Exploring the Eye of Terror – Part 5

Title: The Fall of The Phoenician: A Tale of Betrayal and Redemption

In our ongoing series, we delve now into the pivotal moment of our tale when the Phoenicians Venture was just a heartbeat away from the fulfilment of its true goal. The group had reached the grandeur of the temple’s main hall when reality warped, unfurling into chaos.

The warrior of the third Legion, Julius Curon, known for his tenacity and strength, unleashed a slaughter amongst his own kin. The blood of nearly 3,000 Emperor’s Children seeped into the temple’s hallowed ground. This grim sight triggered a spectral awakening, as the souls of the deceased Eldar, the planet’s original inhabitants, stirred into existence.

The planet, it appeared, was a catacomb, a colossal mausoleum harbouring the remnants of an entire race. Eldar soul stones, dormant for eons, began to pulsate with life. Warriors, both inside the temple and outside, were soon embroiled in a grim confrontation against these spectral forces. It was a battle where humanity seemed to be outmatched, caught off-guard by the sudden resurrection of an extinct race.

Amidst this chaos, Fulgrim, unlike his brother Perturabo, refrained from joining the fight. Instead, he vanished into a passage that led to the depths of the temple. Perturabo pursued his brother, only to discover him near an enormous energy sphere that pulsed with the rhythm of the planet’s core.

Here, in the darkness of the underground, the final act of betrayal was set into motion. Fulgrim, the corrupted primarch of the third Legion, had fallen so far into the abyss of his own ambition that he was willing to sacrifice his own blood – his brother – to ascend as an earthly Prince.

Perturabo, of course, was not ready to surrender without a skirmish, but Fulgrim’s treachery had weakened him. The brooch gifted by Fulgrim bore a peculiar stone that drained Perturabo’s strength. Fulgrim’s plan was almost realized, but then warriors from the divided Legions intervened, throwing his strategy into disarray.

They clashed with the traitorous Phantoms and Eldar constructs, united in their desperate attempt to thwart the enemy’s plans. Even they were oblivious to the true objective of the campaign. Their interference nearly disrupted Fulgrim’s ascendancy, but in a last-ditch effort, Fulgrim sacrificed all the Eldar souls resting on the planet to Slaanesh. This act of absolute treachery was sufficient to earn him the desired power.

After a deadly strike from Perturabo, Fulgrim was reborn into the abomination he remains today, thanks to his newfound powers. The Phoenician, along with his warriors, then fled from the planet, leaving his brother and his sons to their grim fate.

The planet, stripped of its soul tomb, lost the forces that kept it at bay from the black hole’s gravitational pull. Its psycho-bone surface started to disintegrate as it slowly drifted towards the black hole. Yet, this was not the end of the Eye of Terra’s involvement in the events of the Horus Heresy.

In the aftermath of their defeat, the traitor forces began a hasty retreat under the pressure of the loyalist armies. This campaign would later be known in the annals of the Imperium as the Great Purge.

Cornered and unable to oppose the righteous fury of the Emperor’s loyal forces, the legions that sided with Horus sought refuge in the only region of the galaxy where Imperial vengeance could not reach – the Eye of Terror. Here, the entities of Chaos welcomed them, ready to offer any world for the traitors, all for the prospect of luring more renegades to their side.

Thus, Fulgrim, the primarch of the Emperor’s Children, was gifted an entire world of infinite pleasures by Slaanesh. Hidden deep within the Eye of Terror, it was shielded not only from the prying eyes of the Imperial Inquisition and loyal Astartes, but also from his own progeny.

Legends speak of a world of depravity and horror, the scale of which is unimaginable, even for the hardened veterans of the third Legion. For many millennia, they have attempted to locate their father’s abode, but none have succeeded.

Without the firm hand of their primarch, the Legion of the Emperor’s Children fragmented into numerous bands, indulging in vile pleasures throughout the Eye of Terror. They raid beyond its borders only for new slaves and resources, fuelling their dreadful revelries.

Unlike their brethren from the third Legion, the Iron Warriors retained some semblance of order. This discipline allowed them to seize a planet within the Eye of Terror, which they christened Medard. The planet’s landscape is a labyrinth of fortress walls and artificial mountains of impregnable citadels. Yet, this is merely the tip of the iceberg. The main fortifications consist of a network of tunnels and passages that connect countless strongholds in the heart of the planet.

Stay tuned as we continue our exploration of these dark times in our next installment. Until then, may the Emperor protect us all.

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