House Manticos - In the Shadow of the Black Tower: The Renegade Knights of House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn hunted for their Loyalist counterparts but failed to find them. With the scattered Imperial forces in retreat, the Renegades launched their own limited offensives to take back the ground they had lost, hoping to force the Adrastapolian survivors out of hiding. The bait was not taken. When Dark Apostle Varakh'Lorr summoned his new-found allies to a war council, this left Alicia the heavy burden of dealing with the Loyalist Knights. Remembering the ancient prophecy of her House, Alicia searched for and found a suitable location to carry out her plan: an abandoned Adeptus Arbites precinct fortress whose central black tower was overlooked by mighty cliffs -- the perfect site for an ambush. Commandeering some of Xedediah's Sacristans, Alicia ordered these Tech-adepts to lace the cliffs and the fortress itself with Demolition Charges, as the gigatonnes of crumbling stone were sure to annihilate even an Imperial Knight. All she needed was adequate bait, one the Loyalists could not resist -- herself.Using herself as bait was a dangerous decision. Alicia suspected that her own son, Luk Tan Chimaeros, would be among the Loyalists. But he suspected nothing of his mother's true allegiance. Second, as honourable Knights, High King Danial's warriors were still bound by the precepts of the Chivalric Code which required defending the weak and especially keeping women from harm. If she were put in danger, the Loyalists would be honour-bound to save her. Her escort would be small enough to let High King Danial think he would achieve an easy victory -- and because she needed more sacrifices for Tzeentch to further strengthen her sorcerous powers.As was to be expected, the boy-king, Danial Tan Draconis took the bait, sallying forth with 40 of his remaining Knights. Hopelessly outnumbered, Alicia's escort was slaughtered until only a Lance of Knight Gallants remained. At their head stood Alicia's most faithful retainer, Sire Hectour Dar Manticos. While Alicia did her best to play a convincing victim, an ignorant helpless woman trapped in the palm of Blade Aggressor's Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Sire Hectour demanded the surrender of Danial Tan Draconis' forces in exchange for Alicia's life.Despite the pleading of his best friend, Luk Tan Chimaeros, Danial Tan Draconis refused the bargain, leaving Alicia no other choice than to reveal her true allegiance. Chiding herself for thinking that Luk and Danial cared so much for her to break their vows to the Emperor, Alicia Kar Manticos unleashed her sorcerous might. Her first spell turned the aging Grandmarshal Gustev -- the leader of House Minotos -- and his venerable Knight Crusader Thunderhymn into a gigantic Chaos Spawn. The Loyalists could only watch horrified as steel and metal turned to gibbering flesh, probing tentacles and gnashing teeth. The thing that had been Gustev promptly attacked those Knights standing nearest to him.Using the hesitation and confusion of the Loyalist Knights, Alicia summoned her power for a second spell, a ritual of teleportation that would transport her and the three Renegade Knights around her to a safe location while Sire Hectour activated the demolition charges. Re-emerging from the Warp a few leagues further, Alicia witnessed the destruction of the Adeptus Arbites precinct-fortress, the entire complex crushed beneath an avalanche of great stones and masonry. Confident that both the boy-king and her all-too-loyal son had perished and the prophecy had been fulfilled, Alicia turned her back on the scene of her victory, letting Sire Hectour carry her back to the Valle Electrum where her apotheosis awaited.