Absolvers - Gilead Crusade: As the formidable fleet of Julyanna Gilead burst forth from the Immaterium to commence their hallowed Imperial Crusade, it was confronted by a system befouled, a vile dominion of the legions of Chaos. Corruption and heresy had infested the entire star system, from the densely-populated spires of the Hive World that would be later known as Gilead Primus to the once lush and verdant fields of Ostia, a fertile world soaked in the blood of feuding Chaos warlords.The battle for the Hive World marked the crusade's opening engagement. The fleet plunged deep into the cankerous heart of the system, deft manoeuvring and brave sacrifices allowing the crusade to bypass much of the Heretics' defences. An unrelenting, two-solar-week orbital bombardment razed numerous spires, teeming with those pledged to the Ruinous Powers, down to their very foundations. Once the thunderous cannons of the Navis Imperialis' warships finally fell silent, the Space Marines descended upon the surface with unbridled ferocity, bringing the full fury of the Imperium to bear on the scattered throngs of Traitors that remained. In the midst of unrelenting warfare they set to work laying claim to the world.Both in anticipation of victory and out of a need for a fortified command structure, the Chapter's Techmarines laid the foundations for the great fortress that would become Castle Grigori. Adepts of the Adeptus Mechanicus deployed a colossal Ion Shield to safeguard this beachhead from the Heretics and Warp-spawned horrors that emerged from the ruins of the world's smouldering hives. Within, Adeptus Astartes battle-brothers and Astra Militarum soldiers laboured side-by-side to erect stalwart rockcrete walls and fortifications, knowing that the Tech-priests' stores of Motive Force would not sustain the energy shield forever.Although victory over Gilead Primus would come, the crusade nearly stumbled at this first hurdle. By thrusting so deeply into the system, the fleet was left prey to a strikeforce of Heretic voidships, and resupply lines to the fleet's logistics vessels fell under constant assault. Supplies of ammunition and other equipment dwindled quickly in the face of this endless battery, and only the iron will of the Adeptus Astartes held the field. Salvation arrived in the form of a missive from the Adeptus Mechanicus contingent of the fleet.One of their number had discovered an ancient refinery temple beneath the oceans of the relatively nearby world of Charybdion. This ancient artefact would later prove to be one among dozens, but even that single facility, swiftly rededicated to the Omnissiah, was sufficient to replenish Imperial forces on the worlds of Ostia, Enoch, and Gilead Primus. From the sturdy redoubt of Castle Grigori, the Chapter prepared to launch their conquest of the entire system. Conscious that relief and resupply might continue to be sporadic, they next turned their attention to the Agri-world of Ostia.The brutal struggle to subdue Ostia marked one of the darkest days of the Gilead Crusade, and the events that unfolded on the befouled Agri-world would come to shape the fledgling Chapter more than any glorious victory. The event is the founding entry in the Absolvers' Book of Broken Bonds, and by decree of the first Chapter Master, it is forbidden to make a record of it anywhere else.Yellem was one of Ostia's most vital voidports, the main hub through which the world's agricultural bounty was reaped. Despite the ruthless tyranny of the feuding Chaos warlords who ruled there, the population, forced to labour in the production zones under the lash and partake in vicious gladiatorial bouts for the amusement of bloodthirsty Traitors, clung to a fading memory of the Imperium. Their faith in the Emperor, whom they named the "Lord of Dawn," endured by way of secret traditions and hidden rites that defied even the corrupting touch of Chaos.An entire company of Space Marines was despatched to purge Yellem of Traitors, though precisely which one has since been struck from even the Absolvers' own records. They descended from the sky, the embodiment of the Emperor's fury, and the Loyalists of Yellem rejoiced, believing deliverance was upon them at last. Nevertheless, the strike force encountered bloody and determined resistance as they fought to retake Yellem. Field by field and hab-unit by hab-unit, they fought against swathes of mortal Chaos Cultists led by Heretic Astartes in crimson power armour. A lightning strike to seize crucial infrastructure became a solar-days-long battle of attrition, and the Space Marines' assaults became increasingly frenzied, strategy and order slowly disintegrating. Communications with those of their battle-brothers on the surface were lost, the last vox messages simply unintelligible screams of fury.In stark contrast to the disciplined actions on the Hive World, this offensive turned into a rampage, indiscriminately slaughtering ally and enemy alike. Even as the last of their cowering victims fell, their blood staining the white armour of their would-be saviours, the Astartes did not find their thirst for battle slaked. Brother turned on brother, and the slaughter continued through a long night of horror from which only a single battle-brother emerged.It is whispered among those who know this tale that Tygranas Dalir, picking through the remains of the massacre, slew this warrior himself in a frenzy of bloodshed so brutal that some who witnessed it feared that their Chapter Master too had succumbed to the madness that had claimed so many.When the dust settled, and the carnage subsided, it became apparent that all those on Yellem had succumbed to the Black Rage, a curse common to most, perhaps all, of the genetic sons of the primarch Sanguinius. This genetic flaw must have been known of by many within the Chapter, certainly to Tygranas Dalir, but for so many to fall in a single battle, to lose an entire company to the affliction, was and remains almost unheard of among the Sanguinary Brotherhood.The details were quickly expunged, blamed on the unusually fierce resistance of a world of Heretics, but the shameful truth weighed heavily on those who knew of it. In the aftermath, Tygranas Dalir swore the "Oath to Gilead," pledging his Chapter to the system's continued and perpetual defence. And at last, he chose a name for his Chapter -- the "Absolvers" -- to underscore their deep need to make amends for the terrible events at Yellem, and the shame they brought upon their brethren among the Adeptus Astartes, the sons of Sanguinius, the Imperium, and the Emperor Himself.The crusade continued into other systems and sectors, and more battle-brothers fell to the madness that afflicted them at Yellem. The losses at the Ostian voidport had been substantial and were added to by Dalir, who threw the Absolvers into every desperate fight and nigh-hopeless assault to be found, all to assuage something of the Chapter's great shame. As a result, when the Absolvers returned to Gilead Primus in the wake of the crusade they were much diminished and began the slow and painful process of rebuilding their strength and their honour.Tygranas Dalir's fate is not recounted in either the Imperium's heavily redacted records nor the Chapter's own great tomes in its Librarius -- a notable omission that has raised many uncomfortable questions over the centuries. His successor was Anthon Emascus the Reforger, who had the unenviable task of stabilising the Chapter and ensuring its long-term survival.