Welcome back, dear readers, to our multi-part dive into the riveting chronicles of the Black Legion’s 13th Black Crusade. We’re picking up in Chapter 2 where Abaddon the Despoiler unveils a deadly new act in his invasion. Allow me to introduce you to his notorious ally, the infamous iconoclast and blasphemer, Erebus. This Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion is a practitioner of forbidden sorceries, pitted against the loyal subjects of the God Emperor of Mankind.
We find ourselves on the shrine world of Iban, a world belonging to the Ecclesiarchy. Erebus, in his audacity, orders the construction of colossal cathedrals dedicated to the dark powers of the warp. Their very presence on such a sacred world was a profanity that left the Imperial intelligence speechless. The cost? A million souls, promised to the Emperor upon the cathedrals’ completion.
But the horrors did not end there. Erebus, in a twisted ceremony, orchestrated the ritual execution of every remaining innocent on the planet. His atrocities went beyond mere genocide. His sacrificial rites invoked the full wrath of the Empyrean, unleashing its fury upon the domains of mankind. The raw essence of the warp was let loose, pouring through the rifts created by the Word Bearer’s incantations and spawning vast warp storms across the region.
The result was catastrophic. Outlying worlds like Cus and Caliban were engulfed in raging tempests. Some were cut off from aid, while others transformed into shifting realms of madness as denizens of the Empyrean ran riot. Ibram was among the worst affected. Its once proud Ecclesiarchy Cathedrals were replaced by blasphemous monuments proclaiming Chaos’s dominion across the Cadan sector.
The Cadan High Command scrambled to maintain contact with most commands through astropath relay as the warp storms grew more intense each day. Yet, the communication was increasingly compromised. Reports from vessels caught in the flaring of the Eye of Terror and at least three warp storms in the region led the High Command to conclude that Erebus intended to isolate Imperial forces by making warp travel nearly impossible.
In the midst of this turmoil, a haunting transmission was received from a Planetary Defense Force Major on the world of Tabar. His brutal accounts detailed the horrific events afflicting his garrison. If believed, none other than Kharn of the World Eaters Traitor Legion, the so-called Betrayer, descended upon the doomed world, shedding the blood of its brave defenders in the name of Khorne, the Blood God.
Meanwhile, the ancient rivalry between the Dark Angel and Space Wolves chapters added a severe disruption to the Imperial defensive efforts in the Sentinel Worlds. Despite operating in the same region for several solar weeks, their refusal to coordinate actions hampered the Imperial Guard commanders on the ground.
A sudden change occurred when the Dark Angels departed, seeking a heretic known as the Voice of the Emperor operating on Lethar. Their pursuit was hindered by constant attacks on their sacred ground in the Caliban system. Despite their efforts, the elusive heretic managed to slip through their clutches time and again.
As chaos forces overwhelmed every Imperial World near the Eye of Terror, an Orc force took advantage of the anarchy, launching an all-out attack on the Scarus sector. This Green Crusade was surprisingly well-coordinated for an orc invasion, quickly grinding down the defenses of several Imperial worlds.
Stay tuned for more in this series as we continue to delve into the relentless assault of the Chaos forces across the region and the desperate attempts of the Imperium to hold its ground.
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