Obsidian Wyrms

*"We are the Obsidian Wyrms! And that name alone means something in this Imperium. Let the Wolves of Fenris and the Angels of Caliban chase their stars. We will be there to keep the line. Why else would the Emperor call us I say? We can be counted upon to act like soldiers, not warriors or knights."*

> - Ancient Horst, Praetor of the Obsidian Wyrms, at the onset of the Rangdan Xenocides
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## Obsidian Wyrms

### Successor Chapters

* Celestial Dragons
* Ruby Wyrms
* Astral Claws (Suspected)

The Obsidian Wyrms were the second of the Legiones Astartes raised in the troubled days of the Unification Wars of Terra for the coming galactic-wide campaign known as Imperial Compliance. Initially known by the names of The IInd, or the Terra Wardens, the Obsidian Wyrms took part in many of the most brutal and harrowing engagements of the Compliance, displaying valor and distinction. After the discovery of the Primarch Elias Dammerung on the ashen world of Corusco Parva and the reforms that followed, the Second Legion's reputation as an unyielding force grew further, being matched by few.

The current name of the Obsidian Wyrms stems from a specie of intelligent, winged reptilian creatures of the same name native to the mountainous areas of Corusco Parva. The beasts are extremely durable and capable of wiping out a standard platoon of the Imperial Army singlehandedly, but it is their resilience to the malignant effects of the touch of the Warp during the Incursion of Corusco that earned them their place as a totem creature. Like their namesake, Astartes of the Obsidian Wyrms are gifted with especially pure Gene-seed largely devoid of mutation or deviancy and highly resistant to damage from exposure to radiation or the equally debilitating effects of the Vortex weaponry championed by the Legion.

The Legion's notable use of Vortex weaponry and derived systems stems from the fact that their adoptive Homeworld was ravaged by the touch of the Immaterium during a Warp Storm that carried with it twisted creatures that sought to extinguish all life. The natives managed to weaponize the storm around them and turn its energies back upon the abominations, which proved instrumental in defeating their incursion, demonstrating their effectiveness and making Elias a proponent of their use. Even now, with the creatures exterminated and the Warp Storm dissipated, considerable knowledge was gleamed in harnessing it.

Despite this dark arsenal and their own ferocious nature, the Second Legion is among those whom greatly value discipline and order over sheer savagery and brute force. Whenever possible, unnecessary collateral damage to the infrastructure and population of worlds targeted for subjugation are avoided and awe is preferred over fear to induce Compliance. The Wyrms largely see themselves as protectors not only of the worlds but also of the people under their jurisdiction and as such afford more attention to the survival and well-being of civilians while Elias seeks to induce an economic and technological renaissance in worlds liberated through the Compliance.

This attitude is also mirrored within the Legion itself as the atmosphere is one of cooperation rather than competition. Obsidian Wyrm astartes put more focus and training on efficient teamwork than on personal glory and dueling skills. Considerable emphasis is also put on honing skills of craftsmanship. Elias' tactics often focus on a mindset of attrition to minimize the losses in men and material to the Legion and its Auxilia and allied forces on the rationale that after the current battle, there will be a hundred more awaiting just around the corner.

## Legion History

### Unification Wars

The battles of the Unification Wars were by large brutal and savage affairs, as were the Techno-Barbarian tribes that opposed the Raptor Imperialis. This was an environment in which the equally savage Thunder Warriors thrived but they were deemed as too savage to undertake the long campaign of Imperial Compliance through the stars that would follow, and as such they were to be replaced by the new Legiones Astartes. History would eventually show that for better or worse, many of these Legions would turn out to be no less ruthless and destructive than the Thunder Warriors they were to replace, but at the time there was hope, naïve as it might be, that such brutal methods might at the very least be needed less frequently.

While most of the campaigns thus far had been costly and ravaged the already destitute lands of Terra and these were seen as acceptable losses, some attempts were made to shift this paradigm. One of the most noteworthy of these was the operation to create a beachhead on the Nordmerican continent by the Terra Wardens. An entire ocean of dust and sands separated the Nordmerican continent from the Emperor's base of power around he Himalazian region, which made otherwise simple logistical matters challenging. Making matters even more complex, the Techno-Barbarian tribes of Merica was vast and powerful, and taking them head on would have been a difficult proposition, even without these hurdles.

Before any serious offensive force could be transferred across the sands of the former pacific, a beachhead needed to be established to provide an uncontested landing zone and staging point. The target of this operation was the large Hive City of Losangel in the south-western Merican territories. The Hive city needed to be taken as intact as possible despite its heavy defensive positions and the staggering amount of troops that were expected to be stationed in and around the Hive City. This seemingly impossible task was tentatively assigned to the Terra Wardens, who at the time numbered but five thousand Astarte warriors.

The first short was fired from the inside as carefully inserted infiltration units disguised as warriors of the Merican tribes burst into the central control room of the gargantuan plasma reactor complex that powered the entire Hive City. The guards and technicians were mowed down within seconds and the Astartes of the IInd moved in to manually shut down power. Destroying it would have been faster and impossible to undo in the short term, but the Emperor's new staging ground needed power, and so the reactors needed be taken functional. Still, while the infiltrators would face counter-attacks numerous enough to empty their entire ammunition supplies and force them to trust only in their close combat weapons, the blow had been struck: In one fell swoop, communications, sensors and defensive turrets had all gone dark, as did the very city itself.

It was when all light suddenly vanished that the main force of the Terra Wardens, which had been holding position off the coast, sprung into action under the cover of the night. Vast speeder-barges crossed the remaining kilometers of the dunes at high speed and grounded themselves on the foot of the Hive City, their lethal cargo bursting through each of the major gates with melta charges almost simultaneously. Meanwhile, Storm Eagle gunships converged from above like a hungry pack of vultures, serving as mobile jump and fire support platforms as Assault squads rappelled down onto the upper spires with their jump packs. Under the generalized confusion of the blackout, the two assault forces stormed their way towards the middle-levels under the terrified gazes of the cowering civilians, slaughtering any resistance encountered along the way. When dawn came over Losangel, fighting was already dying down, and next would come the task of defending the newly-conquered Hive City from the nearby Merican forces in the region, but Losangel had been their most major base of operation and their leadership fragmented...

### To The Stars

As the Unification Wars drew to a close, the forces of the nascent Imperium began to look outward and begin to cleansing of the Sol System, which had become overrun with mutants, xenos and pirates across its minor worlds and countless satellites. The extent to which the outer reaches of the Sol system had fallen were more pitiful than even the low depths of the post-atomic wars of Terra and demanded immediate rectification. Alongside many others, one of the IInd Legion's first task outside of their homeworld was the cleansing of many of the infested moons of Jupiter and Saturn, where they found not only misshapen mutants, but also entire enslaved populations.

The fact that such things were taking place so close to Terra itself presented an ominous start to the campaign of Compliance. If such depths could be reached right outside of Terra itself, what kind of measures of depravity and ruination would be found further out of the old empire's core? Yet, it did not cause doubt nor hesitation, and instead strengthened the resolve of the Astartes of the IInd Legion. The battles of the countless Jovian and Saturnine moons and orbital habitats were individually relatively easily won and thoug technically Zone Mortalis, the slow, meticulous advance of Breacher Squads throughout dark tunnels and dilapidated habitat hallways left behind nothing but the already spiritially-rotten carcasses of the Mutant and the Xeno slavers, with the muzzle flash of Bolters being the sole source of light in many of these scum-ridden ghost stations.

It is during these early actions that the motto and warcry of the then-Terra Wardens would become crystalized. Thus named as guardians of Old Terra, the Wardens understood that they were no more the protectors of only one world, and that thousands more awaited out there, shriveled with fear and oppression. There as a sense of urgency along that of duty, and so came the one singular, dominant imperative and mindset: "We are those who bring the Light that will banish the Long Night.", often shortened as simply 'Bring Light to the Long Night."

### The Corusco Cluster

#### Abominable Menace

Among the first major tasks assigned to the IInd Legion during the early years of the Compliance campaign was the pacification of the Corusco Cluster. The Cluster was a tightly-grouped number of habitable systems not too far from central Terra that spread out Coreward and had been wracked by widespread warp storms until very recently. The Cluster had once been very prosperous, but between the uncertainty of the Long Night and the lingering warp storms that endured even as the galaxy at large quieted, there were no expectations as to what would be found out there. This was especially true when one remembered just how close to Terra itself Xenos and mutant throngs had lurked.

When the Legion first appeared on the outskirts of the Cluster, the first few systems seemed relatively empty and destitute as they encountered a few Feudal and Feral worlds that could not pose any meaningful resistance even if they chose to do so. Initial contact with these worlds however quickly revealed that there was more than met the eyes as the locals spoke fearfully of giants of iron that came from the skies to mine ore, spirit away people, or even at times enacting slaughters as punitive actions for whatever perceived crimes or sins the locals could think of. It quickly became apparent that these 'giants' - most between 2 and 3 meters tall - had come to dominate much of the Cluster, or at the very least these periphery worlds.

The first assessment was that a former colony of the Mechanicum may have decided to extend its influence in isolation, but as scouts of the IInd Legion deployed to survey several of the mines and installations reported by the locals, a much darker truth was revealed. These installations, it seemed, were totally automated with no signs of the red robes of Mars, and the giants themselves resembled Battle-Automata of the College Cybernetica somewhat, but had no accompanying Tech-Priests. This disconcerting absence hinted to an ancient threat thought to be extinct, and immediate action needed to be taken to confirm their nature. Indeed, no chances could be taken.

Countless individual strike groups were organized and deployed covertly with the intention of hitting every single known position simultaneously in order to prevent the machines from alerting one another, or worse: report back to their dark masters. The operation was a massive one that required both great coordination, precision and decisive force. The IInd Legion was able to muster all of these virtues and the targets were no fortresses, but even as second or third-rate locations, to say that they fell -easily- would have been gross misrepresentation. The individual Battle-Automata encountered were resilient enough to soak large amounts of Bolter fire before going down and were only really easily disposed of with heavy or anti-vehicle weapons. On top of their formidable defenses, the Automata were armed with a mix of Phase-Plasma Fusils, Multi-lasers and Rad-cleansers that were a threat to even Astartes and could single-handedly wipe out large groups of lesser combatants.

Once the battlefield settled and the remnants of the Automata were salvaged and studied, differences between them and the Collegia Cybernetica quickly became more numerous than resemblances, and that which had been feared became evident: These machines had been fitted of artificial, individual thought and sentience. Known as Abominable Intelligence, or Silica Animus in High Gothic, there existed few crimes more universally reviled than the creation of such entities. Mere mention of the name invoked dark thoughts and imageries from a war that made even the Long Night seem like a leisurely vacation by comparison to the widespread destruction wrought by the Men of Iron in the 23rd Millenium. And now, it seemed, the Corusco Sector was under the dominion of someone or something which had brought such sentience back.

Closer observation revealed that in addition to the outposts and mines found on the primary worlds of each system, additional installations were found in many other locations from automated excavation missions on dead or frozen worlds and asteroid belts to space stations that served as maintenance and waypoint spots for Voidships. Making sure that no presence of the Silica Animus remained in each system was a task that required patience and meticulousness. There could be no swift victory by smashing at the heart of a dissident empire or crushing its armies in a decisive battle: The systems needed to scoured and searched far and wide, and each and every solitary bastions of the machines needed eradication.

With the first few systems cleansed in a long serie of Zone Mortalis actions, the forces of the IInd Legion began to proceed further inwards into the Corusco Sector. In doing so, they began to encounter the first ships of the enemy. It did not take long from that moment for the treachery to come to light as elements of a Mechanicum Forge World were present aboard each ship encountered. Moreover, these Magos rejected the authority of Mars and therefore deemed the Treaty of Olympus as non-binding and void, casting them in open opposition to the Compliance fleets and their allies. Void Combat broke out, and although they were badly outnumbered the rogue Mechanicum vessels boasted unparalleled accuracy and agility while their hangar decks spewed unmanned Automata-fighters capable of impossible high-G maneuvers and presenting extremely slim, difficult profiles. These Automata-fighters were extremely difficult to pin down by defensive turrets or dogfights and their bombers carried lethal ordnance that could threaten even Imperial capital ships.

