House Chimaeros - The Rewards of Treachery: Even as the loyal Imperial Knights conducted their attack upon the enemy stronghold, House Chimaeros' troops were already embroiled against the Word Bearers defending the central Square of Martyrs and the cathedral where Varakh'Lorr had retreated to supervise the great bonfire where uncounted thousands of Donatosian civilians were sacrificed to fuel the Dark Apostle's ascension to daemonhood. Knowing that once he was transformed into a powerful Daemon Prince even the might of an Imperial Knight would not be enough to vanquish him, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros sought to thwart Varakh'Lorr's efforts. The Imperial attack considerably weakened Gerraint's strength, as he was forced to divert many of House Wyvorn's Knights to counter the offensive of House Draconis and its allies.With the Word Bearers firmly entrenched around the Square of Martyrs and the main generatoria powering the Adamant Citadels, and Varakh'Lorr on the verge of daemonhood, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros was forced to further divide his own forces. Although reluctant to do so, he gave his consort leave to deal with Varakh'Lorr herself, for she was a powerful Witch and well-versed in the art of sorcery. While Alicia Kar Manticos confronted the Dark Apostle and his bodyguard, Gerraint would remain outside and lead House Chimaeros' Knights in battle against the Daemon Engines unleased by the Chaos Space Marines. The Word Bearers were holding out amidst the main generatoria, preventing House Chimaeros from bringing its firepower to bear or lose control of the Adamant Citadels, which was all that was keeping the Astra Militarium regiments at bay. Gerraint had little choice and ordered his Knights to clear out the Chaos Space Marines in close combat, a decision which would make his Knights especially vulnerable to their foes.While still embroiled in this fight, news reached the false High King that the Loyalist Knights had broken through the Renegades' lines, inflicting heavy casualties on the detachment of House Wyvorn Knights sent to ambush them. With the prospect of engaging in a Knight-to-Knight fight, Archduke Dunkan Tan Wyvorn retreated from the battlefield, promising to return with his House's "hidden strength", a secret weapon that would alter the battle's course in the Secessionists' favour. With the survivors of the ambush rejoining his own troops, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros ordered the battlelines to be drawn and patiently awaited the arrival of Danial Tan Draconis and his remaining Imperial Knights. Soon, both hosts faced each other across the Square of Martyrs, Houses Chimaeros and Wyvorn standing with their backs to the cathedral, intent on keeping the Imperials from gaining access to it.The battle wavered as according to the precepts of the Chivalric Code, Markos Dar Draconis, Herald to both former High King Tolwyn and his successor, High King Danial Tan Draconis, formally declared both House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn reductum hereticum extremis, making it clear that there would be no mercy and no surrender. Knowing what was to come, both lines charged each other in a fury of shot and shouted battlecries. But as the Knights met, an unexpected arrival brought the Secessionist camp into disarray: Archduke Dunkan Tan Wyvorn's return to the battlefield was heralded by the beams of two twin-linked Magna Lascannons that killed three Knights in a single volley.Dunkan Tan Wyvorn had abandoned his Knight for an ancient and powerful Acastus Knight Porphyrion, a powerful suit of Knight armour believed lost since the days of the Great Crusade. This fearful tool of destruction bore a fitting name, Iron God, for one-on-one no other Knight on the battlefield could match the Porphyrion's power. However, controlling such a powerful engine of war took a terrible toll on Dunkan's mind and had driven him mad. As the Iron God had already killed one of their own, a Lance of Chimaeros Knights charged the Iron God, which quickly gained the upper hand. Fuelled by vengeance and anger, the Loyalist Knights slowly turned the battle in their favour. In a heroic last effort, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros piloted Therianthros towards the Iron God, intent on killing his deranged ally himself, but he never got the chance.Jennika Tan Draconis, daughter to High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis, blocked his path, challenging him to single combat to avenge her father's death. Confident in his own superiority, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros quickly accepted, for he did not intend to abide by the strict rules of the Chivalric Code in that matter. Assuming that Jennika would, Gerraint opened fire at point blank range on Jennika's Knight Paladin. To his considerable surprise, his shots were deflected by the Paladin's Ion Shield, leaving Jennika Tan Draconis to retaliate with her Rapid-Fire Battle Cannon. Jennika's shots destroyed Gerraint's Avenger Gatling Cannon, forcing him to fight honourably. With a snarl of contempt, Gerraint activated his Tempest Blade -- the very weapon he had stolen from Tolwyn's Knight -- and charged Jennika. Close combat weapon against close combat weapon, the Tempest Blade would give him an advantage over the simple Reaper Chainsword wielded by Jennika's Knight.Being the better swordsman, Gerraint landed several telling blows, but Jennika was swift and able enough to avoid defeat many times, acquitting herself well against one of Adrastapol's fiercest warriors. Yet, as feared, her Chainsword could not hold long against Therianthros’ energised blade. Tiring of the game, Gerraint ordered two of his Knights to further break with the Code and charge Jennika from behind. As Gerraint charged her yet again, Jennika fired her Battle Cannon, staggering Gerraint's Knight long enough to impale him on her Reaper Chainsword. Hopelessly damaged, the Chainsword's usually powerful engine stuttered and died, locking the two Knights into a deadly embrace. Infuriated, Gerraint tried to bring his own blade to bear, but the angle was such that his own sword could not strike her down. As Gerraint tried to back off, one of his Nobles came charging from behind, forcing Jennika to turn her Ion Shield to absorb the turncoat Knight's shots. She retaliated, aiming low at the onrushing enemy and blowing out the ground beneath his feet, sending the charging Knight tumbling into the ground.Diverting every ounce of remaining power into her Knight's actuators, Jennika turned the great war engine around, lifting Therianthros from the ground and over her Knight's shoulder, though it ripped her mount's arm off in the process. With the additional weight of the Reaper Chainsword protruding from its armoured body, Gerraint's motive actuators were overstressed and Therianthros fell to the ground, trapping its only functional weapon arm under its own bulk. Had Gerraint not quickly deactivated the Tempest Blade, his own stolen weapon would have carved him in two. It served only to prolong his life by a few solar minutes as Jennika Tan Draconis raised her Battle Cannon and blasted away at Therianthros until her ammunition counter ran low. Thus did Gerraint Kar Adrastapol die and with his passing so also ended House Chimaeros' ambitions.