The Serpent Heresy

The Chapter has gone through many trials and tribulations, however in recent times there was no event that hit so close to the heart of the Chapter as the Serpent Heresy. This war of treachery had left the Salamanders fragmented and almost put to ruin.

### The Serpent

This fateful event started with one particular man. Tough his original name has been expunged from Imperial and Nocturnian records, he has since been referred to by a name given to him by the Arch Enemy, “Kholath”. He is however, more often referred to in the archives of the Chapter by the title of “The Serpent Traitor of Nocturne”, as even the uttering of his corrupt name brings a foul taste to one’s tongue.

The Serpent Traitor once served as a member of the Draconis Auxilia as a mortal man. However, he was egotistical, temperamental, and most of all ambitious to a level of arrogance. He would try and gain rank and entrench himself within the administration of the Homeworld and it’s forces, greedily coveting power and influence with tooth and nail. Despite being only a mortal man, his ambition could reach the very smoke-filled skies of Nocturn and would act with disrespect and disregard to his superiors and even towards the members of the Astartes.

### Period Of Storms

As heresy loomed over the horizon of the chapter, an era called “The Period of Storms” had begun. A period of political turmoil and administrative uncertainty. Here, the seeds of doubt and rebellion were planted by the hand of the Serpent Traitor. At this time, he received a vision by a mysterious entity in the form of a snake (most likely to be a greater daemon of Tzeench), promising him great power beyond the likes of even the Space Marines whom he so envied, and a legion reborn by his design. An offer which The Serpent accepted. And so, chaos had touched his soul. As he stoked the fires of treachery, more and more people became sympathetic to his view, among both the members of the Draconis Auxilia and Adeptus Astartes. Now with the support of an Astartes Chaplain by the name of [REDACTED], his cause was given more legitimacy among the ranks of the other Salamanders. And with that, the stage of civil was set.

During this time, Lord Regent Ish’Val had set for a voyage to a distant world on a new mission, leaving his trusted brother [REDACTED] in charge. But once he left the system, the Serpent Traitor made his move. With the help of chaos sorcery, Ish’Val’s vessel had been thrown into a warp storm and all communication with the Chapter cut, greatly hindering his return to Nocturne as well as his ability to see what was happening behind the curtain. Though this was predicted to be only temporary, it would still give the Serpent Traitor plenty of time to execute his plan.

## War of the Spark

The first attack against the Chapter. However, it wasn’t as much a war fought with hammer and bolter but with poison knives and deceitful words. First came the assassination of key figures among the Astartes brothers, Draconis Auxilia officers, and Nocturnian nobility. Then the misinformation battle, spreading lies and false narratives to the loyalists. The Traitor claimed that Ish’Val had ordered these assassinations, and that he has grown weak and paranoid, trying to covet power for himself like tyrant in a desperate attempt. He declared that “the mad titan must be laid to rest”. Here is where the Serpent Traitor also found the majority of his following. By the end, small skirmishes had begone to erupt all over the system, and even on Nocturne itself.

## War of the Flame

The major war, and second in line to devastate the Chapter. Ish’Val eventually made his way out of the Warp Storm with a little divine intervention (which scholars theorise to have been help from Vulkan or perhaps even the Emperor himself). Upon returning, Ish’Val was attacked by a band of traitor Astartes and quickly found out what happened, rallying his loyalist brothers across the system. Both sides mustered their armies, and the second war began. A series of battles spanning across the entire system, unitizing the Salamander’s full might against itself. Here, both sides took enormous losses, especially the Draconis Auxilia who took a devastating blow in a cunning plot by the Serpent Traitor which almost completely whipped out it’s entire force in an event now referred to as the “Night of Heated Blades”. However, in the end, the loyalist forces managed to greatly wound the Traitor and force him the retreat, making them loose most of their momentum in the process. And though the second war of the Serpent Heresy had ended, the loyalists did not have long to mourn their losses.

#### The Night of Heated Blades

Under the guise of loyalist aid, a squad of traitor Astartes entered the hideout of the Draconis Auxilia. These were among the most trusted and most corrupt of the traitors, already showing signs of heavy chaos corruption. What followed next was a massacre, and the greatest loss of Draconis guard in one day. The five traitor Astartes walked through the Auxilia base calmly with bolter fire ringing through its halls accompanies by the screams and pleas of loyalist guard.

