Council of Vision

The Silencing of the Word was perhaps one of the most important events in the history of the Great Crusade, waged in the latter years of the 30th Millenium and the formative years of the 31st, even eclipsing other events lauded as turning points of Humanity, such as the naming of the Warmaster at the Ullanor Triumph, all this despite its utterly restricted nature. None were permitted to speak of the events that unfolded on Colchis, and yet every legion, whether they admitted it or not, was forever altered by the destruction of the XVIIth. In this, the Ashen Crows were no different, their attitudes and that of their Primarch further altered following on from the changes wrought in the wake of the Angel’s Fall.

For most of the legion, this was simply a redoubling of effort, the warriors pushing ever harder to redeem the reputation of the Astartes they believed was tarnished. For Galvarian however, the First Ember and Primarch of the Legion, the fall of the IXth and XVIIth pointed to one, seemingly obvious, conclusion. The Astartes were not a flawed concept in and of themselves, though they were deeply flawed, in truth, it was the Primarchs who were flawed beings; demi-gods shackled to their base human emotions, vulnerable to all the same predilections that came with that like insanity, zealotry and rage.

New warriors were needed, ones that could eclipse the Astartes who led the Great Crusade, who could march into the worst war zones without fear, without anger, without remorse or pity, and perhaps most vitally, without Primarchs. Like the Legio Cartegis of old, there would be no Primarchs for these new warriors, there would just be the warriors, Galvarian’s maddened writings, recovered by loyalist forces at the beginning of the Almire Apostasy, naming them as the Ablaze, those who would burn away the fires of the Emperor’s imperfect vision.

It was insanity, few other words able to so aptly describe Galvarian’s vision. And yet, the Primarch threw himself into the project fully, disappearing from the publics’ eye entirely, only a select cadre of his sons privy to his location or plans. Alveras, Legion Master of the XIth, was left to lead in his father's absence, Lord Furgol Durath serving as his second in command, neither privy to what their lord was doing. All they knew were the silent, overarching orders from the Primarch, a single word response transmitted in response to all requests; Continue.

So continue they did. The Ashen Crows striding forth, often serving at the Warmaster’s Command directly, without a Primarch to give them true direction, like a legion of old at the dawning of the Imperium. Even this however, was a battle. Supplies to the legion soon began to grow thin, Forge Worlds sending required materiel to the legion’s homeworld, yet little to nothing then flowing onwards to the legion themselves. Standards began to be lowered out of pragmatic necessity, advanced weapons shelved as the required resources to use and maintain them dwindled as the years passed, and yet still Galvarian did not speak, remaining sequestered away in a hidden lab complex on the homeworld.

Nearly fifty years passed in such a state of affairs, other legions beginning to take notice as the Ashen Crows’ deployments began to run low on even the most basic of resources. Warriors deploying with but a handful of boltshells each, utilising antiquated, stripped down or outdated equipment to maintain battle readiness. It was Khnum, Primarch of the Watchers of Akhet, who was the first to truly give credence to this, forced to open his own armouries to his brother’s warriors on a joint campaign to keep his reinforcements viable, and in the wake of this, the extent of the changes soon became known. Almire Leoric prepared to organise an investigation to Æsce, determined to find what had befallen the mind of the First Ember, and yet before he could, a transmission reached his fleet, sent to only a handful of others, a Council called by Galvarian himself, one that would change the very vision by which the Great Crusade was forged beneath.

A meeting point was set, an unnamed planet on the galactic fringe, unrecorded by Imperial forces and yet now possessing a vast auditorium complex built by the Lord of Crows himself, hanging beneath the legion’s flagship, the *Kiln of Humanity*, also unseen since Galvarian’s departure. Almire answered the call, alongside two other brothers who were contacted; Gaius of the Consuls Exemplar, Artellion of the Silver Basilisks as well a the entirety of the Ashen Crows legion, many eager to see what had fixated their lord for so long, while others still were nervous by what fresh madness was about to spring forth. Galvarian had not selected the three Primarchs at random of course, each one chosen for their perceived willingness to accept change for the good of the Imperium, though Galvarian was utterly unaware of the reason Almire had sanctioned the meeting and their appearance at it.

The Apostasy was nearly underway, plans already afoot to rid the legions of those who would not follow Almire and his co-conspirators against the Emperor. Galvarian’s reappearance was a worry, Almire already making changes to his plans for the XIth legion.

Landing on the world, Almire and his brothers were greeted by Galvarian, their brother embracing them with seeming elation at their arrival. His mood was bright as he led them away to discuss the purpose for this meeting. For too long had the legions been singular entities and today was a day for great games; the memories of the Great Feast on Bion so many years ago needed to be rekindled. Suspicious but seeing no reason to openly object, the three agreed, tournaments beginning shortly afterwards in the sparring cages and battle rings Galvarian had wrought for just such a purpose.

As the event reached its apex, Galvarian stood, a door opening behind him as he spoke of the future as five hulking figures appearing beside him, each clad in what looked like Astartes power armour, though the size of the warriors was staggering, even the giants of the IVth legion not able to match these monstrosities in scale. Behind his calm facade, Almire’s mind darkened as he looked upon these new arrivals, his cybernetic eye working to pierce the inner workings of the warriors, discerning just who or what they were, and yet all his scans came back negative, nothing like this seen across the Imperium. From the small changes in the postures of his brothers, Almire knew both had also attempted the same with their own hidden equipment, each also drawing blanks as to just what these creatures were.

