Post by CELS on Oct 1, 2004 16:34:15 GMT -5
The Alpha Legion in the Anargo Sector
The mighty Alpha Legion first came to the region of the galaxy that would later be named the Anargo sector in 127.M30. Of the twenty Space Marine legions created by the Emperor, the Alpha Legion was the last to be founded and united with its Primarch. By the time Alpharius was put in command of his legions, his brother Primarchs had already waged war for the Imperium for many years, claiming many worlds and killing countless enemies, and Alpharius had much to prove.
When the Alpha Legion arrived in the Anargo sector, the Emperor's Armies had already been there for two whole years, and several worlds were already conquered. Alpharius made good speed however, and after several great victories, his grand army reached the Sargassos subsector, where he encountered the mighty Mezzan empire. The Mezzan possessed much technology from the Age of Technology, most importantly intelligent machines similar to the legendary Iron Men. The empire spanned over a dozen star systems in the Sargassos subsector alone, and though initial intelligence gathering suggested that the Mezzan were quite peaceful, there was no telling what armies the prosperous empire might have.
As Imperial diplomats continued the negotiations with the Mezzan empire, Alpharius considered his options. His brother Primarchs had made much greater progress than him, and he was eager to show his great leadership and tactical abilities. Furthermore, Alpharius knew the considerable danger of the intelligent machines which had almost brought mankind to total destruction during the Age of Strife. Whilst the puritanical majority of the Adeptus Mechanicus declared the machines of the Mezzan abominations, radical factions pleaded to Alpharius, begging him to let them have the machines, bringing them closer to the divinity of the Machine-God.
Though his motives remain unknown, Alpharius decided to abort the diplomatic negotiations and attack the Mezzan empire. As the forces of the Alpha Legion attacked the Mezzan client worlds outside the Sargassos subsector, the Mezzan simply withdrew without further conflict.
When the Alpha Legion reached the Sargassos subsector, their advance was swift. The Mezzan were ill prepared to deal with this unexpected and unprovoked attack. In the first month of the war, the Mezzan did not exploit the advantages he left open to them nor did they defend their planets beyond the initial landings. The populations almost gave in without a fight. All signs pointed towards a swift victory.
After a month however, the situation completely changed. Worlds that had seemed well on the way to pacification erupted into violence. The enemy fleet put up much greater resistance, requiring the focussing of much of Alpharius's resources.
Eventually, the Alpha Legion reached the heart of the Sargassos empire. Alpharius ordered full extermination of the population on several worlds to punish them for their fierce resistance, and on the remaining worlds, little would remain of the Mezzan culture as the Imperium took over.
In 129.M30, the Emperor arrived in the Anargo sector. He spoke warmly of the conquest of his armies of men, who had conquered well over half of the worlds in the sector. To the dismay of Alpharius, he barely mentioned the achievements of the Alpha Legion, as if this was not more than he expected, or perhaps to show his disappreciation of the way Alpharius handled the Mezzan. Whatever his reasons, many say that it was slights like this that made Alpharius turn against the Emperor years later.
After Horus' failed assault on Terra, a great portion of the Alpha Legion fled to the Anargo sector. Aiming to carve a small empire for themselves, the Alpha Legion forces gathered around the many colonies they had 'freed' from the Overlords of Sargassos, the Mezzan. For years, wars raged intensly between the worlds in the Anargo sector that were now loyal to the Alpha Legion and the other Traitor Legions, and the worlds that were loyal to the Emperor.
Five years later, in 015.M31, the Ultramarines and their many armies from Ultramar came to liberate the Anargo sector from the Alpha Legion. In one swift attack, the Ultramarines annihilated the outnumbered and unprepared Chaos forces. For centuries, the Alpha Legion would only be a past memory in the Anargo sectors.
Since the Horus Heresy, the Alpha Legion has returned countless times to sow disruption and mayhem. Indeed, there are so often attacks that can either be traced to the Alpha Legion or that are led by the Alpha Legion itself, that many claim that they have never really gone.
In 470.M41, the Alpha Legion is thinly spread across the Imperium. Approximately fifty of the Chaos Space Marines reside in the Anargo sector, constantly seeking to destroy the Imperium from within by starting chaos cults and launching sabotage missions. Even now, they are known to gain sympathy by reminding potential followers that it was they who helped forge the Anargo sector, and that it was they who destroyed the tyrannical Overlords of Sargassos. The Chaos Space Marines of the Alpha Legion in the Anargo sector have no world of their own, nor do they have a fleet or own a base as their permanent headquarters. Instead, they wander endlessly, only stopping to nurture the many chaos cults in the sector, and even capturing Imperial ships when they need to.
There are only a few of these Chaos Space Marines who have lived since the Horus Heresy, and they are the stuff of legend in the sector's chaos cults. Spending most of the time in frozen hibernation or in arcane stasis coffins, these ancients are probably the most powerful followers of Chaos in the entire sector, with countless cultist armies at their disposal, in the very heart of the Imperium.
