerer Adamar, to establish a base of operations. The Daemon Cambi had also told him that the millennia of despair drove some of the inhabitants of the planet to the worship of Papa Nurgle. While Cambi was no fan of the Lord of Pestilence, it was an advantage that could be exploited. The cultists would help them go undetected and could serve as acceptable vessels for beings from the Warp.
Lord Henrick would not be denied. His campaign for revenge could encompass two subsectors! Subsector Olimar would burn…but it would begin on Entara.
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