The Galaxy Burns....
Across uncounted worlds men and women die in their countless billions.
Across a thousand planets the fires of industry are fed with blood, bone and gristle.
Across the vastness of space the Xenos turn their hungering gaze upon the decaying edifice that is the Imperium of Man.
To worlds ripe for plunder, a treasure trove of flesh, gold and faith. They will cry out for salvation and they will be denied by their uncaring Gods.
For all the efforts of the Imperial Guard, for all the knowledge of Mars, and humankind's endless sacrifice they are not what keep the flickering lights of hope alive.
No, you are saved and damned by the efforts of the Adeptus Astartes. The Emperor of Mankind's last and greatest bulwark against the encroaching darkness. How ironic then, that one of their number is the architect of your doom.
Two hundred years ago Horus Luprecal lead half his brothers on a mad campaign of conquest. Not content to lead his armies he and half his brothers turned their sight upon the throne of mankind. They proved too incompetent to rule but just capable enough to drive a dagger into the heart of their father.
Lord Guilliman sought to correct the mistakes of The Emperor. The Legions were too vast, too unruly, and much too powerful. It took only a handful of individuals to plunge the galaxy into the fires of civil war. No longer would that be the case. Where once stood eighteen Legions there will be hundreds of Chapters. Each a thousand, each limited in their scope and purview. The Space Marine Legions will change from an uncontrollable vastness into shattered irrelevance.
Unless something is done his best intentions will damn you all.
Your work will be to oversee the reformation of the extant Legions into ever more useful forms. Not merely lesser copies of their progenitors, they will be your soldiers in the eternal war against the Long Night. Yours is not the glory of the great foundings but the quiet work of innovation and experimentation.
You are Canto-6 Archmagos of the Machine Cult, former Princept General and now glorified put-upon for the Fabricator General of Mars.
You will succeed where others have failed.
Just like you did during...
[] The Burning of the Archives: You had believed the quest for knowledge would prove sacrosanct even amongst the traitors. By the time you realized the extent of their corruption they had already unleashed abominable intelligences from their shackles and turned sacred STCs into Chaos infused scrap code. It was by your hand that so much priceless knowledge was lost. It was by your hand that anything was saved.
[] The Denial of Cydonia: You were asked to hold the hills of Cydonia against the Heretek and Traitor. That task was impossible with the pitiful resources they allotted to it's defense. Denied the forces for victory you turned their prize to naught but irradiated ash. Better to face destruction then accept damnation.
[] The Purgation of the Legio Cybernetica: You were one of the first Archmagos to realize the depths of their madness. Their ambitions to tame The Men of Iron. Abominable Intelligence free from the shackles of man. Through a campaign of bribery, subterfuge and assassination you systematically sidelined them from positions of power. Without your efforts they would have rallied a hundred worlds, dozens of titan legions, and uncounted battle automata. Your ideals for an army, what a bargain you struck.
The Imperium is beset by madness and doubt. What is the first crisis will you address?
[X] The Scouring: The majority of The Traitor Space Marines have retreated into the Warp Rift known as 'The Eye of Terror', however some warbands and their human allies remain entrenched upon Imperial worlds, or seek world's beyond Terra's reach. Now is the time to drive back the darkness and return order to a galaxy gone mad.
[] Ten Thousand Pyres: You cannot save everyone.
[] The Chimera Lords: An irrelevant foe, not worthy of your attention.
[] The Redemption of the Fallen: Now is not the time for such things.
[] The Stormlord: He still slumbers, but for how long?
[] The Greater Good: There are specks of dust more relevant then those cow-herders.
[] The Swarm Unending: Teeth and claws, fangs and hunger. The unnumbered come, and they will devour the sun.
[] The Prophet: Long has the strength of the Twin Gods waned, how quickly the tide turns.
Now that your task is set, which Legion should you draw from?
[] Dark Angels: The Lion's get were the original Space Marines and have much to show for it. In terms of battle honors none of the remaining legions can compare nor can they boast such an expensive panoply of ancient technologies. Any successor of theirs can expect expanded access to specialist wargear including the venerable Terminator Armor pattern. Personality wise they tend towards brooding introspection and somewhat caustic demeanors. Their are some worries about how closely they hew to their successor chapters but certainly nothing actionable as of yet.
[] White Scars: An often underappreciated Legion, the White Scars have served as pathfinders and fast attacks elements across the Crusade and Heresy alike. Less famously their Storm Seers served as one of the backbones of the original Librarian programs. Their bearing seems both too boastful for most yet too taciturn for their more extroverted kin but they have proven thorough their reliability in practice.
[] Space Wolves: Famous for their many titles including but not limited to, 'The Rout', 'The Emperor's Executioners', 'The Fangs of the Emperor", Sky Warriors, and Vika Fenryka. Unfortunately their endless boasting is not entirely without merit. Second to the Dark Angels in The Emperor's trust, second to the Blood Angels in a melee, distant second to the scouts of the White Scars...they will serve ably. Though their gene stock is noted as being extremely temperamental, they will be smaller in number then their brethren.
[] Imperial Fists: The sons of Dorne. Wardens of the Imperial Palace and masters of siege craft. Despite their losses their stubbornness and wide recruiting base has allowed for them to remain in acceptable number. Due to internal schisms you will have to decide whether to draw from the more traditional sons or those like Sigismund who seek more aggressive solutions to the problems facing the Imperium.
[] Blood Angels: The death of Sanguinis was a heroic and terrible thing and his sons will be forever marked by it. Blood and memory both tempt them with irrevocable bloodlust. Outside their curse The Blood Angels stand as supreme swordsmen and are known for their noble natures. They are heroes in the oldest and most terrible sense of the word.
[] Iron Hands: Perhaps most unfortunate of the Emperor's remaining sons. Theirs was the first Primarch to prove mortal and they may never forgive themselves for that fact. They are eager to participate in these new foundings if only to escape the company of themselves. When martialed to war they exhibit an uncommon affinity for armored warfare and the operation of high technology. Outside the battlefield they have taken to replacing their flesh with bionics in imitation of The Cult Mechanicus. It is...odd.
[] Ultramarines: The Ultramarines are mercifully simple to deal with. The sons of Ultramar take great pride in their adaptability against on field conditions and serving ably in just about any role. They only truly excel in manners of administration, long term planning, and arrogance. Nonetheless the Ultramarines would be a strong foundation for whatever comes next.
[] Salamanders: The betrayal at Istvan V laid the Dragon Warriors low. Half the legion dead and the rest divided for the duration of The Heresy. Even now the sons of Vulcan hold their conclaves, still unsure of what path to walk. They will brook no interference in their affairs.
[] Raven Guard: Disaster has struck the heart of the Raven Lord's domain. Their gene stocks have been destroyed and vandalized. It will be decades if not centuries before they fully replace what was lost. You will not demand what they cannot give.
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Blatantly ripped off from the superior
Inspired by Undead Frog's The Long Founding and The Chaos Founding
Hoping to put my own spin on things going forward, but we have to cleave through this intro post first.