#### The Rogue Forges

As the Compliance advanced onwards and began to encounter proper Civilized Worlds, things didn't change. Worlds that an abundance of resources had been subjugated by the wayward Mechanicum and those that had little to offer had been largely ignored and left to their own devices, but all knew of the their presence, and none dared to openly defy them. On worlds that had grown loyal to their mechanical oppressors, massive fortifications and armies of Battle Automata could be found, and while such worlds were few, they boasted considerable power and proved very challenging for the Astartes of the then-Terra Wardens to take on. Both the fleets and armies of those worlds loyal to the Rogue Mechanicum outclassed them technologically and were just as fearless and relentless as they were.

After long an grueling battles, more worlds of the Corusco Cluster were brought to Compliance, and the existence of two Forge Worlds that refused the authority of Mars were discovered. These were Novae IV - a major Forge World with sprawling orbital shipyards, war-factories and even its own Titan Legions which was the main actor in this union - and Viradel, a somewhat recluse and isolationist Forge World dominated by Genetors of the Organicist faction. Without contest, Novae IV was the heart of this pocket empire of forbidden machines and sentiences, but both of them would need to be brought to Compliance sooner or later, and the battles to achieve this victory would be even more difficult than those the IInd Legion had fought up to this point.

When word of the full extent of what was going on in the Corusco Cluster reached Mars, the official authority of the Mechanicum were predictably infuriated. Nothing short of a Holy War was proclaimed by Mars to bring every weapon to bear to punish their renegade scions. Even with the combined, full might of an Astarte Legion and the unleashed Ordos of Mars, however, progress was slow and costly. In every naval engagement, the fleets of Novae IV could be expected to take on three times their numbers and still come out on top, while on land, the ranks of the Battle-Automatas were strengthened by renegade Titans, but also, similarly genetically-augmented soldiers from Viradel, and even Chimeric, biological warforms that were unleashed as instruments of terror and destruction.

So difficult was the war against the overlords of the Corusco Sector that it had been considered call for contingents of other Legions to come and reinforce the IInd and their Mechanicum allies. Before this could come to pass however, the balance was upset as one particular warp storm disappeared, and a new objective had been added to the list which required the Emperor's direct attention.

#### Corusco Parva Revealed

In the wake of the warp storm, the previously shrouded world of Corusco Parva became accessible, and the Emperor immediately switched his focus towards the volcanic moon that served as the main world of the system. The reason why became apparent soon enough, as the world seemed to have suffered a large-scale invasion from creatures then unheard which had seemingly been brought by the warp storm itself in some fashion. So severe was the attack that even despite boasting a formidable army, Corusco Parva faced total annihilation at their hand. Such a fate was only averted by the intervention of a mysterious Oracle who had turned the tide and brought the fight to the Abberations.

This Oracle, as fate would have it, was none other than the IInd Legion's Gene-sire. The discovery predictably caused a temporary halt in operations as the newly-found but already bloodied Primarch was given command of the Legion. While other Primarchs enacted wide-sweeping changes to their Legions once reunited, Elias largely kept the Terran doctrine and organization intact, only enacting minor changes and overhauls, which in turn helped smooth the transition of command. This lack of divide would also later prove to be a source of unity for the Legion as Terran inductees and those of Coruscoan stock were able to work together smoothly as brothers with very little cause for internal griefs or quarrels.

Upon further examination though, it was discovered that Corusco Parva had suffered significantly from not only the invasion, but the intense presence of the warp storm itself, with entire regions of its wildlands twisted by the touch of the warp. Of the native fauna and flora of Corusco Parva, only one specie stood in utter defiance of this corrupting mark: The Wyrms of the central Coruscoan mountains. Seemingly untouched and pure despite the horrors the world had been subjected to, they served as a perfect symbol for the Legion, and so it was done. The Terra Wardens would from this day on be known as the Obsidian Wyrms instead, their armors painted black like the scales of the giant beasts.

The discovery of Elias was a fortuitous timing, as the presence of the Primarch, it was hoped, would help break the deadlock and quagmire that had by now envelopped the Corusco Clusters. Barely recovering from the victory against a seemingly undefeatable foe on Corusco Parva, Elias was put in charge of creating yet another miracle against one more utterly indomitable enemy. The Primarch did not only bring experience and Psychically-induced foresight, however. No, with Corusco Parva hesitantly accepting to integrate into the Imperium without a fight by Elias' persuasion, the IInd Legion also received new weapons; weapons of terrible destructive powers that had turned the tide against the Abominations on Corusco Parva. These weapons would now be used against the Silica Animus and the renegade Mechanicum.

#### Shrouds and Shadows

As the legion was reforming itself and getting used to the presence of its Primarchs, the attached Magi of the Mechanicum analyzed all the data they could compile, and suddenly, a strange anomaly was found from amidst the data. By studying the vectors and routes of the various voidships in the sectors - be they civilian or military - from the cogitators of destroyed or captured vessels, pattern emerged. Indeed, an inordinate amount of 'traffic' was passing by a point in the Cluster where by all logic - and whatever remnants of ancient records could be scrounged - nothing should exist. This anomaly, this dark point in the space lanes of the sector begged attention and investigation, for surely it hid something. Something important.

Sure as the stars in the void, the data did not lie. A sizable fleet of the Obsidian Wyrms and Martian allies entered the system that was the locus of the anomaly and found it heavily defended, with considerable amount of incoming and outgoing freight vessels. Against all odds, it seemed that the Forge World of Viradel existed upon the utterly alien and highly inhospitable surface of a gas dwarf, itself orbiting a no less unusual red giant. By following this lead, the IInd Legion had found one of the two pulsating hearts of the Renegade Mechanicum. Almost instantly, the defending vessels sailed out at full thrust to engage the expeditionary fleet that had emerged from the Warp.

The expeditionary force found itself roughly matched in numbers, which meant that it would have been completely outclassed and easily destroyed by the previous standards the IInd Legion had been working under. It was only thanks to the tactical skills of Praetor Horst, the use of newly deployed Vortex weaponry and an extremely aggressive, all-or-nothing boarding assault that the fleet was able to stand its ground and inflict enough damage to the Renegades to blunt their assault and survive long enough for reinforcements from the rest of the Legion to arrive and turn the tide. The defenders, bloodied, fell back to the defense of their world.

After a second naval engagement, the Renegade fleet unexpectedly pulled back. Though outclassed and unlikely to achieved victory, it was still very much in shape to fight back when it did, suggesting it was either itself awaiting reinforcements, or setting up some sort of trap. Now personally lead by their Primarch and unopposed, the Obsidian Wyrms made planetfall through the thick and dark hydrogen atmosphere of the gas dwarf assumed to be Viradel. What they found at the surface was the stuff of the nightmares of lesser men; perpetually dark lands drowned in shadows and colors, blurred and misdirecting, but most importantly... hiding terrible Chimeras and Gholam warforms in its wilds. These were Astartes, however, not lesser men, and lumen pierced the thick, dark blue shadows like banishing lances of light as they made steady advance.

The nature of the world obscured all sensor and auspex readings, and the only way to find the Forge Cities hiding within - if they indeed were there - was the old fashioned way, which would have been a extremely tedious task requiring fragmenting the legion in countless small search parties. This was without accounting for the unnatural instincts and foresight of the Grand Wyrm, Elias, who was able to sense the location of Viradel's primary Forge City amidst the roiling gases and shadows. The task force landed in strength, but was assailed by much greater numbers of Chimeras than ever seen before. Bolts and energy weapons roared, muzzle flashes and arcs lighting up the shadows as surely as lumens. Thankfully, the utter lack of oxygen in the atmosphere meant that even this concentrated weapons fire could not ignite the otherwise extremely flammable hydrogen all around then.

As the number of Chimeras - and then their sheer scope, size and twisted savagery - increased, one thing seemed to become clear: The rogue Mechanicum had allowed the Obsidian Wyrms to land on purpose in order to unleash these creatures upon them personally. All notion of time was lost upon the shrouded surface of Viradel, its giant red star struggling to pierce the gases, but eventually, the flow of Chimeras seemed to thin. In their stead came new horrors: Gholams as tall as Imperial Titans, but made of flesh, bone and chitin. These abominations had been created for one purpose and one only: To break entire armies. Each shared unbelievable durability, but their individual abilities varied, with some seemingly displaying regeneration even in the midst of combat, while others could unleash dazing psychic shrieks, and yet others combined fleshcraft with cybernetics to project fields that disrupted electronics, sounds, or even repelled projectiles entirely. All had some form of massive natural melee weaponry, but they were also diverse in their means of killing. Some could belch torrents of acids, others discharging bolts of bio-electricity, while yet others simply mounted Titan-grade weaponry upon their colossal skeletons.

In this crucible, the IInd Legion held firm with its Primarch, and after a long and excruciating fight, the titanic chimeras no longer emerged from the shadows. After a moment of uneasy silence, what came next was no more twisted aberration, but emissaries who bore a most unexpected message: The Archmagos Intendent desired an audience with the Primarch. Under heavy escort of Terminators and wary of traps, Elias accepted and was lead through the gigantic gates of Laboratorium Umbra. There, the Archmagos - an ancient Genetor by the name of Yersinia Kadheron - revealed that he had been positively impressed by the performance of the Astartes of the Obsidian Wyrms and that their ability to take down even his most fearsome creations was humbling proof that there was yet more to learn and that he was willing to stand down if allowed to study their template and a few more conditions were respected. An hour of sharp negotiations and battles of wits ensued, but in the end, Forge World Viradel accepted to acknowledge the authority of the Obsidian Wyrms - and by proxy, Terra - without further conflict.

#### Heart of the Machine

With one of the rogue Forge Worlds taken care of, the various expeditionary fleets and splinter taskforces that made up the IInd Legion and its allies, all under the watchful gaze of the Golden Fleet, converged towards the location of Novae IV, now positively confirmed by the Archmagos of Viradel. So significant was the threat of the Silica Animus that the Emperor himself had decided to remain in the Cluster and keep a close eye on the proceedings, half appraising the capabilities of the newly-reformed Legion, half prepared to step in and take over at any moment if needed be.

It was decided that there was no need to waste precious time and resources on costly ground assaults on every planet along the way if by taking out the central command, the Battle-Automata may be deactivated, rendering said planets much easier to conquer at a later time. Soldiers and equipment would be saved for the decisive battle on Novae IV, and the decision would soon prove vindicated, but the naval squadrons encountered along the way still needed to be defeated. As the Armada converged towards the Renegade Forge World, its fleets went from battle to battle, suffering damage and attrition along the way as well as expending valuable ordnance and supplies. When the Forge World could finally be reached proper, a considerable portion of the Imperial Armada was sporting unrepaired battle damage, with many ships being crippled or taken out of action entirely pending major repairs.

Unlike Viradel, Novae IV was a conventional planet of cold, boreal biomes orbiting a conventional K-type main sequence yellow star. What was not conventional about the system was that it laid in a nebula which interfered with navigation, and to a lesser degree sensors. It was far from the opaque shrouds of Viradel, but the interferences would prove an hindrance nonetheless, and it was a foregone conclusion that the Renegades' own vessels would be fine-tuned and calibrated to perform at peak performance despite these interferences, making them even more formidable than usual. Between this, the general state of the Armada, and the extremely heavy naval and orbital defenses present in the Novae system, there was no guarantee of success even with the might of an entire Legion's assets.

The Void engagement over the cold planet was a truly bloody affair, much like what had been suffered in the Viradel system during the early stage of fighting, and the same strategies were used again to try and gain an edge. When the Renegades' ships and orbital stations disgorged swarms of their deadly Fighter-Automata, Vortex torpedoes were driven into their midst and remotely detonated to take out entire squadrons with every blast. Meanwhile, daring raids via teleportariums and Dreadclaw assault crafts targeted the several Ark Mechanicus that made up the lynchpins of the space defense force, attempting to take these formidable fortresses out from the inside.

