Dimantine Crusades

The **Dimanitine Crusades** was a massive joint-Imperial Crusade that was launched in 201.M33 into the Dimantine Sector after the worlds of this sector had fallen under the insidious influence of the vile Plague God Nurgle and declared their independence from the Imperium. The High Lords of Terra were uncharacteristically quick to respond to the growing threat and sent several Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, renowned for their brutality, to retake the sector. This conflict lasted for over a century and saw the death of tens of millions of Imperial citizens due to the brutal and grinding conflict that required the cleansing of multiple worlds that had fallen to the corrupting influence of Chaos. Several of these worlds were beyond saving and had to be subjected *Exterminatus* due to the vile taint of Nurgle.

## History

The Dimantine Sector was an heavily fortified sector belonging to the Imperium, situated at the border of Segmentus Tempestus. For hundred of years it had stood as a beacon of imperial dedication. However, when Vandius ab-Slov became the Planetary Governor of Arkidia Secundus in 180.M33, the most powerful planet of Diamantine, the destiny of the sector took a turn for the worse. Vandius, a young and ambitious man seemed at first to possess great ideas for the sector, and he convinced several other Planetary Governor to cooperate in the Dimantine League. However, unknown to all, Vandius was a worshipper of Nurgle, who had vowed to bring the whole of Dimantine under the thumb of the Plague God. Using fanatics to his service, he quickly blackmailed those who had joined the League, and coerced the other Planetary Governors to submit to him.

He bolstered the defences of his sector, knowing full well that the wrath of the Imperium would sooner than later come to his newly founded realm. Dissenters and Imperial faithful were tortured and sacrificed by the hundreds to summon demons on every world. Lord Putrescent ab-Slov, as he called himself, was certain that nothing could topple him. However, if the forces of the Imperium took decades to react, they finally responded with a greater fury than he had expected. Several Chapters of Space Marines renowned for their brutality, which included the Blood Vultures, Imperius Ravagers, Marauding Eagles and Shadow Talons, answered in full force to the call of the Crusade. Among them were the ten Holds of the Void Ravens.

The Ravens entered the fray with an unusual wrath, and in one of the very few occasions were they did so in their history, they worked openly with the other forces of the Imperium, sharing all their intelligence and data. For them, the Dimantine Sector was lost beyond hope, the remaining faithful since long consumed by the hungry maws of Chaos. The Void Ravens fought for the whole duration of the Crusades, despite heavy losses, earning great renown for themselves, for even if their tactics were as brutal and merciless as ever, they displayed an open will to protect all the soldiers of the Imperium near them.

It is widely speculated that it was the hopeless state of the sector which led to this peculiar mindset among the Brothers, more than any will to truly protect the other forces of the Imperium: so dire was the situation that sacrificing even one soldier was deemed too dangerous by the Void Lord of the time, Baal Ignosis. While the Chapter as a whole didn't try to end the life of the Lord Putrescent, preferring to eliminate as many cells of fanatics as they could as the Crusade gained momentum, some of them still took part in the final battle in Vandius's stronghold. Void-Knight Vez ab-Corik and his squad secured the secret ways which could have been used by the Arch-Traitor of Dimantine to escape and that the Imperial forces had discovered beforehand.