Plague of Unbelief - Early Conquests: Cardinal Bucharis controlled a small diocese of the Ecclesiarchy to the galactic southwest of Terra on a Cardinal World called Gathalamor. It was not a rich planet, and much of the population lived in poverty, but Bucharis was jealous and outraged by his peers' achievements.Bucharis vowed to build one of the biggest temples to the Emperor's glory in the galaxy. To achieve this, he enslaved the population of Gathalamor, treating them brutally, as if they were all slaves to jump at his command. Still Bucharis needed more resources and personnel to meet the ever growing need for his ambitious plans. In a radical move, he used a large group of thugs and cutthroats to conquer the nearby world of Rhanda.The planet had many rich mines producing all of the vital materials Bucharis needed to complete his designs. Also, the personal wealth of Bucharis grew immensely from the profits made from the sale of precious ores and resources across his sector of the Imperium.Two other major players in the Plague of Unbelief were Admiral Sehalla, a flag officer of the Navis Imperialis, and Colonel Gasto of the Rigellian XXV Regiment of the Astra Militarum. Bucharis met with both of them on Rhanda and they joined forces under the Cardinal's command. Now, Bucharis had both naval support and real soldiers to fight for him, and he used them to carve out a small empire to the galactic west of Terra. He conquered fifty planets in seven years, using their resources to reinforce his army and continue his building plans.Bucharis' private empire was hidden from the Imperium by vast Warp Storms covering the entire region and news of Sebastian Thor's ascension to the position of Ecclesiarch and the reorganisation of the Ecclesiarchy had not reached the general population. It had, however, reached Bucharis through his agents in the Ecclesiarchy.He used his control of his local portion of the Imperial Navy to make sure no news of this reached the population, as it would mean the end of his empire. He used his power to announce that the Ecclesiarchy had fallen and that it was corrupted by traitors and heretics. Taking after High Lord Goge Vandire, he declared himself to be the mouth of the Emperor and made himself the head of the Adeptus Ministorum in his little empire.He gave elegant speeches to the people of his world and they lapped it up, believing his words to be the Emperor-given truth. Terra was a lost cause and Gathalamor was the centre of the Imperial Cult's religion now. His speeches spread to other worlds he had not conquered and his teachings soon became dogma on many of these planets.People were taught by Bucharis to look after only themselves. Those who could not, or suffered from poverty or unemployment were less than human and did not deserve the concern of their fellow men. Bucharis' speeches were met with thunderous applause, and many people believed that this was the way humans would survive, by striving for their own selfish advancement. The weak and the poor and the undeserving would be left behind and only the strong and prosperous would survive.After these speeches, Bucharis' planets were transformed into worlds where mobs ruled and fought amongst themselves, while petty nobles used their wealth and independence to rule. Neighbors often fought and families split over the spoils from the arising chaos. The strongest, who rose to power and caught the eye of Bucharis, were rewarded with more power, and often led units of mercenaries to enforce the will of Bucharis. Those who succeeded were rewarded with lavish gifts and those who failed were punished accordingly.Even though Bucharis' empire was growing, he was hesitant of getting too close to Terra. Therefore, he forged a path directly to the galactic north, leaving a bloody trail of death and destruction in his wake. In the south, he stopped just short of the world of Bakka, fearful that Admiral Sehalla's fleet would draw more attention to the young empire. Far to the north, he gave Cadia and the Eye of Terror a wide berth, fearful of drawing the attention of the forces of Chaos and the Chaos Space Marines (although it is possible that the Warp storms were created by some evil machination of the Chaos Gods, in an attempt to rend the Imperium apart even further than the Reign of Blood already had done).Eventually, Bucharis had consolidated his power over every planet he conquered and so he moved on. Three more Imperial Guard Regiments joined him, and when he moved on Hydraphur, the Segmentum Pacificus Fleet bowed down, believing Bucharis' words. Bucharis' forces were now massed, and able to strike at the heart of the Imperium, using surprise and cunning to overwhelm the enemy before they brought their superior numbers to bear. Fortunately for the Imperium of Man, Bucharis made a fatal mistake.