In the aftermath, enough debris from both sides orbited Novae IV to keep salvage teams busy for whole decades to come. The victory had been won, but it was a pyrrhic one as the damage to the fleet was severe enough that any further full-scale offensives in the next few years would be impossible due to how few vessels were still fully battle-ready. So intense had it been that even the Bucephelus - the Emperor's personal flagship - came locked in close combat with one of the Ark Mechanicus at the height of the battle.

Still, the hardest part was yet to come. The ground defenses were truly formidable, and nothing short of an Exterminatus would be enough to neutralize them without significant effort. Such a solution was seriously considered to avoid further losses, but Elias argued that capturing Novae IV's orbital shipyards and manufactorum intact would not only go a long way towards hastening the repairs of the battle damaged Armada, but was extremely likely to yield many valuable Archeotechs that would strengthen the Imperium's war machine as a whole. Agreement was quickly given from the emissaries of Mars, and their forces were the first to set foot onto the renegade Forge World, with hordes of Skiitari marching, backed by several of the Titan Legions. No Battle-Automata of the Legio Cybernetica were deployed, as there was fear they could potentially be hi-jacked.

With Mars deploying in such numbers and meeting the Renegades on countless simultaneous battlefields, the Obsidian Wyrms also fragmented their forces, making themselves the hammer to the anvil of the Mechanicum. Before long, the white world was ablaze. As had been the case on Viradel, the Automata on Novae IV proper were more numerous and more masterfully coordinated than anywhere else, while the Renegades had their own Titan Legions to field in defiance of those brought by Mars. Any human commander would have quickly become overwhelmed in the true deluge of information and data from the many battlefields, but the Wyrms' Primarch was able to handle the data flow. Moreover, Elias was able to make use of uncanny psychic foresight to cut through the data and sense the tide and flow of the battlefield.

The Wyrms confused the Renegades and their Martian allies alike by striking neither where nor when it was seemed most logical and strategically sound, yet their deployments managed to result in many unexpected breakthroughs, at times discovering weak points in the Renegade formations that hadn't been detected until then, while other times making use of unexpected environmental conditions or outflanking their foes through tunnels or ruins that had simply been forgotten or drowned in the data overflow. Elsewhere, the sudden destruction of Vox relays left entire throngs of Battle-Automata somewhat vulnerable as their link to their masters was abruptly severed and they were made to revert to basic protocols.

The mayhem eventually became such that the Obsidian Wyrms were able to send a strike force directly to the heart of Flux City, the seat of the reigning Archmagos' Holy Synod. In its grand halls, the Archmagos Intendent was personally slain by Elias and most of the other high-ranking Magi and their unholy retinues also fell in combat, destabilizing the entire chain of command. Still, the battle continued to rage on for several more long hours as resistance remained fierce until the cessation of hostilities was ordered by Archmagos Sigma Gaevran after terms of surrender were negotiated in Flux City. To the surprise of the Mechanicum envoys, Archmagos Gaevran continued to reject the authority of Mars, but accepted to recognize that of Terra, answering to it and only it directly. In the wake of the surrender, all units of Silica Animus were seemingly decommissioned and Sigma guaranteed the cooperation of the Novaean shipyards for the Compliance.

### The Rangdan Xenocides

The events recorded as the Rangdan Xenocides within the Second Legion's archives differ considerably from those generally accepted by the wider Imperium. This is not surprising, as massive campaigns of redaction and obfuscation were enacted by the Imperium to hide the truths of the Xenocides' full scope, the damage it inflicted upon the Imperium, the terrible weapons unleashed during it, and the events of shame surrounding it. Therefore, the Second's consecrated Archives present the most complete, most unredacted version of the Rangdan Wars.

#### The Scorched Withdrawal

The first campaign recorded by the Second within the Rangdan Wars is informally known as the Scorched Withdrawal and is remembered as a time of great chaos, and terror among the Imperial population. Up to this point in the Imperial Compliance, the Legions had been on a near endless chain of offensive campaigns. Never before had an enemy managed to put the Imperium on the defensive, let alone so thoroughly. Never before had an enemy managed to withstand the fury of the Legions, let alone push -into- Imperial space, nevermind on a massive scale. Yet reports started to stream from the galactic north of a shadow sweeping over freshly-established worlds.

Elements of the First and Second Legions, with their enormous forces, considerable reserves of ArcheoTech weapons, and flawless repute were rushed in an emergency to identify and contain the threat, and would not long afterward be reinforced by elements of the Sixth, all within the direct command of their respective Primarchs. The gathering of these three Legions in massive numbers was a show of force, yet even they were hard-pressed to contain the threat. The Rangdan themselves featured warriors capable enough to rival even Legionnaire Astartes themselves in straight combat, Psykers of unbelievably destructive power, and towering biological macro-forms the equal of Titans of the Mechanicum. These already formidable threats were augmented by uncountable billions - trillions perhaps - of thralled slave armies.

The means by which they did so was unclear, but the fact was that on every world they landed, Rangdans enslaved not only the throngs of local civilian populations, but even at times large swathes of the Imperial Auxilia sent against them. Many theories ran as to how - psychic domination, biological parasites - and the primarch Elias immediately tasked the Mechanicum Rationalis liaison with setting their secret Super-Cogitators on Novaea Cantis to compute a manner to break or at the very least defend from this control. No solution was forthcoming in speedy enough a fashion though, so the Lion, in overall command and with the direct approval of the Emperor himself, ordered a scorched world policy of systematic exterminatus of all worlds deemed 'lost' or impossible to defend, as to deny more thralls to the Rangdan.

This policy did not go over well with the Second, which immediately began to deploy on as many worlds as possible to cover an emergency evacuation program on a scale never seen before, or since, and unleashing every single weapon and tactic that could conceivably give an edge. Expeditionary Fleets within reasonable range across the entire galaxy were ordered to immediately drop all ongoing operation and make best speed - unreasonable speed - alongside all contingents of the Auxilia and Mechanicum allies. Navigators were ordered to take more dangerous, less stable warp routes to reduce travel times as much as possible, and the fact that the number of ships lost along the way was relatively few was nothing short of a miracle.

In the Void, the Obsidian Wyrms' fleets deployed in their greatest numbers and at their most ferocious, with two main counter-thrusts spearheaded by the Solace of Wisdom and the Tiamat respectively. The gates of the Empyrean Arsenal were opened wide, and the sheer number of vortex shells fired by torpedoes and nova cannons created countless micro-rifts as the Wyrms desperately attempted to halt the Rangdan fleets dead in space before they could land, where their enslaving ways could not be brought to bear. Transports were given the highest target priority, and a great many squadrons of Python-class Destroyers spontaneously engaged in breakneck, near suicidal attacks to run through the blockades of Rangdan battle lines to deliver point-blank Vortex Torpedoes into the midst of their transports.

On worlds where the Rangdans had already landed, smaller Vortex warheads were also used in the form of tactical warheads mounted on Manticore ground vehicles and even widespread issue of Stormbringer Bolts. Macro-cannons and lances were used from orbit to create massive, kilometer-deep trenches to physically halt the advances of the Rangdan hordes on the ground and separate their writhing masses from evacuation sites and starports, funneling the refugee caravans through highly-defended choke-points where the Rangdan's seemingly infinite numbers could not be brought to bear as easily. Yet, on countless worlds, entire Cohorts and their Auxilia Fulcrums engaged in sacrificial last stands, fighting to the very last man against the Rangdan menace to buy as much time as feasibly possible for the evacuation. They did this not because they were ordered. In fact, the overall Coalition command under Primarch El'Jonson explicitly ordered the cessation of such rearguard actions. This was rejected en bloc and spontaneously by individual Cohorts and Fulcrums of the Second on the ground, who believed in their duty as protectors of humanity far too much to obey.

In the end, worlds still needed to be put to the torch, and most could not be saved, but the efforts of the Second allowed trillions of refugees to escape off-world and resettle other worlds, often those of the Cluster. On one such scarred and burned world, an enormous memorial to the fallen was built. It was also during this campaign that Lothar Horst, the original master of the Legion, was mortally wounded and interred into an Immortal-pattern Dreadnought. The memorial complex details the names and deeds down to the last, with the records of 28'763 Legionnaires confirmed dead or missing during the Scorched Withdrawal, having given their lives in sacrificial rearguards or suicidal naval attacks. An estimated 3'200 also failed to arrive and are believed lost in the unstable warp routes they took to race across the galaxy. Some would eventually re-emerge, millennia later, and extremely confused.

#### The Interbellum

After the first wave of the Rangdan Invasions were defeated in part thanks to the Emperor unleashing a then-unknown artifact which single-handedly wiped out entire armadas of the Xenos, Elias Dammerung pressed to pursue the retreating fragments of the Rangdan war hosts to their homeworld, claiming that they should not be given the possibility to recover and rebuild another great host, which was a highly uncharacteristically aggressive demeanor for the Primarch, and Leman Russ agreed. Lion El'Jonson and the Emperor, however, were too wary that the Rangdan may have yet another fleet in their homeworlds, against which their own exhausted and battered forces might shatter, and the petition to pursue the Rangdan was denied.

In the intervening years between the Scorched Withdrawal and events that would be recorded in the Second's archives as the Mourning War, the region of space of glassed worlds and tenuously liberated husks would be overseen by the Eleventh, which maintained a very large presence in the area. Thanks to their extremely pure and resilient Gene-seed, enormously vast recruitment pool, and general streamlined infrastructure, the Second would be able to recover from its own horrific losses much more quickly and effectively than the First, and it would continue to be a major force in the Compliance Campaigns without any delay. Though countless fallen heroes were forged and most could not be retrieved, the aftermath of the Scorched Withdrawal nonetheless saw a significant increase to the Second's already sizable Dreadnought Forces.

#### The Mourning War

When news of the resurgence of the Rangdan spread, the First, Second and Sixth were quick to answer present once more, and to gather one final time to reinforce the Eleventh, and hopefully this time vanquish the Rangdan forever, making good of the many lessons they had learned in the previous conflict. Nevertheless, despite no longer having the advantage of surprise and mystery, the Rangdan remained formidable foes, which could not be faced without anything but overwhelming and undivided firepower.

What none had expected was to find upon arrival that the majority of the Eleventh, alongside its Primarch, had apparently been themselves subverted by the Rangdans. Though some elements collectively numbering a few tens of thousands had survived and remained themselves, scattered here and there, the vast majority of an entire Legion had seemingly fallen. This would represent the single largest - and perhaps only - instance of Astarte versus Astarte combat before the outbreak of the Warmaster's Inter-Legionary Wars, and would no doubt be the major reason that would later bring Lion El'Jonson to recommend the history of the conflict - and even the existence of the Eleventh - scrubbed from Imperial records, and its subsequent approval by the Emperor.

The news sent Elias in a rage never seen before, which even the World Eaters had little to envy to, and the Second's Armada hurled itself in one massive spearhead that blazed straight through the Eleventh's fallen fief and smashed into its heart. Elias was recorded personally boarding the Xenos-tainted Gloriana-class Battleship that served as the Eleventh's flagship, hunting down its Primarch first to confirm the rumors were actually true, and to get some answers. The answers delivered were ones that were found wanting, and Elias is known to have slain the Eleventh's Primarch in single combat during that battle, regretfully becoming the first Kinslayer among the Emperor's sons.

The subsequent conflict is known as the Mourning War because it was one that was prosecuted with not anger or hate - past the initial shock anyway - but with great sorrow and mourning. The fate of the Eleventh, even before its eventual redaction, was seen as one of the greatest tragedies in Imperial history from a symbolic point of view, and those shattered warbands that survived and still fought on were viewed with a mix of sympathy and pity, as lost children whose Gene-sire was not only forever gone, but had allowed himself to become a pawn of wicked Xenos for reasons obscure.

Once more, the Second hurled itself at the enemy, conducting deep breakthroughs into Rangdan/Traitor space to rescue scattered pockets of loyalist Elevent elements. This part of the conflict was fairly short, but it was excessively brutal. Yet, with three legions arrayed against one, the Loyalists had a considerable advantage, and the three Legions involved were among the most deadly. The Sixth's reputation as the Emperor's Executioner need not be reaffirmed, not the First's as the foremost Exterminator of all things dark. The Second... its reputation as a 'soft' Legion that specializes in avoiding casualties and collateral damage is only what most of the Galaxy sees, because as Elias would eventually pen in her own Codex, there are two types of war.