At a word from Galvarian, the five joined the fray, instantly capturing the attention of almost all onlookers. Four of the creatures fought with a near unmatched skill and tenacity, standing victorious in their bouts over all but the most experienced warriors from the gathered legions. The fifth however, was something different, his skill beyond his fellows, backed with a strength that exceeded anything the Astartes could bring to bear. All who fought him fell, Jean Davoust of the Warmasters Justicars and Altair Dulanic of the Silver Basilisk most notable amongst them, both regarded as amongst the greatest duelists in their respective legions. The fights had not been easy, but they had ended with the Astartes defeat, Galvarian moving to stand beside the warrior as the final duel ended, launching into an explanation of what they all had just witnessed.

For too long had the Astartes legions shouldered the burden of the Great Crusade, even while held back by their human origins and emotions. Through no fault of their own, they were flawed, even the Primarchs themselves were not free from this. Thus new warriors were required to ensure the Great Crusade was completed in the name of the Imperium, few missing the unspoken meaning behind Galvarians words; in the name of the Imperium, and not in the name of the Primarchs.

As Galvarian spoke, voices began to roar in protest, Gaius, ever the orator, silencing them quickly so that Galvarian might reveal more. Almire nodded his thanks to his brother, Galvarian seemingly unaware or unphased by the interruptions and continued on, his next words causing even more uproar amongst the crowd.

Humanity was a weak species, not in its mind or goals, but physically when compared with other xenos races, it was weaker. It could not match the swiftness of the Eldar, the brute strength and toughness of the Orks or a hundred other factors of a hundred different races. Galvarian listed these off with ease, citing xenos species few others had ever heard of, yet none doubting the veracity of the xenobiologist’s words. To use only parts of the human genome in new warriors was an unnecessary hampering of potential, and with those final words, Gavarian bid the still silent and still warrior to remove his helmet, naming him as the first of the Ablaze; Galeras.

Now there truly was outcry, even the three Primarchs adding their voices to the din as they looked upon this new warrior. It was human in shape, but that was as far as the comparison went. Bones bulged beneath thick leathery skin, cat-like eyes sat in recessed cavities within the out of proportion skull. It was evident that these creatures were even less human than the Astartes themselves, all who looked upon them with disgust, the Ashen Crows greatest amongst them, mortified by what their lord had wrought in the name of progress.

Suddenly, the cries of outrage took a different turn, new words being thrown around, their meaning bringing memories of brothers lost to the forefront of everyone’s mind.

Traitor. Madman. Defiler.

Galvarian was clearly taken aback at the sudden venom in the crowd, his eyes beginning to dart back and forth, his hand instinctively twitching in a motion that would activate his mighty power claw ‘*Annihilation*,’ if only he had been wearing it. At the same time, the Ablaze moved to surround Galvarian, Astartes standing from the crowd looking as if they were about to launch at the Broken Crow, many of their numbers from the XIth legion. Violence looked inevitable, until suddenly, all was calmed as Almire strode forward, bidding the Ablaze to move aside, the warriors only doing so at a nod from Galvarian.

Almire addressed the crowd, speaking that assumptions were not to be jumped to yet, what Galvarian had wrought here was potential treason, but also potential new life for the Great Crusade. It was not for them to stand in judgement with but a glance, a deeper investigation was required. All seemed calmed by this, even Galvarian relaxing a little as Almire spoke, seeing the Warmaster’s words as something close to acceptance of his creations.

Forging on, Almire told all who listened that he would personally oversee such an investigation, though he would not be able to straight away, other matters forcing him to attend the bulk of his legion massing in the Prodite system some light years away. Giving his personal promise that he would return, Almire ordered all warriors not of the XIth away from the world and the tournament, what many had already taken to calling the “Council of Vision,” in reference to Galvarian’s own words. The XIth were to remain behind, unmoving until Almire’s return, Galvarian included in this.

None questioned the word of the Warmaster, Almire sharing private words with Durath himself, bypassing the legion master of the XIth to instead speak with the Lord Furgol, he and the Warmaster having formed a warrior’s bond in the days before Galvarian’s founding. To Durath, Almire left the greatest task of all, to watch Galvarian and ensure he did not try to escape, none fully trusting the Broken Crow’s mind. Already disgusted by what he had witnessed, Durath readily agreed, pledging that the legion would be ready for Almire’s return after the Prodite system fell before him, and with that, Almire depart alongside his sons, leaving the XIth legion behind.

Almire’s mind was racing as he left, these new warriors presenting both a threat to his designs if they stood against him and a boon if they were made to stand with him. Already, new plans were forming, new ways to address the problem of the XIth legion, ones that would have to be accelerated in the face of the Ablaze.

As Galvarian watched his brother go, he turned to give orders to his legion for the first time in half a century. The fleet would form around the *Kiln of Humanity*, all would prepare for the Warmaster’s return, Galvarian hopeful of what the future would bring. If he had seen what Almire was unleashing upon Prodite XVI in the so called “Night of Blood,” he may have tempered this hope with the reality of just what hell awaited the galaxy at the hands of the Warmaster.