The massacre concluded in the traitor Astartes squad reaching the command room of the Auxilia, and the following audio of the exchange was recorded by a data servitor in the room:

* [The traitor Astartes enter the room as loud metallic footsteps and disturbing laughter follow. They turn to the Draconis command.]
* Traitor Sargent: “This is where you die dogs. Your precious Chapter Master isn’t here to save you now. You are all on your own. Little, helpless, guardsman. Mortals. You were nothing without our protection.”
* Draconis Commander: “And yet here we stand. Mortals. Stronger than you’ll ever be. The strong do not need the foul taint of bickering gods for power.”
* [The room sits silent and still as the traitor Sargent hesitates for a moment before the sound of rapid bolter fire is heard, and bodies falling to the ground. The traitors then leave the room without saying a word.]

## War of the Ambers

The final desperate attempt of the traitors to kill Ish’Val and take over Nocturne. The Serpent’s followers started losing faith in him and his command structure was falling apart as discontent grow ever more present. And so, he made a plea with the Ruinous Powers, a final chance to deal a fatal blow to the loyalist. The Serpent would give his body and soul to become something wicked. Upon his ship, with all his closest allies as his witnesses, his form twisted and warped into that of a Daemon Prince of Tzeench. His body covered in serpentine eyes and horrific scales, now towering over even his Traitor Astartes brothers. The power he always so jealousy wanted.

Tough by the end of the second war some signs of chaos corruption were showing among the traitors, the full extent of this heresy was now bearded for all to see. In his new form The Serpent made his final attempt at victory. In the end, The Serpent Traitor of Nocturn and Chapter Master Ish’Val faced off on in the ashen wastes of Nocturn surrounded by the carcass of a crashed warship. The fight was not easy by any means, but Ish’Val prevailed, blasting a hole through his former subordinate’s torso with his bare fists, finishing the daemonic entity off. The Serpent Traitor fell and the remanence of his warband (along with his second in command) fled to the warp. Tough devastated, Nocturne’s light continued to burn.

The Serpent Traitor was a convincing deceiver, and in his new form, a formidable fighter; however, he was still a terrible leader even with all the blessings of “wisdom” he was given. Under the Serpent Heresy, the Grand Traitor mustered and lead three warbands, each of which failed as they were ununified and unorganised. In the end, his betrayal failed due to this, but his attacks still left a permeant scar on the Chapter.

### Aftermath

After the death of the Serpent Traitor of Nocturne, his second in command, a Chaos touched Chaplain by the title of Phagon The Burning Fang took over the remanence of the warband and had hidden in the warp for decades. Over this time, he had slowly rebuilt this warband by enslaving Imperium citizens to bolster their low numbers. They would often prey on lightly defended agricultural worlds, often manipulating planetary officials for years at a time before they perform a mass exodus of civilians to take into their wretched arms. During this period of hiding, the warband, now under the name of The Sulphur Serpents would grow in size, rebuilding its strength to one day fight the Salamanders once again.

### Losses and Recovery

The Three Wars had deeply wounded not only the Chapter but all forces and resistance of nocturne. Hundreds of Astartes among the Salamanders had turned traitor or died in the fight, among members of allied Chapters who have come to their aid. The Draconis Auxilia was devastated, being reduced to only a handful of loyal surviving guardsman with most of its command structure completely destroyed by the fighting and initial assassinations. And highest of all losses were the millions of civilians killed either by deliberate attacks conducted by the traitors or caught in the crossfire. The system’s infrastructure was also hit, with many homes, churches and factories levelled by the destruction of the fighting. Alongside military and civilian vehicles, the replacement of which would also strain the Salamander’s relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Though the rebuilding efforts were challenging, the Legion would build up once again. Ever enduring, ever resilient, as were the teachings of our father Vulkan. The survival of the Legion to this day was in no small thanks to Forgefather Kozius, who stood up to the duty to re-forge a shattered Nocturne.