The Wyrms near-universally prosecuted restrained Wars of Conquest, but the Rangdans were a War of Annihilation, where the Second's Annihilation protocols were unleashed on world after world after world. Destroyer Squads and Vortex Warheads swept through Rangdan hordes times and times again, and yet once more erased every lingering traces of their cursed biomass in the wake of crushing, massed Spartan Land Raider armored fists. On the ground or in space, the Second fought with nearly unfathomable zeal, seeking vengeance for the uncounted Trillions of human souls lost in the Scorched Withdrawal, vengeance for the millions of soldiers and Auxilia lost along the way, and now finally vengeance for the loss of the Eleventh and its Primarch.

Another facet of the Rangdan War that appears in absolutely no Imperial Records outside of the Seconds is the deployment of the Ordo Abolitor in full force. During the Scorched Withdrawal, two incomplete, prototype Warmaster-Maelstrom Titans were rushed from Novae Cantis and used in absolute secrecy to fight the Rangdan Macroforms on worlds where the Second had total information control. Decades later, the monstrous God-Engines had been made whole, and their numbers expanded, and the presence of the Ordo Abolitor is the one and only thing within the entire Xenocides which was kept secret by the Second's Primarch, who was normally against any and all unnecessary secrecy or redaction if Imperial history.

The reason why is simple in the extreme: The Ordo Abolitor makes use of technology that closely border on the Psykanna explicitly banned by the Emperor himself. Piloted exclusively by Alpha-grade Psykers, Its Warmaster-Maelstrom Titans were things of nightmare, capable of firing lance-like weapons that project raw beams of pure, unfettered raw Warp energy, by-passing Void Shields as if they weren't there, and rending even the most durable of Macro-forms and fortresses onto oblivion. Against massed hordes, they fielded what could only be described as miniaturized nova cannons, capable of sending entire throngs of thousands - perhaps tens of thousands - awash with the utterly hostile tides of the Warp with a single shot. So terrible were these Titans that never before had they been unsealed from Novaea Cantis' deep vaults, and never again would they be seen for the rest of the entire Imperial Compliance. Only the Rangdans proved suitably horrific themselves to justify the deployment of the Ordo Abolitor.

Unlike the previous campaign, the Mourning War was successfully prosecuted and the Rangdans were broken and pursued. Once again however, the Second would be denied the pleasure of annihilating the Rangdan homeworlds. All official records claim that with the Rangdan sufficiently shattered, there was no need for three entire Legions in the sector, and the Second's presence was more urgently needed elsewhere in preparation for the Ullanor Campaign. Some within the Legion, however, suspect that rumors of the Ordo Abolitor's existence might have reached the ear of the spies of Malcador and that Terra was urgently scrambling its own response in the Ordo Sinister - then unknown to the Second - just in case... Credible proof of the knowledge of either the Ordo Abolitor or Ordo Sinister by the other party was never discovered...

#### Fate of the Orphaned

While the Rangdan problem was considered suitably resolved, with only mop up operation and widespread extermination that would give it its official Imperial name of 'Xenocides' underway, there were still a number of lingering issues.First and foremost among them was knowledge of the wars themselves. The Emperor and the Lion of the First argued that knowledge of the events that took place was too terrible and needed be censored; that it would shatter the Imperium's confidence and indeed its entire faith in its superiority and righteous cause. The Empyrean Dragon, supported by the Wolf King, countered that if the Imperium's will was so fragile than it would never stand the test of time, and it was best to test it now with the foe defeated, than in the midst of another crisis like the First Xenocides. Ultimately though, the Emperor would countenance no disagreement, and the whole of the Rangdan Wars were wrapped in disinformation, with the entire existence of the Eleventh scrubbed from all Imperial records.

Yet, the remnants of that Legion still existed. Of the entirety of the Eleventh, slightly less than 40'000 had remained loyal and refused to follow their Gene-sire into subservience to the Xeno scum. slightly over half this number would yet survive the deadly conflict against their former brothers. Their fate, too, remained unresolved, with some suggesting they should be disbanded, or perhaps even... silenced. Such a betrayal, too, could not be countenanced, but the First and the Sixth were both highly insular and esoteric in their Legion Culture. Only the Second could welcome the survivors within its ranks without a major, crippling culture shock, and so it did. The remnants of the Eleventh were folded into the Second in their entirety, and went a long way to replenish most of the casualties the Legions had taken - not as dire as during the Scorched Withdrawal, but consequent nonetheless - during the Mourning War.

These survivors of the Eleventh would go on to be made the tip of the spear of the Second's forces at Ullanor, as Elias wanted to present the Imperium with a Fait Accompli that those orphaned Legionnaires had not lost their valor and were still worthy of honoring, in spite of all the edicts and redactions against them.

## Legion Gene-Seed

The Gene-Seed of the IInd Legion is unique in that it reflects the nature of its Primarch by being compatible with both halves of the human genome, effectively doubling the potential candidate pool and allowing for greatly quickened expansion of the Legion and recovery from combat losses. It is this unique property that has allowed it to rapidly swell in size and eventually rival that of the Dark Angels and Ultramarines. Due to the highly transformative nature of the Astartes induction process, there is very little difference in capabilities between neophytes of either gender, with both being equally strong, tough and swift, and exhibiting none of the patterns that had been predicted.

Overall, the Obsidian Wyrms' Gene-Seed is pure to a fault. It not only presents no mutations whatsoever, but it even presents an above-average resistance to mutation and the twisting touch of the Warp. While this allows its Astartes to make use of various weapons normally greatly hazardous to their wielders and to evolve in some of the most hostile Zone Mortalis with little difficulty, it means that the Psyker gene - itself a mutation - is extremely rare, and while Elias is a formidable psyker, very few among the Legion have the potential to become Librarians. Another manifestation of this resistance is that Legionnaires of the Second are capable of spending extended amounts of time within Warp Storms without their Progenoid Glands being degraded by the exposure. While it is not entirely foolproof, it would become both a boon and a curse after the Inter-Legionary Wars.

While devoid of mutations, the Wyrms are not devoid of distinctive features however. The searing rays and radiations of the white star of the Corusco system translates to most of the initiates from or having trained on Corusco Parva to display slightly darkened pigmentation. Though this is not even close to the charred hue of the Salamanders, Astartes of the IInd Legion often have a brown skin tone reminiscent of the old Caribbean and Arabian populations of Old Terra. This is however a normal effect of the Melanochrome. What is less normal is the fact that their Sus-an Membrane is somewhat hyper-active, triggering more easily than average and more strongly. Concretely, this means that the Wyrms are more likely to enter suspended animation upon suffering extreme damage. This, too, would be as much a boon as a curse because while it means that mortally wounded Astartes are more likely to be successfully rescued by the Apothecarion, it also means that they may also be captured alive by those with the knowledge of how to undo the suspended animation.

What is more noteworthy is the psychological legacy, as most of the Obsidian Wyrms' Astartes have inherited to a lesser or greater degree their Sire's pride. This manifests in both positive and negative ways, as they display a tendency to push themselves past their limits - even by the standard of Astartes - in order to accomplish their duty, protect their charges and support one another. This can be seen as recklessness frequently enough especially by those Imperial elements who view such things as wasteful. The Wyrms and their Successors have also inherited the tendency to simply and callously ignore - or exploit loopholes to get around - any and all forms of Imperial authority which attempts to undermine their efforts at performing what they see as their sacred duty as protectors of humanity.

## Legion Organization

While most of the Legiones Astartes saw more or less radical changes to their organization and doctrine after being reunited with their Primarch, reflecting their personal preferences and the experience they had gathered on their respective Homeworlds, the same could not be said of the Second Legion. Upon rediscovery by the Emperor, Elias instead sought to learn as much as possible about the millenias of experience in warfare of Old terra and not only was the organization of Legion largely kept as is, it was actually doubled down upon and reinforced. Where many other Legions see adhoc or changing command structures and unit sizes, those of the Obsidian Wyrms - nominally at least, are very rigid, streamlined and standardized.

### Frontline Structure

The most basic tactical unit among the Second Legion is the Squad. Depending on their type and degree of specialization, a Squad nominally numbers 5, 10 or 20 Astarte warriors led by a Decurion, an old Terran rank analogous to the more common Sergeant. Squads are rarely deployed on their own, save for smaller Reconnaissance, Seeker and Outrider squads which are specialized in commando operations behind enemy lines or otherwise away from supply. Even so, a larger force is usually not too far away. Large frontline squads are almost always accompanied by an Apothecary for immediate battlefield treatment.

The premier true Strategic formation is the Century, which always numbers a nominal roster of 100 Astartes, no matter the type, and are lead by a junior officer called an Centurion. A few types of both Line and Specialist Centuries have been referenced and represent the most commonly encountered formations:

#### Line Centuries

* ***Tactical Century** -* The bulk of Obsidian Wyrm deployments are made up of Tactical Centuries, a flexible formation capable of handling most kind of standard threats the Compliance faces. With massed Bolt fire closely supported by a variety of specialist and heavy weapons, a Tactical Century can take on massed hordes, heavy infantry and armored threats alike with minimal resources. The most commonly deployed support weapons are Flamers and Volkite Chargers, while the long-ranged Lascannons and Missile launchers are preferred for heavy support. A Tactical Century is composed of three 20-men Tactical Squads, two 10-men Tactical Support Squads and two 10-men Heavy Support Squads.
* ***Assault Century** -* Assault Centuries are specialized in close-quarters combat, sweeping advances and airborne deployment. They are often used to brutally exploit a breach in enemy lines or dropped en masse from large formations of Storm Eagles and Storm Bird gunships to wreak havoc behind defensive lines. Assault Centuries lack the flexibility of Tactical Centuries but are capable of inflicting brutal shock and are expert at out-maneuvering their foes. They feature small numbers of Outriders tasked with the dual-role of harassment as light cavalry and in-depth rapid reconnaissance, as well as Destroyers who carry specialized Rad and Vortex weaponry for the most difficult targets. An Assault Century is composed of four 20-men Assault Squads, two 5-men Outrider squads and one 10-men Destroyer Squad.
* ***Siege Century** -* Siege Centuries are specialized in Zone Mortalis combat of all kinds, including starship boarding action, fortress assault and operations in underground or cavern complexes. At their core are Breacher Squads equipped with heavy boarding shields and hardened armor, especially resistant to ordnance blasts and flamers. As their name implies, it is Breacher Squads who lead assaults against fortified positions, though they can just as well defend them with their mighty resilience. For these tasks, they are supported by multiple smaller Squads carrying Heavy Weapons behind the shield walls as well as Reconnaissance Squads equipped entirely with sniper rifles who systematically pick out leaders and gun emplacement crews. A Siege Century is composed of three 20-men Breacher Squads, three 10-men Heavy Support Squads, and two 5-men Reconnaissance Squads.

