Light Bearer Crusade

Armorial of the Gilded Hammers Chapter.

The **Light Bearer Crusade** was the beginning of near century-long Imperial crusade conducted by the Gilded Hammers Space Marine Chapter as a part of the wider Indomitus Crusade at the dawning of M42.

## Background

When the light of the Astronomican returned all of the carefully laid plans of action would be thrown out as the news the Gilded Hammer received would give them a chance they never thought would come. A God walks among us, a son of the Emperor reborn - a Primarch rises - Roboute Guilliman lives and he calls for war. The Gilded Hammers would set off for Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade on the same day the news arrived.

The Gilded Hammers would encounter the fleet led by Guilliman himself near the beginning of the crusade. Their hails to the fleet would be met by an honor that would go down in the history of the Gilded Hammers as one of their finest hours, Guilliman himself would address them. Every single member of the Gilded Hammers would gather on the embarkation deck of the Betrayed Father, 672 Astartes some severely wounded and requiring life support systems, 71 Dreadnoughts, and even Holger Hominsin, all brought to hear his words. Guilliman himself would arrive to welcome this massive boost of manpower for the burgeoning crusade and to give the Gilded Hammers the knowledge of the Primaris. His words were standard and similar to those spoken to hundreds of other Chapters but to the Gilded Hammers it was the most beautiful thing they had ever heard and those words would be carved upon the floor of the deck that Guilliman stood upon. He would give them one order, to go to their home world and begin taking back all those worlds silenced in the Night of a Thousand Rebellions. With Guilliman returned to his ship, the new supply of Primaris weapons and armor taken aboard, the information on manufacturing the new Gene-Seed, and orders from a God, the Gilded Hammers would begin what would be called the Light Bearer Crusade.

The War of Lights was undertaken just after the last part of Gilded Hammers recruitment had begun and upon the Gilded Hammers return home all of those who succeeded would be the first to receive Primaris Gene-Seed. These Primaris Scouts would be brought to full Primaris Marines and form the first squads of Primaris in the Gilded Hammers. The first 10 years of the Light Bearer Crusade would be consolidating forces and reestablishing contact with allies in the Inquisition and Haillin Sea Guard and rallying a sizable force to begin the crusade in earnest.

## Bearers of the Light

Having gathered the forces of the Haillin Sea Guard, several Inquisitors and their retinues, the Knights of House Dagian, a squad of Custodes, Battlefleet Lakmar, and even the Skitarii and Titans of Forge World Masmori, the Gilded Hammers would strike out into Segmentum Pacificus and bring the Emperor's light to those who would reject it. This would mark the first time that the Gilded Hammers had willingly fought alongside the Mechanicus or Custodes and the first fielding of the new Primaris Marines.

This group would set off into the rebellious depths of Segmentum Pacificus and bring nearly 200 worlds back into the Imperium as well as gather additional forces from those worlds they freed. As the crusade grew larger it would begin to split into several sub-crusades that would bring more worlds back to the Imperium. The Light Bearer Crusade would see nearly every kind of threat to the Imperium fought and killed. The performance of the Primaris would be praised by all for their strength and the constant heat of war would see them meld into the Gilded Hammers seamlessly.

The Light Bearer Cusade would culminate with the Battle for Fortress World Hayshin. Hayshin had been a formitable fortress before it had rebelled and was made nigh impenetrable by their new masters, the Iron Warriors and Dark Mechanicum. The Battle for Fortress World Hayshin would take 5 years of void war, seige, and slaughter before finally ending in the breaking of the Faishin Fotress. Before the gates of the fortress, two Warlord Titans would duel to the death, Arioch power claw against Arioch power claw. The fight of the God Machines would end with the Titan of Masmori, Blinding Claw, cutting its foe to scrap before using the last of its power to tear down the gates and roar defiance into the area beyond and power down standing before the now broken gate. Around its legs and the broken form of its foe, the forces of the crusade would storm into the final citadel. Within the day this last bastion of chaotic influence would be broken, Mas Culson would claim the head of the Chaos Lord leading the traitors, and in its ruins the leaders of the crusade would meet. With over a hunrded worlds brought back into the Imperium and new forces joining and branching off constantly, the crusade would be called to a close.