The Iron Warriors: A Legacy of Siege and Betrayal
From the Ashes of the Horus Heresy
In the aftermath of the Ruinstorm, the Iron Warriors were tasked with defending key worlds against the advancing Ultramarines. Overextended and under-supplied, they suffered heavy losses in a series of brutal sieges. However, their situation changed when Perturabo received orders to find Angron and muster at Ullanor in preparation for the Siege of Terra.
The Face of Horus’ War
During the Siege of Terra, Perturabo became the face of Horus’ war against the loyalists, engaging in the ultimate siege against his rival brother Rogal Dorn. The Iron Warriors led the assault against the Lion’s Gate Spaceport and Gorgon Bar, but their momentum was halted at the Saturnine Wall. As the war turned against them, Perturabo began to despair over the state of his allies, who had by now fully fallen to Chaos.
Betrayal and Defeat
The final straw for Perturabo came when Horus informed him that he was to disperse his Iron Warriors amongst the various warzones and that his position was to be taken over by Mortarion and the Death Guard. Feeling betrayed, Perturabo ordered the Iron Warriors to evacuate Terra and withdrew to the Iron Blood. In the end, Horus was defeated by the Emperor, and the bulk of the Iron Warriors retreated into the Eye of Terror.
Post-Heresy and the Long War
Perturabo soon devised a plan to ensnare Rogal Dorn and the Imperial Fists in a trap on Sebastus IV. This trap, known as the Eternal Fortress, was a keep centered within twenty square miles of bunkers, towers, minefields, trenches, tank traps, and redoubts. The ensuing battle, known as the Iron Cage, was a crushing defeat for the Imperial Fists, with over four hundred loyalist Marines’ gene-seed being sacrificed. This paved the way for Perturabo’s ascension to Daemon Prince.
The Dispute of Iron and the Modern Era
In 600.M34, a civil war shattered the Legion into various warbands. Despite this, the Iron Warriors continue to wage the Long War, periodically battling one another. Their grudge against the Sons of Dorn has endured the long millennia, and even now, the Iron Warriors take great pleasure in tearing down the defenses of the Imperial Fists. In the aftermath of the 13th Black Crusade, the Iron Warriors have expanded into the Imperium Nihilus, raising enormous, hideous citadels in their wake.
Notable Engagements
- Iron Cage (???.M31)
- War of the Beast (544.M32)
- Solar Rebellion (???.M32)
- Dispute of Iron (600-730.M34)
- Eighth Black Crusade (999.M37)
- War for the Andromax System (999.M37)
- Tenth Black Crusade (001.M39)
- Scouring of Makenna VII (???.M41)
- Obsus Prima Uprising (???.M41)
- Second Battle of Exyrion (???.M41)
- The Battle of Shen’tzi Vo (???.M41)
- Siege of Goddeth Hive (455.M41)
- Sabbat Worlds Crusade (755-778.M41)
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