#### Specialist Centuries

* ***Disruption Century** -* Unlike most other Centuries, Disruption Centuries almost never operate as a single element and instead break up in their individual components. The purpose of Disruption Centuries is to sow as much chaos as possible within the ranks of the enemy in order to cause their chain of command and cohesiveness as fighting units to crumble. As such, they are made up largely of smaller Squads relying either on the speed of assault bikes or the stealth of cameleoline cloaks to throw foes off focus with constant hit and run attacks against the rear lines from the Outriders and sabotage and heavy sniper fire from Reconnaissance Squads pinning foes and causing terror. Last but not least, Seeker Strike Teams infiltrate enemy lines and target the enemy's military or spiritual leadership wherever it might hide, all the way to their bunkers. A Disruption Century is composed of six 10-men Outrider Squads, four 5-men Reconnaissance Squads and four 5-men Seeker Strike Teams.
* ***Annihilation Century** -* Although they are neither the most heavily armed nor armored Century of the Obsidian Wyrms, Annihilation Centuries are possibly the most feared. They carry a disproportionately large proportion of the Legion's unique technologies and warp-based infantry-level ordnance. The bulk of an Annihilation Century is made up of Destroyer Squads employing Stormbringer bolt rounds and Vortex grenades and missiles, capable of jumping in unexpectedly, drowning a firing line in rending Warp energies and blast, then firing off their jump packs to hit another position. As if that wasn't enough, they are reinforced with Seeker Strike Teams who decimate leadership in the confusion and Pulse Rider Terminators who confound foes with brutal assaults from ever-changing positions using their modified teleporters. An Annihilation Century is composed of six 10-men Destroyer Squads, four 5-men Seeker Strike Teams and four 5-men Pulse Rider Terminator Squads
* ***Triarii Century** -* Triarii Centuries are effectively made up of exclusively Veteran Squads who act as the strategic reserve of most Cohorts. Their role is to bolster and rally weak points in friendly defense lines and to form the spearhead of decisive assaults against those of enemy lines. Obsidian Wyrm Triarii vary drastically more than average both in their unit structure and individual wargear, in no small part due to the fact that Triarii often carry master-crafted weapons and Artificer armor of their own making as they have mastered both the arts of war and of the forge. There exists Tactical and Assault variations of Triarii Squads as well as Support Squads developed to accompany jump troops and provide them sorely needed anti-armor options via massed plasma or inferno pistols. Finally, a small contingent of scouts is also present in each Century. A Triarii Century is composed of seven 10-men Triarii Squads (Tactical or Assault), four 5-men Triarii Support Squads (Regular or Jump) and two 5-men Reconnaissance Squads.
* ***Terminator Century** -* Finally, Terminator Centuries are mostly the purview of Preatorian Cohorts, though they are also found supporting Siege Centuries in their daring assaults. Terminator Centuries are mostly made up of the slower but more resilient Cataphractii-pattern suits, generally wielding a variety of customized power weapons alongside ranks of Volkite Chargers and supported by Reaper Autocannons. These shock troops draw attention and fire, serving as the unyielding anvil to the hammer that is made up by the fewer Terminators clad in Pulsar-Pattern suits, themselves either carrying paired Lightning Claws or a variety of heavy weapons such as Heavy Flamers, Reaper Autocannons or Volkite Calivers. A Terminator Century is composed of seven 10-men Cataphractii Terminator Squads and six 5-men Pulse Rider Terminator Squads.

#### Cohorts

The second level of strategic formations among the Wyrms is the Cohort, which is led by a Centurion Primus. A Cohort is always made up of five Centuries - usually 3 frontline Centuries and 2 of Specialists for support - and represents the level that is deemed adequate for larger-scale independent actions. Cohorts have access to significant armories and support units in the form of vehicles, dreadnoughts and air - or even naval - support.

* ***Strike Cohorts*** - The most archetypical Cohort deployed in most situations, Strike Cohorts are made up of three Tactical Centuries, one Triarii Century as strategic reserve, and one Disruption Century to shake the cohesion of hostile forces and gather intelligence. They are the anchor around which the entire battlefield revolves and is planned.
* ***Assault Cohorts*** - Capable of either overwhelming breakthroughs in targeted strategic locations or dispersed, they are likewise made up of three Assault Centuries, one jump-equipped Triarii Century and one Disruption Century to cause further havoc. They are largely the outflankers and those who exploit rapid breakthroughs to cause enemy defenses to collapse from the inside out.
* ***Siege Cohorts*** - Much more heavily armed and armored than the other two frontline Cohorts, Siege Cohorts are made up of three Siege Centuries, one Terminator Century, and one Annihilation Century. They push the line where the most ferocious enemy resistance is encountered, and hold it when on the defense.
* ***Praetorian Cohorts*** - The Praetorian Cohorts are the most elite forces of any Fulcrum and are made up of three Terminator Centuries and two Annihilation Centuries. These forces are usually not committed unless the foe is especially powerful as the frontline Cohorts are more than enough against most foes and the staggering, concentrated destructive power they bring is not necessary.

#### Fulcrum

The final mid-range formation among the Obsidian Wyrm is the Fulcrum. It is about equivalent in size to five Chapters or Millenials and is made up of five Strike Cohorts, two Assault Cohorts, two Siege Cohorts, and one Praetorian Cohort. A Fulcrum is led by a senior officer holding the rank of Praetor. These formations represent the preferred operational level among the Legion and at least one Fulcrum is generally deployed with full armored, and aerospace assets whenever any form of truly serious resistance is expected on a world that needs to be brought into Compliance or a foe that needs to be defeated. For the Wyrms to deploy less than a Fulcrum is essentially a sign that the enemy is not taken seriously and is perceived as little more than a quaint nuisance at best.

The Praetors in charge are given a great degree of freedom in how they operate, despite the otherwise rather rigid structure of the Legion, and are highly trusted. For the most part, there are no formal distinction in authority or rank between Praetors, but the most experienced and effective are considered for induction into the Council of Wyrm Lords, and as such there is a greater degree of competition between Praetors than anywhere else in the Legion, as that prestigious place is highly coveted.

#### **Expeditio**

The first upper-range formation of the Second is the Expeditio, which is named for being the template for self-sufficient Expeditionary Fleets. Each Expeditio is a combined arms force containing between generally between 8 and 12 Fulcrums made up of Legionary and Auxilia elements, of which the former makes up no more than 25%. They are led by a senior Praetor from a Legionary Fulcrum given the honorary rank of Praetor Primus. Unlike other Legions which view elements of the Imperial Army as little more than glorified garrison units, the Second's internal synergy extends itself to whole Expeditio as Legionnaires and Auxilia fight together with the former acting as Force Multipliers both offensively and defensively. In very rare occasions when the Wyrms encounter a foe that warrants such a deployment of force, an Expeditio may be made up of up to 60'000 Legionnaires. These momentous deployments are generally headed by a Wyrm Lord given the temporary title of Dux

#### **Comitatus**

When multiple Expeditios and supporting elements converge against a particularly potent foe, a Comitatus is created. Unlike the previous formations, these are never permanent, instead being ad-hoc formations created for specific campaigns and dissolved afterwards. They were rare in the early days of the Imperial Compliance, but became increasingly common as the decades went by and the war machine of the Corusco Cluster grew ever more massive, streamlined and efficient, allowing it to create armies in their millions. A typical Comitatus is made up of no more than 50'000 legionnaires, but rarely numbers less than one million Auxilia of the Velites and Equites, often with significant Cybernetica and Titanicus contingents from the Mechanicum Rationalis. Such formations are almost always overseen by the Primarch or a Wyrm Lord, though exceptions have occasionally occured. In either case, the title of Magister is employed for the temporary command.

### Council of Wyrm Lords

Not so much an official military or command formation as a spiritual one, the Council of Wyrm Lords is a small group of Astartes highly trust by Elias who act as advisors and confidents in very much the same way as the Luna Wolves' Mournival or the Thousand Sons' Rehati. In this purpose, the Wyrm Lords also served as a link between the Primarch and the rank-and-file. Despite the lack of formal authority, the respect afforded to the position allowed Wyrm Lords to command any unit with little to no questions asked as they were often seen as - and acted under the official charge of - the proxies of Elias, who could not be everywhere at once.

Though there were no formal requirements to join the Council of Wyrm Lords, it is well known that only Praetors have ever been offered the position thus far. Where others were picked for their specific personalities or influence, the nomination - or revocation - of Wyrm Lords might seem highly arbitrary, and the one single most crucial element seem to be the Primarch's trust and faith. Likewise, unlike with the rest of the Legion, there is no formal structure or even so much as a fixed number of seats in the Council of Wyrms.

Asides from acting as seconds in commands and equerries, the Wyrm Lords are occasionally summoned to hold meetings in the inner sanctum of the Solace of Wisdom where they discuss matters of the highest importance regarding the state of the Compliance campaign, the Legion itself or the Imperium at large, but also domestic matters of the Corusco Sector. It is said that whenever Elias faces a truly difficult decision, the Wyrm Lords are summoned to present the opinions and beliefs of the rest of the Legion in the matter.

### Specialist Ranks

Few unique ranks have been created within the Second Legion due to its fairly rigid organization based on the Terran model. Of those few, none were initially created when the Terra Wardens were first re-organized into the Obsidian Wyrms and all of them resulted from later integration of new principles and lessons learned through the Crusade.

* Justicarius - For most of the Legion's history, the Justicarius - or Justiciar in singular - did not officially exist and were only made into a formal rank in the closing days of the Great Crusade. Operating from the shadows, a Justiciar was an extension of the Watch with the grim duty of neutralizing or terminating any of their brothers who was found guilty of subversive activities of any kind. Since those early days, the Justicarius' duties - which overlapped largely with the newly-created rank of Chaplain - were extended to encompass this new role, now taking care of the spiritual well-being of other Astartes and overseeing the recruitment process of new inductees. In battle, a Justiciar is often the most fervent officer within any given Cohort and serves as a paragon of courage and boldness, often carrying elaborate battle standards with one hand and melee weapons with the other as their rallying sight inspires other battle-brothers to fight with the same fervor no matter the threat.

### Specialist Formations

Though the overall organization of the Second Legion remained very closely tied to the Terran doctrines and the tenets of the Principia Belicosa, several specialist formations emerged fairly early on, due in part to the character of its Primarch, but also due to the many arcane technologies of the Age of Strife that were available on Corusco Parva and re-introduced to the Imperium through the Second Legion. Most notable is the use of Stormbringer Bolt rounds and Vortex weapons.

* ***Pulse Rider Terminators*** - Best exemplifying the strengths of the Second Legion and its Primarch, Pulse Rider Terminators completely turn on its head the foe's expectations as to what a Terminator even is. Using arcane technology designed personally by Elias during the height of the Corusco Incursion, Pulse Riders trade off their Teleportation Matrices' ability to conduct long-range Deep Strike operations for the ability to perform many very short range teleportation referred to as 'Blinks' in the midst of combat at a relatively quick pace. Theoretically, any suit of terminator armor can be modified in such a manner, but in practice, the Cataphractii already available in decent numbers was used as the streamlined base for a new variant dubbed Pulsar-pattern Terminator Armor. Boasting a Cataphractii suit's formidable protection as well as the ability to quickly relocate across battlefields and through solid obstacles, Pulse Riders are especially fearsome and relentless. Their numbers remain somewhat limited however due to the extensive training required to use Pulsar armor effectively, the fact that the device exposes the user repeatedly to the Warp even if just for a fraction of a moment, and the fact that even among the most elite ranks of the Legion, there are few who are capable of both adjusting their senses to the highly disorienting style of faction and enduring its strain for extended amounts of time. Those few who manage to overcome all these obstacles however number among the most lethal soldiers of the whole Imperium.
* ***Triarii Squads*** - Mirroring the ancient maniples of the same name, Triarii squads of the Obsidian Wyrms concentrate the most experienced soldiers into a potent fighting force typically kept in reserve to be used where they will be the most effective after the initial contact reveals the hands of both sides. Where Triarii differ from typical Veteran Squads of other Legions however is in their equipment. As the arts of craftsmanship are actively promoted within the Legion, its most seasoned warriors also tend to have had many years to tweak, customize and refine their own wargear. As such, Triarii often feature suits of more or less ornate Artificer armor as well as a variety of high-performance weapons, often in eclectic mixes not fitting with the usual deployment standards. Triarii squads have broad generalist experience and are just as capable of acting as tank hunters, hit and run troops or skywatch units.
* ***Immortal Dreadnoughts*** - An ancient pattern of Dreadnoughts tentatively dated back to the Age of Technology, Immortals are extremely heavily armored and durable sarcophagus making use of several techniques and pieces of technology largely lost to the Mechanicum and the wider Imperium. Chief among them is their Graviton Reactor which is able to harness Graviton particles to create various utilitarian effects and grant them unexpected mobility for such a heavy machine. They serve as the anchor on which an assault or defensive line can rest as their durability makes them incredibly difficult to bring down, though their offensive capabilities are somewhat limited. Immortals are geared for close combat and make use of unique close combat weapons called Wyrmclaws that resemble giant versions of legionnaire lightning claws. They are capable of mounting good ranged weaponry for taking care of infantry and heavy infantry, but are lacking in anti-vehicle weapon mounts.
* ***Quaestorii Squads*** - the Quaestorii first appeared during the second half of the Imperial Compliance, and exclusively under the 104th Expeditionary Fleet commanded by Praetor Kyriel Dammerung. Outwardly similar to Destroyer Squads and wielding the same dual bolt pistols augmented with Stormbringer Bolts, the differences are made obvious one one notices the jagged, blood red Warding Runes that ornate their armor and the ominous, psychically-driven energy swords wielded by their Loremasters and Champions. The Quaestorii are made up of the most inquisitively-minded within the Legion, and especially those who have psychic potential, but not enough to become Librarians. Somehow even more fearless than average, they were trained by Kyriel specifically to face the unfathomable creatures that dwell within Warp Storms and would later be revealed as Daemons. In that, the Quaestorii can be likened to the ancestors of the Grey Knights.