Important links:
The Mezzan
The Overlords of Sargassos
The mighty Alpha Legion first came to the region of the galaxy that would later be named the Anargo sector in 127.M30. Of the twenty Space Marine legions created by the Emperor, the Alpha Legion was the last to be founded and united with its Primarch. By the time Alpharius was put in command of his legions, his brother Primarchs had already waged war for the Imperium for many years, claiming many worlds and killing countless enemies, and Alpharius had much to prove.
When the Alpha Legion arrived in the Anargo sector, the Emperor's Armies had already been there for two whole years, and several worlds were already conquered. Alpharius made good speed however, and after several great victories, his grand army reached the Sargassos subsector, where he encountered the mighty Mezzan empire. The Mezzan possessed much technology from the Age of Technology, most importantly intelligent machines similar to the legendary Iron Men. The empire spanned over a dozen star systems in the Sargassos subsector alone, and though initial intelligence gathering suggested that the Mezzan were quite peaceful, there was no telling what armies the prosperous empire might have.
As Imperial diplomats continued the negotiations with the Mezzan empire, Alpharius considered his options. His brother Primarchs had made much greater progress than him, and he was eager to show his great leadership and tactical abilities. Furthermore, Alpharius knew the considerable danger of the intelligent machines which had almost brought mankind to total destruction during the Age of Strife. Whilst the puritanical majority of the Adeptus Mechanicus declared the machines of the Mezzan abominations, radical factions pleaded to Alpharius, begging him to let them have the machines, bringing them closer to the divinity of the Machine-God.
Though his motives remain unknown, Alpharius decided to abort the diplomatic negotiations and attack the Mezzan empire. As the forces of the Alpha Legion attacked the Mezzan client worlds outside the Sargassos subsector, the Mezzan simply withdrew without further conflict.
When the Alpha Legion reached the Sargassos subsector, their advance was swift. The Mezzan were ill prepared to deal with this unexpected and unprovoked attack. In the first month of the war, the Mezzan did not exploit the advantages he left open to them nor did they defend their planets beyond the initial landings. The populations almost gave in without a fight. All signs pointed towards a swift victory.
After a month however, the situation completely changed. Worlds that had seemed well on the way to pacification erupted into violence. The enemy fleet put up much greater resistance, requiring the focussing of much of Alpharius's resources.
Eventually, the Alpha Legion reached the heart of the Sargassos empire. Alpharius ordered full extermination of the population on several worlds to punish them for their fierce resistance, and on the remaining worlds, little would remain of the Mezzan culture as the Imperium took over.
In 129.M30, the Emperor arrived in the Anargo sector. He spoke warmly of the conquest of his armies of men, who had conquered well over half of the worlds in the sector. To the dismay of Alpharius, he barely mentioned the achievements of the Alpha Legion, as if this was not more than he expected, or perhaps to show his disappreciation of the way Alpharius handled the Mezzan. Whatever his reasons, many say that it was slights like this that made Alpharius turn against the Emperor years later.
After Horus' failed assault on Terra, a great portion of the Alpha Legion fled to the Anargo sector. Aiming to carve a small empire for themselves, the Alpha Legion forces gathered around the many colonies they had 'freed' from the Overlords of Sargassos, the Mezzan. For years, wars raged intensly between the worlds in the Anargo sector that were now loyal to the Alpha Legion and the other Traitor Legions, and the worlds that were loyal to the Emperor.
Five years later, in 015.M31, the Ultramarines and their many armies from Ultramar came to liberate the Anargo sector from the Alpha Legion. In one swift attack, the Ultramarines annihilated the outnumbered and unprepared Chaos forces. For centuries, the Alpha Legion would only be a past memory in the Anargo sectors.
Since the Horus Heresy, the Alpha Legion has returned countless times to sow disruption and mayhem. Indeed, there are so often attacks that can either be traced to the Alpha Legion or that are led by the Alpha Legion itself, that many claim that they have never really gone.
In 470.M41, the Alpha Legion is thinly spread across the Imperium. Approximately fifty of the Chaos Space Marines reside in the Anargo sector, constantly seeking to destroy the Imperium from within by starting chaos cults and launching sabotage missions. Even now, they are known to gain sympathy by reminding potential followers that it was they who helped forge the Anargo sector, and that it was they who destroyed the tyrannical Overlords of Sargassos. The Chaos Space Marines of the Alpha Legion in the Anargo sector have no world of their own, nor do they have a fleet or own a base as their permanent headquarters. Instead, they wander endlessly, only stopping to nurture the many chaos cults in the sector, and even capturing Imperial ships when they need to.
There are only a few of these Chaos Space Marines who have lived since the Horus Heresy, and they are the stuff of legend in the sector's chaos cults. Spending most of the time in frozen hibernation or in arcane stasis coffins, these ancients are probably the most powerful followers of Chaos in the entire sector, with countless cultist armies at their disposal, in the very heart of the Imperium.
Important links:
The Mezzan
The Overlords of Sargassos