Legio Interfector - Origins: The Legio Interfector has borne two common appellations since its creation, both reflections of the overriding demeanour of the princeps who served beneath its banner. The first was acquired during the Great Crusade, the cognomen of "Lords of Valour" bestowed upon the Titan Legion in honour of the courage and steadfastness of princeps who stood as exemplars for the ideals of the Great Crusade.Yet the machinations of powers far beyond the ken of most plunged the Titan Legion into madness and treachery. By the end of the Horus Heresy, the virtue of the Legio Interfector had long been eroded, replaced by a canker that had taken root within its ranks, stripping away sanity and independence from its princeps until nought but subservient fiends remained.The opening years of the Great Crusade saw rapid growth for the Imperium, with many worlds eager to join the Emperor's newfound empire. However, as Humanity pushed outwards it encountered firmer resistance, both from the varied xenos species that sought Mankind's destruction and resistant strands of Humanity that opposed subservience to the Emperor. This abundance of foes heaped great pressure on the military arm of the Imperium, motivating the Terran War Council to search for new forces to aid expansion. As part of this initiative, the Forge World of Valeous II, newly inducted into the Imperium and eager to benefit from the knowledge of Mars, was chosen as the founding world of a new Titan Legion.Named the Legio Interfector, the foundation of this nascent Titan Legion  was built from shipments of unconsecrated god-engines dispatched from Lucius and Graia, while Martian delegations toiled to revitalise the decaying industry of the planet and sanctify its forge-fanes in preparation for a new generation of Titans. In short order, Valeous II was transformed and deemed fit to house a Titan Legion in its own right. The final order was to christen the Legio Interfector in battle and the Forge World's first demi-legio, consisting of three-quarters of the Titan Legion's strength, departed for distant stars.The tragedy that was to befall the Legio Interfector was not one of its own making but sparked by a simple twist of fate. The first detachment of Legio Interfector Titans dispatched from Valeous II were intended as support for elements of the Ultramarines Space Marine Legion fighting in the Ultima Segmentum but was instead cast adrift by unpredicted Warp currents. This abrupt change of course saw the Titan Legion cast into a war zone commanded by Horus Lupercal, his Luna Wolves engaged in a deadly conflict with the xenos-forged Abominable Intelligence known as the Chroxius Myriad.The arrival of the Legio Interfector quickly reversed the course of the war, its tireless guns throwing back the mechanical horde and laying waste to their nexuses. After a further seven solar months of conflict, the xenos were defeated, a conclusion Horus attributed to the skill and valour of the newly-forged Titan Legion. In recognition of its service, the primarch authorised the reassignment of the Legio Interfector to his own forces and bestowed upon it the cognomen of "Lords of Valour" so all would know the honours it had earnt.For the remainder of the Great Crusade, the Lords of Valour lent its guns to Horus and his Legionaries, with freshly-raised demi-legios dispatched to expeditionary fleets manned by the Luna Wolves. To the Titan Legion, the primarch became an idol, its princeps frequently proclaiming him to be a model by which all servants of the Imperium should compare themselves. In an effort to be exemplars of Imperial values, the Legio Interfector threw itself into the most deadly of conflicts and, with each new victory, proved that the name given to them by Horus was well-earned.Yet the devotion the Legio Interfector held for Horus Lupercal was to be repaid only with treachery.