## Legion Combat Doctrine

While other Legions are famed for crushing brutality, lightning fast campaigns or byzantinely complex battle plans, the two hallmarks of the IInd Legion are discipline and indomitable spirit. They are not as fast, not as ruthless, and not as tenebrously impenetrable, but the Obsidian Wyrms can be relied on to do the job done in the face of the more terrifying horrors the galaxy has to offer, and to do so while minimizing both their own casualties and the damage to the civilian populations and infrastructure of the worlds in need of subjugation or liberation.

The strategic reasons for such a seemingly moderate or soft stance are quite obvious: Elias sees the Compliance as a long war of attrition that can ill afford many casualties and the experience and skills of individual warriors is a potent and valuable force multiplier worth preserving, especially given the galaxy always has new threats and abominations awaiting once one is vanquished. Moreover, productive, largely intact worlds are far more useful to the war effort while savaged and devastated worlds require more resources to rebuild than they offer. Logistical considerations asides, Legionnaires of the IInd Legion are especially tightly knit, even for the standards of the Astartes, and will be spurred to perform to greater heights in order to save - or avenge - their brothers in the field, where others would have just seen death as a necessary sacrifice for the Imperium. This bond between each warrior, the unshakable resolve they hold, and the never-flagging order within the ranks are what allows the Legion to be much more than the sum of its parts and to achieve victory where none seem possible.

The usual way of war of the Obsidian Wyrms is one of the hammer and anvil, where the hammer consists of highly mobile and cunning disruption forces tasked with shattering chains of command, communications and unit cohesion while the anvil consists of a ponderously advancing main force that methodically and mercilessly eliminates every single hostile asset, strongpoint or formation one by one as they become confused, cut off or flagging in morale. Generally, ranged combat is preferred over close combat assaults, but the Legion is far from lacking in that aspect of warfare despite their preference otherwise. The Obsidian Wyrms feature an higher than average number of Dreadnoughts and fewer vehicles for heavy support, which is in part due to their beliefs in preserving the experience, skills and spirit of their warriors, while extensive Apothecarion deployments are more often able to stabilize and save fallen heroes for interment.

When the foe is especially terrible and formidable in equal amounts, the Obsidian Wyrms will open the armored gates of the Empyrean Arsenal. Where others may unleash Phosphex and rad bombs or even enact exterminatus, the arcane knowledge of Coruscoan weaponsmiths and scientists grants the IInd Legion the dreadful might of Vortex weaponry. From their voidships equipped with dozens upon dozens of Nova Cannons and untold thousands of torpedoes that are capable of opening rends in space all the way to the humble infantry bolter armed with Stormbringer bolts that detonate not with explosive charges but minuscule, rending aetherian sparks, to combat the Obsidian Wyrms when nothing is held back is like fighting a crawling tempest.

## Legion Homeworld

The Obsidian Wyrms' homeworld is the Civilised World of Corusco Parva at the heart of the Corusco Sector. It is a strange world, a planet-sized moon of volcanic mountains, ashen plains and teeming oceans filled with dense kelp jungles orbiting an enormous, puffy gas giant with relatively little mass and constantly wracked by ion storms. Originally a center of arts and philosophy in the Golden Age of Technology, its people have been forced to trade brushes and instruments for weapons and armor throughout the Age of Strife, culminating with an invasion from strange, unknown creatures at the height of a Warp Storm of unprecedented force, which left its mark on the world and is the reason that Warp energies linger on the planet even to this day.

Corusco Parva provides large quantities of foodstuff, fuel, weapons and armor to the war machine of the Compliance - well above its minimum required Tithe grade - and holds sole production rights over several pieces of technology from the Golden Age whose STC templates have not yet been recovered by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Though providing recruits for inductions in the IInd Legion, the bulk of these resources - and manpower - goes towards raising cohorts of the Coruscoan Velites and Equites, formations very similar to the Solar Auxilia in training and equipment who accompany the Obsidian Wyrms on the Compliance Effort.

## Legion Traditions

### Recruitment Trials

As with all other Space Marine Legions, the Obsidian Wyrms uphold several trials to judge whether the many aspirants that seek to join them are worthy. The Wyrms recruit from just about every planet on the Corusco Sector and are capable of recruiting from either gender due to the unique Gene-seed of their Primarch Elias, but no matter where they came from and how they look, every Hopeful that passes preliminary competence and background test is brought to Corusco Parva where they will face the first two Trials. These are not as bloody or as violent as the Trials of some other Legions, but they remain nonetheless very lethal.

#### The Journey through the Tainted Lands

The first of the four trials Hopefuls are subjected to seems quite simple at first glance, but it is very deceiving. Candidates are to simply travel though a wild portion of Corusco Parva's outlands, but it is no common wilderness. The Tainted Lands bear the mark of the most recent Warp Storms that raged above and onto Corusco Parva. The land itself and whether fauna and flora inhabit it are twisted, vile and vicious. Attacks by such deformed predators or carnivorous flora are common, and even if one group were to be lucky enough to avoid such abominations entirely - which would be unfortunate as they are one of the few sources of food - the very land itself is hostile. Mere presence upon the Tainted Lands is enough to cause a primal, subconscious fear in most humans, and for those able to control their fears, the shadows of the land hold dark whispers, and every night is rife with nightmares and dark visions of all sorts, from monstrous creatures to distant lands of unspeakable madness. Those whose mental fortitude is insufficient to endure the journey are sent back as failed aspirant, but those who manage to make it through with their spirit intact move on to the second trial.

#### Judgment of the Wyrms

After emerging from the Tainted Lands, remaining aspirants begin an arduous climb of the mountains of central Corusco under the watch of the chaperon that oversaw them thus far. Upon reaching a sufficiently high location amidst the sprawling mountain chains, Hopefuls are instructed to meditate and clear their mind of all distraction or fear, a matter more easily said than done given their recent journey. For three days and three nights, the aspiring candidates must demonstrate further mental fortitude and self-privation. That, however, is the easy part of the second Trial. These mountain chains are the home of the eponymous beasts the Obsidian Wyrms are named after. Massive, winged reptilian creatures. The True Wyrms are known to be territorial yet highly intelligent and mischievous creatures with the ability to smell fear as readily as a shark would smell blood in water. These True Wyrms will often come out of their dens to observe the Hopefuls, and even sometimes mess with them for no other reason than their own amusement, poking them with their claws or coming down to stare them in the eyes. The True Wyrms are merciless to the weak, but hold respect for the strong. Those who can stand in their presence without fear are considered accepted guests of their territory, but those who panic are either devoured or knocked down to plummet to their deaths in the ravines below. Thus is the Judgment of the Wyrms, and how and why Astartes of the Obsidian Wyrms have such indomitable spirit. The first two trials brutally test their spirit, and those who succeed are said to be without fear even before psycho-indoctrination.

#### Flames of the Forge

At this stage, aspirants are considered to have proven themselves enough to become Neophytes, and the worst of the trials is behind them. With their fortitude and spirit already tempered, the third trial requires them to learn of the ways of the Legion and adapt to them. With craftsmanship being held in the highest regard on Corusco - and thus quite highly in the IInd Legion as well - for a Neophyte to become a Battle Brother, it is first necessary for them to soak in the necessary knowledge and display skill enough to create their own weapon, usually a Bolter or Chainsword. If successful and deemed combat-worthy by their elders, this weapon will become the first of the new Astartes' very own. The Neophytes must acquire and process the materials all on their own, using the Legion's workshops, but it is much easier for the to succeed if they work together or seek the advice of their elders. While full Astartes are not allowed to touch the weapons nor components, they are fully allowed to provide guidance and advice. While this might seem like an oversight, it is actually on purpose and serves to reinforce the bond between the new recruits and the old guard, as well as demonstrate the value of cooperation over individual glory-seeking.

#### Steel and Fury

Finally, after a Neophyte has successfully demonstrated their spirit and skills and acquired a proper weapon, they are tested in their ability to use it. While this trial might appear to be the most simple and benign, it ensures that no Neophyte reaches the battlefield before they are ready. The nature of this final trial is simple: They must perform various feats of marksmanship and face a veteran Astartes in single combat. It is neither expected nor plausible for the Neophyte to win the duel, but that is not its purpose. The veteran is to assess and test the combat skills of the neophyte until they are deemed satisfactory for frontline service in the Legion. Once this last requirement is satisfied, the neophyte is officially an Astartes of the Obsidian Wyrms.

### Cybernetics, restoration and Dreadnaughts

Cybernetics are a relatively common sight among all other Legions and their Successor Chapter as a means to repair extreme battle damage, and one would expect them to be even more common among the IInd due to their close ties with the Mechanicum Rationalis, as the Novaeans make copious and widespread use of high quality and discrete cybernetics. While this happens occasionally, it is not nearly as frequent and is more of a conscious choice by the wounded. In fact, the choice of going with cybernetic prosthetics, no matter how excellent and master-crafted, is generally seen as quaint and a mark of a rather quirky legionnaire.

The reason for this is the presence of the Rationalis world of Viradel whose genetors and fleshwrights have very few equals, with only the dreaded Haemonculi of the equally wicked Drukhari being better masters of the art. Through studying under Viradel masters, many among the IInd Legion's Apothecarion have been able to greatly increase their medical expertise and to supplement it with entirely new methods and technologies. Among them is the ability to regrow entire limbs from scratch, something that was never prevalent among the other Legions even in the golden days of the Compliance, and which would become practically a lost art in the 41st millenium. The only organs that Viradel's fleshwright cannot simply grow in culture en masse - or perhaps they were banned from trying at all by the Emperor - are the Gene-seed organs themselves.

As a result, even a Legionnaire who had every limb torn off and was forced into suspended animation could, theoretically, be restored to full capacity within but a few weeks and without the need for any cybernetic prosthetics. This, combined with the natural resilience of Astartes, the Wyrms' hyper-active Sus-an membrane, and their borderline reckless dedication to one another, means that Astartes that would be written off as lost cases and given the Emperor's Mercy - or interred into Dreadnaughts if sufficiently heroic - are returned to full combat readiness relatively easily. In fact, many Apothecaries within the IInd do not even carry the instrument necessary to administer mercy killing to the wounded, with their Narcethium instead featuring a device which forcefully inducts suspended animation by force.

At first glance, this might look as if it would result in the Wyrms having few, if -any- Dreadnaughts by necessity, which does not match with the reality. The IInd is by far the greatest user of Dreadnaughts among the Legions and their Successors. First, it is important to highlight that the fleshwright's science is not absolute, and there are still cases where the damage to the torso - generally with whole internal Gene-Seed organs being lost entirely - is too severe even for them to repair. Such cases of interment by necessity do exist within the Wyrms, though they are a small minority. Instead, every Legionnaire of sufficient skill and repute may inform their Apothecaries that they renounce their right to be healed in such a manner and wish to instead become Dreadnaughts if sufficiently mutilated in combat. As a result, the majority of the Dreadnaughts fielded by the Wyrms and their Successor chapters have effectively actively chosen to become as such, which is generally seen as the individual Legionnaire deciding to sacrifice part of their humanity in order to better protect their charges and comrades.

### The Watch

Formed about half-way through the Great Crusade at the insistance of the Rogue Trader Draken Romanus, the Watch is an internal security and surveillance force that monitors the IInd Legion's entire war apparatus for any signs of subversive activity or sabotage. Though present in some capacity within the Legion's Fulcrums, a majority of their number is deployed to monitor the various Auxilia, logistical apparatus and ship menials that are instrumental to the smooth operation of whole expedition fleets. The Watch also maintain a presence on major war manufactorum and recruiting centers.

The Watch is primarily composed of mortals, which allows them to blend in with crowds and look inconspicuous in most situations where they need to. Virtually all key positions are held by natives of either the Corusco or Novae systems and are hand-picked for their unwavering and incorruptible loyalty to the Legion's Primarch. Many of its founding members are veterans of the Techno-Barbarian warhosts that fought under the Oracle's guidance during the Corusco Incursion, while others - perhaps surprisingly so - fought during the Novae IV compliance campaign, with the common distinction of a blood debt, for without Elias, their very worlds would surely have perished. In addition to their loyalty, members of the Watch display a combination of personal combat skills and inquisitive character, never shying away from getting to the bottom of any suspicious event or rumor.

Officially, the Watch does not exist and its agents use various cover identities, many of which in law enforcement, but often also in various menial occupations that allow them to loiter in various areas on ships or cities without looking suspicious. Only high-ranking members of local planetary arbitration and leadership know of the existance of 'a secret agency working to preserve security and stability', and yet again even among them few know the full scope, origins and authority of the Watch. It is worth noting that even Astartes of the Obsidian Wyrms are no exception, with rank-and-file Legionnaires usually believing undercover Watch agents to be merely serfs, aides-de-camps or Remembrancers. Centurions and Praetors have a much higher chance of knowing the truth, and members of the Wyrm Lords Council invariably do. The only other notable exception to this are the Justicarius, Astartes who are themselves members of the Watch and who are tasked with the grim duty of subduing or terminating any within the Legion's own ranks found guilty of treachery.

### Warrior Lodges

Owing to the sturdy bond between the Obsidian Wyrms and the Luna Wolves, knowledge of the Warrior Lodges inspired from those found on the Feral World of 63-8 - also known as Davin - spread to the IInd Legion fairly quickly after its initial Compliance. The Lodges would develop quite quickly, but evolve into a form that was very different from the ritual secrecy typical of the Lodges found in other Legions. These Lodges within the IInd were public knowledge and admittance was open to any within the Legion, and even at times to respected guests outside of it.

While dispensing with the whole of labyrinthine intrigue, the Lodges retained their purpose as a place where warriors could bond and increase their kinship irrespective of rank and with their own internal structure, which was itself a reflection of the nature of the various Lodges themselves. It is likely that more Lodges existed within the Obsdidian Wyrms Legion than in any other, for theirs were dedicated to various aspects of warfare, ranging widely from single combat duels to maksmanship, passing by ones that promoted the arts of covert ops and sabotage or the arts of the forge itself. Within these, an individual Astarte's rank was determined by their skill at the aspect of war promoted by the specific lodge, thus they were usually headed by whomsoever was perceived as the absolute authority in the art within the Legion and seconded by the most talented. In addition to reinforcing loyalty and kinship, the Wyrms' Lodges also had the function to promote the spread of knowledge and so individual Astartes could join a Lodge for the purpose of learning new skills or refining their abilities in this or that mode of warfare.

The only Lodge that differed significantly was known simple as The Atrium. Presided over by the Primarch Elias, the Atrium does not concern itself with aspects of warfare, but rather matters of philosophy, ethics and stewardship. It is no secret that Elias views the whole of the IInd Legion as not merely conquerors and rulers, but as guardians and protectors of mankind with a sworn duty onto death not only on the battlefield, but outside of it. The purpose of the Atrium is to remind Astartes of this singular driving fact and to hone their minds about the matter.

### Darklands Wine

The concoctions broadly defined to as Darkland wines are a number of highly potent brews created by some Astartes of the Obsidian Wyrms. Appreciative of the Space Wolves’ Mjod, but unable to replicate it locally, a substitute to the rare Fenrisian plants was sought, and eventually found within the scarred, dangerous regions of Corusco Parva used to test neophytes. The Tainted Lands – who gave a somewhat more sanitized version of their name to the brews – offered plentiful highly poisonous flora which could be used in such a manner, though none that could reliably be cultivated on any scale. Many brews have been made using these diverse ingredients, with no two vintages having exactly the same flavors or potency. Like the Mjod it emulates, Darkland wines are generally lethal to unaugmented humans and are capable of inebriating even Astartes. They are often stored in large casks or amphorae and distributed during celebrations of any kinds.

### The Codex Regnatoris

Written throughout the second half of the Compliance Campaigns by the Second Legion's Primarch Elias Dammerung, the Codex Regnatoris is an anthology on matters of regency, stewardship, and overall lordship. Comparable in sheer size and scope to Roboute Guilliman's more famous Codex Astartes, it is simply too large to be contained within a single tome and is instead found in physical form as a collection of individual volumes split by content. While the Codex Astartes was intended for use by augmented, superhuman warriors, the Codex Regnatoris was instead intended for us by regular, non-augmented humans in situations of rulership, such as planetary governors and Hive lords.

Because of this intended demographic, painstaking effort has been taken to make the tomes as easy to navigate and reference as feasibly possible. Digital versions also exist, with entire Cogitator databanks designed to rapidly search, index and present the data contained within in a manner easily understood by regular people. These Cogitators can present the results in any of its known languages, generally Low or High Gothic, but also Mechanicum binary cant or more local dialects of imperial populations.

Work on the Codex Regnatoris was began about half-way between the Compliance Campaign and its early drafts were widely discussed during seances of the Atrium. The impetus for its creation was that Elias realized that while the Corusco Cluster and the Realms of Ultramar were both prodigiously prosperous and secure, the greater Imperium freshly claimed by the Compliance's expeditionary fleets, more often than not, were not. Those who were not largely damaged or crippled socially and/or economically and industrially by the Compliance were often overseen by a rag-tag mix of former Imperial Army generals, local lords, retired traders and whatever else may. These overseers were very varying in their competency and character, and many did not mesh well with the local culture and tradition and made no effort to understand the people they ruled. Some of them performed admirably, while others only caused further rebellions with their callous lordship, but most fell in an unremarkable, stagnant middle ground.

Knowing that this problem would only get worse if left unattended rather than better, and knowing that the neither the Emperor nor his Primarchs could micro-manage every single world in the galaxy on a daily basis, Elias therefore set to work on the Codex Regnatoris to create a unified tool to equip any and all prospective governors, rulers or whatever else they may call themselves, with the best teachings and advice only a Primarch could provide. It primarily details the methods of a benevolent dictatorship augmented by a large council of highly competent advisors and ministers who can use their expertise to properly and efficiently make decisions on all matters of planetary governance and management, but some of the tomes also offer advice on how to deal with populations traditionally enamored with other modes of governance, such as democracies, republics, and how to peacefully dismantle the mysticism of former theocracies over a steady amount of time.

Although mostly covering civilian matters, the Codex Regnatoris also has at least two whole tomes detailing explicit military matters. The Tome of Aegis goes into considerable amounts of detail in how to recruit, train, maintain and use a large and powerful planetary defense force, as well as how to use them in time of peace to respond to natural disaster relief and other projects. It also details how to build fortresses and even how to fortify entire megalopolis and hive cities and how to build shelters and reserves to endure a hostile voidship blockade, and even goes over anti-voidship planetary and orbital defenses. The Tome of War, on the other hand, goes to great detail into how a man - not an Astartes - ought to conduct war. One of its most important passages is illustrating the differences between a War of Conquest, where losses and collateral damage must be minimized, and a War of Annihilation, in which the enemy must be exterminated in its totality. The codex Regnatoris firmly highlights that it is the single most important duty of a Lord to never, ever mistake a War of Conquest for a War of Annihilation, or vice-versa.

## Post-Scouring Organization

### The Second Founding And The Fulcrum Compromise

In the wake of the Twin Jewels War between Corusco and Ultramar, Dammerung and Guilliman agreed to what would become known as the Fulcrum Compromise, allowing the Second to disperse without forcing any of its components to change their heraldries, colors or internal organization. It did so by dividing the major regions of the Imperium in regional commands and assigning Fulcrums to each. Within their assigned area, a Fulcrum's Cohorts act in a nominally independent fashion, as would a small or under-strength Codex Chapter, but always traveling and deploying in full Cohort size rather than further fragmenting into Companies. Each now independent Cohort is lead by its Centurion Primus, except for the regional Praetorian Cohort whose commander maintains their rank of Praetor.

This results in many important differences outside of the obvious that a Cohort is only half the size of a codex chapter. Firstly, all 'Second Founding' Cohorts maintain forevermore the name, colors and equipment of the Obsidian Wyrms, even down to their Legion-era unit designations. They also maintain an internal organization fully based on the Principia Bellicosa rather than the Codex Astartes, maintaining such things as large 20-man Tactical Squads and specialized Legion-era Destroyer and Headhunter Squads all the way into the 41st Millenium. This also means that most Cohorts do not actually feature any Terminators - While Praetorian Cohorts have 3 Centuries' worth - and that they are much more specialized than Codex Chapters.

Though nominally independent, the Cohorts within a regional subdivision maintain close unofficial ties with one another, this is due in part to a clause of the Fulcrum Compromise similar to the Imperial Fists' own Last Wall protocol. This clause allows a regional Preator to reform their full, 5000-strong Fulcrum temporarily if a major threat to the Imperium which cannot be adequately bested by smaller Cohorts ever manifests within their territory. Outside of this provision, because each Cohort has a specialty, it is common for them to keep in close contact and to call upon one another according to these specialties. For example if a Strike cohort, mostly composed of Tactical Marines, receives a distress call regarding a Zone Mortalis Battlefield such as a Hive World being threatened by a Genestealer uprising, they may forward to the call to a Siege Cohort, whose Breacher Squads and Terminators will be better equipped to deal with it. Inversely, if a world is assailed by fast Eldar raiders or lightly mechanized Orks, that same Siege Cohort may instead call upon an Assault Cohort whose much more mobile Assault Marines will be better suited to the task.

### Third Founding Onward

Although all Second Founding formations directly descended from the Obsidian Wyrms follow the Fulcrum Compromise, subsequent Foundings ordered by the High Lords of Terra are different. As they were never part of the Legion and the High Lords have a much greater degree of control over them, it is frequent - but not universal - that true Successor Chapters built from the ground up using the Gene-Seed of the Wyrms will follow an organization closer to the Codex-approved Chapter. This is generally done because the High Lords tend to either dislike deviation or to dislike things more difficult to control. Inversely, it is not unheard of throughout Imperial history for individual High Lords to think they are simply better than their predecessors and to want to showcase this by doing things differently. When this happens, a Founding may be constructed according the lines of the Fulcrum Compromise, and even Successors of other Legions besides the Second may be raised in such a fashion.

Successor Chapters raised along a vaguely Codex-like size vary greatly in organization. They always maintain Legion-era Centuries and Squads internally, but whether they are grouped in two paired Cohorts, or all vaguely independent as differently named Company analogues depends on a case by case basis. It is common for such 'chapters' to be built around one Siege Cohort and one Strike Cohort, though these tend to be less mobile from the lack of Assault and Outrider Squads. Other such compositions include one Siege Cohort plus one Assault Cohort, which is seen as a good mix of heavy and mobile units though it lacks the flexible Tactical Squads, and one Assault Cohort plus one Strike Cohort, which is highly mobile especially with adequate air assets or drop pods, but lack Terminators and heavy support.

Chapter-sized Successors which do not maintain Cohorts but instead ten independent Centuries under the command of a Centurion Primus are the closest to Codex regulations, though even though do not fully conform to it as they always keep one or two Hastati Centuries, which are not part of the normal battle order of Successor Chapters. It is also relatively frequent for them to maintain a permanent defensive garrison on their homeworld fortress monastery, which often works in direct conjunction with local PDF or Guard regiments much in the same way as the Warden Citadels famously built all over the Corusco Cluster. The most well-known example of that - or at least alleged example, as the Chapter's status as Obsidian Wyrm Successors is unconfirmed - would be the Astral Claws and their Tyrant's Legion.

Among these Cohort-less Successors, the exact composition of its Centuries varies greatly as well, though the most common organisation is one of each Specialist Centuries and two of each Line Centuries, plus Hastatis. Depending on the individual style of the Chapter, they may feature more of one type, or none at all, and pseudo-Chapters are free to reform themselves as they need or deem suitable. The Archetypical Chapter-successor nonetheless remains as follows:

1. Terminator Century
2. Triarii Century
3. Tactical Century
4. Tactical Century
5. Assault Century
6. Assault Century
7. Siege Century
8. Siege Century
9. Destroyer Century
10. Disruption Century
11. Hastatii Century (Unofficial)
12. Hastati Century (Unofficial)
13. Citadel Century (Unofficial)

## Post-Scouring Traditions

### *Cold Voyage*

After the break-up of the Legions, most Cohorts of the Wyrms were spread across the galaxy, set to guard regions of space far away from the Corusco Cluster, and often forced to find new aspirants in those remote sectors. Staunchly traditionalist, they refuse to break away with their recruitment principles, but with the vagary of warp travels and the long distances, it is more than possible for far-away Cohorts to be simply too far away from Corusco Parva for aspirants to make the round trip without simply aging too much for safe processing. In order to circumvent this 'minor inconvenience', virtually all Cohorts have secured in the early post-Scouring era large numbers of stasis field pods. These pods, carefully maintained all the way to the 41st Millennium, have been used to ferry aspirants to Corusco Parva and back for their trials without aging them a single day.

### *Hastati Squads*

During the compliance, newly inducted battle-brothers that had passed their final trials, informally known as the Hastati, were generally directly integrated to front-line Squads to replace battlefield casualties among standard formations. After the Scouring and the break up of the Legions, this became a more tricky matter, while the somewhat lesser nature of the subsequent battlefields made battlefield attrition less of a problem, and it became more acceptable for young neophytes to spend more time gathering experience before joining a front-line Squad. As a result, Hastati Squads were often formed, and led by the one among them who demonstrated the most aptitude with tactics and leadership. These Hastati Squads were generally 'deployed' piecemeal to battlefields that were deemed to be just the right balance of dangerous enough to challenge the new unit's skills, but not important or dire enough to warrant an actual deployment of battle brothers. At these sites of moderate Xeno Incursions and planetary civil conflicts, the Hastati would prove themselves in combat by assisting local Imperial Guard forces in securing victory. Another reason for this new tradition is to teach new battle-brothers to work alongside their mortal counter-parts and act as force multipliers, as it once did with its Auxilia.

### **The Custodial Mandates**

In the wake of the Inter-Legionary Wars and the fragmenting of the Legions, the Second's commitment to protecting humanity as per the Emperor's foundational edict was re-affirmed. Most specifically, the parts about being the bulwark against terror and the defenders of humanity had always been core beliefs of the Second. After the massive, widespread destruction of not only the Inter-Legionary Wars, but also the Compliance Campaign before it, the Second unilaterally decided that preventing such callous excesses was its paramount duty. The coming millennia would make this notion ever increasingly more difficult to enforce, but a rigorous and strict process of censure and reactions was designed, and originally had the approval of Terra and the other surviving Primarchs.

The Custodial Mandates are first and foremost a political tool. Though after severe offenses, provision exist to act as a Casus Belli to stop perceived renegade elements by force of arm, their primary purpose is one of deterrence. Though scattered, the influence and presence of the Second's Cohorts and their allies in the Corusco Cluster remains a powerful one, and their tight bonds make Censure an act with wide-reaching consequences.

#### *Notices of Warning*

The first and most informal step in this process is the issuing of a Notice of Warning by a Cohort's Centurion Primus. These notices are a fairly simple and straightforward affair that is issued when a fellow Imperial element is deemed to have acted out of line and committed unnecessary and excessive damage against Imperial populations or assets. This is not an infrequent thing and does not inherently carry any form of immediate censure or protest. Indeed, it is common that the sheer brutality of war in the galaxy makes tragic outcomes unavoidable, and it is assumed that most of the time an element will have stepped out of line without meaning to, due to the heat of the moment or the horror of their foes. Therefore, receiving a Notice of Warning once is little more than a friendly – if stern – reminder that one should straighten up their act, and an invitation to provide additional information that may retroactively make the act sensible.

#### *Motion of Censure*

If an Imperial element has received multiple Notices of Warning and continues to act callously, or if they act with truly irreconcilable barbarism, a Motion of Censure may be raised. This is done by submitting a case to the regional Praetor and holding a review, whether in person or astropathically. If a two-third majority of the Fulcrum's Centurion Primae vote to support the Motion of Censure thus presented, it immediately enters into effect, bringing the rogue element into censure with the equivalent of five entire Astartes Chapter. A Motion of Censure may be rescinded – and often is – if the target makes amends and cease their ways for a sufficient period of time. With fellow Astartes Chapter often too proud to accept criticism from other Chapters, this generally happens only after a violent change in leadership.

The target of a Motion of Censure is banned from receiving any and all support by regional Cohorts, both in or out of the battlefield, including resupply from worlds under Wyrm watch. They are formally warned of the Motion of Censure and ordered to immediately cease and desist in their repeated destruction of Imperial populations or assets. The actions of the Censured element will henceforth be monitored by ALL regional Cohorts. Failure to comply will compel nearby Cohorts to take action to protect said Imperial populations from any further perceived depredations. This may take the form of simply blockading a world or providing aid to deter further action by the rogue elements, but Cohorts may directly intervene to put a swift and decisive end to any ongoing despoiling. In especially extreme cases, the Fulcrum Compromise's major security threat clause may be invoked and the Cohorts reunited under its regional Praetor to utterly crush a censured element. Often the actions that result in such a gathering of force are sufficient for the rogue element to be considered Excomunicae Traitoris by other Imperial authorities.

#### *Edict of Abjuration*

If the target of a Motion of Censure is sufficiently powerful – or sufficiently elusive – to continue in their despoiling ways in spite of the efforts of regional Cohorts to put an end to them, an Edict of Abjuration may be called for. In order to enact an Edict of Abjuration, the regional Praetor compiles and sends the case file to all other Praetors within astropathic reach for peer review, which they may individually either approve or rebuke. Once at least 6 Praetors have approved the Edict, it comes into effect, and all regional Cohorts under them are duty-bound to enforce it. In other words, to be the target of an Edict of Abjuration is to face Censure by at minimum 30'000 Astartes and their allies. Unlike a Motion of Censure, an Edict of Abjuration is never rescinded.

The target of an Edict of Abjuration is made Damnatio Potestas. As a result, the Second and all of its Cohorts – except those who explicitly rebuked the Edict – no longer recognize the rank or authority of the target and consider them stripped of all power and all rights as an Imperial citizen. Such individuals are generally to be attacked on sight in Wyrm-controlled systems as if they were Excomunicae Traitoris with no quarters given, and petitions are sent to Terra, Corusco Parva and Novaea Cantis, respectively to have the stripping of rank formally recognized, to bar all entry from the entire Cluster, and to have them banned from requisitioning support or Wargear from the Mechanicum Rationalis. It is not unheard of for whole Crusades to be spontaneously organized by the Wyrms with the overt support of Imperial Navy, Army, and Mechanicum political allies against a sufficiently powerful target declared Damnatio Potestas. This almost always attracts the immediate attention of Inquisitors, whose internal factionalism and strife will often make it so at least one or two will also lend their tacit support and legitimacy to the Crusade against a conclave enemy.

## Rules

### Legion Traits

* **Judgment of the Wyrms -** Models with this special rule are immune to Fear and ignore negative modifiers to Leadership tests.
* **Wrath of the Fallen -** Units with this special rule who lose enough friendly models to incur a Leadership Test during the Shooting Phase and succeed their Leadership Test gain +1 BS until the end of their next Shooting Phase. Units with this special rule who incur a Leadership Test as a result of losing combat in the Melee Phase, lose at least one friendly model and succeed their Leadership Test gain +1 WS until the end of the next Melee Phase.

### Unique Wargear

* ***Stormbringer Bolts*** Replacing the conventional high-explosive charge of Bolt rounds by a minuscule, suspended fragment of the energies Warp Storms of Corusco, the Wyrms’ weaponsmiths have managed to create an even more frightening round for their Bolters which detonate in kaleidoscopic, devouring energies on impact. These Bolts have been known to be capable of sundering even Terminator armor at times, but their energy output is unfortunately inconsistent, as befitting of a weapon of the Warp. *Bolt Weapons taken by an Obsidian Wyrms Triarii or Destroyer Squad may be upgraded with Stormbringer Bolts for 5p per model, gaining the Rending special rule.* *Bolt Weapons mounted on an Obsidian Wyrms Dreadnought may be upgraded to Stormbringer Bolts for 5p/weapon (twin-linked counts as one), gaining the Rending special rule*
* ***Pulsar-Pattern Terminator Armor*** Based on the venerable Cataphractii Pattern of Terminator armor, the Pulsar’s distinctive feature is a modified teleportation device. This modification removes the Pulsar suit’s ability to be sent to the heart of battlefields via Deep Strike, but allows warriors to enact short-range tactical ‘blinks’ in the middle of battle, allowing them to cross otherwise impassible obstacles and to dodge attacks they would normally be too slow to evade. Owing to this mix of protection and bursts of mobility, Pulsar Pattern armor offers unparalleled survivability. *Pulsar armor afford a 2+ Armor save and a 3+ Invulnerable save and grants the Bulky and Phantom Terror special rules. Terminators with Pulsar armor cannot Deep Strike without a Dreadclaw dedicated transport* ***Phantom Terror*** A model with this rule may not run but may make a sweeping advance after winning melee combat. A Unit with this rule ignores obstacles and difficult terrain entirely so long as every model can cross the entire obstacle within its allocated move distance.
* ***Vortex Grenades*** One of the most feared weapons in the IInd Legion’s arsenal, Vortex Grenades carry the devouring power of the Warp in an even more undiluted form than Stormbringer Bolts using arcane containment methods. Their indiscriminate nature – as dangerous to friend or foe – and the difficulty in producing them ensures they only see limited deployment. *Vortex Grenades may be used offensively or defensively either to target a unit or to break a Charge. In either case, they are represented by a Small Blast marker which lingers after use and may Scatter 1d6” every subsequent turn. Any models in contact with the marker takes one automatic Wound with no Saves of any kind allowed except Invulnerable. When used defensively, the marker is thrown in the path of the Charging unit and the controlling player may either break or attempt a Leadership Test to hold the charge, with Models passing through the Marker suffering Wounds as above.*

### Rites of War

**Subjugation Protocol**

*Effects*:

* *Fist of the Legion*: Any Legion Tactical Squad, Legion Breacher Squad, Legion Tactical Support Squad, Legion Heavy Support Squad and Triarii Squad may take a Land Raider Spartan as a dedicated Transport.
* *Consolidated Mechanization*: Two or more eligible squads may ride in the same Land Raider Spartan up to maximum carrying capacity of each vehicle.

*Limitations*:

* Detachments with this Rite of War may not take any jump-equipped Infantry units.
* Detachments with this Rite of War may not take more Infantry units than can be carried by its vehicles.
* Detachments with this Rite of War may not take any fortifications or Allied Detachments

**Annihilation Protocol**

*Effects*:

* *Marked for Annihilation*: Legion Destroyer Squads are Troop choices in the force but MUST be taken as Compulsory Troop selections.
* *Storm Unleashed*: All units in this detachment able to purchase the Stormbringer Bolts upgrade MUST do so, but only pay half the usual cost.
* *Relentless Executioners*: All units in this detachment gain the Fleet special rule.

*Limitations*:

* Detachments with this Rite of War may only take a single Consul as part of their HQ choices and may not take a Librarian.
* Detachments with this Rite of War may only take one Heavy Support as part of its primary detachment.
* Detachments with this Rite of War may not take any fortifications or Allied Detachments

## Gallery

Breacher Legionnaire in the original Terra Warden colorsHeavy Support Legionnaire in the original Terra Warden colorsTriariii Veteran in the original Terra Warden colorsDestroyer specialist in the original Terra Wardens colorsA frontline Tactical Legionnaire of the WyrmsAn Assault Squad Decurion of the WyrmsThe Pulse Riders, the Wyrms' elite Terminator forcesA Quaestor anti-Denizen specialist under Praetor Kyriel