I must give mention to the elite of these noble warriors, the giants clad in armour of bone. Set apart from the brethren in stature, they too distinguished themselves in the manner in which they fought. Though they were but few in number amongst the army, their actions were equivalent to all of their compatriots. In one instance I observed but five of these warriors slay over one hundred foes in close combat. Their leader was adorned in an ornamented suit of steel covered in the iconography of his brothers. His very presence ensured death for his foes, for no matter who rose to face him he knew no fear. Indeed, I can honestly confess that not once did I behold any of those warriors fleeing from the overwhelming odds arrayed against them. For all of this time, the king and ourselves had watched in awe from the gatehouse. We became aware though, that our allies were steadily giving ground to the enemy, and were thus coming into closer proximity with the fortress. The king immediately cursed himself for his inaction and ordered the catapults loaded, for he was mindful of what we had told him of the effectiveness of our other arms. He then ordered the main gate to be opened so as to allow our allies to gain the cover afforded by our walls. As the gates swung open, he signalled for our artillery to be fired into the midst of the horde, so as to provide some assistance to our saviours. I say saviours, and yet we were aware that the horde of Fabius was still sizeable and continued to advance. The retreat towards our walls continued, although from our perspective it was apparent that this falling back was no rout. The robed warriors gave ground voluntarily, leading their foe on. As it was not clear what they planned, the king ordered his troops mustered inside the gate in case the enemy broke through. Soon the mêlée arrived at the very buttresses of Derax and we witnessed the slaughter of war in all its terrible detail. It was then, that from the black horde arose a creature sired from the depths of hell! Where once had been a figure of human form, now arose a towering fiend the colour of blood, clasping an axe in its colossal fist. The beast smote our allies, scattering them beneath its unholy strikes and we feared that finally Fabius had defeated his foe. Then, from beneath us, we beheld a robed figure approach this demon. We saw that he uttered a challenge to his adversary, although we could not make out his words above the din. The fiend directed his gaze upon this courageous warrior, who had now knelt, and sought to crush him, but there suddenly arose a great spectre between them. Its form was of a cowled man with mighty pinions upon his back. This apparition rose above the field and engaged the demon with its mighty blade. As these titans clashed, all around became quieted, as though all recognised that this combat would decide the day. Though the beast of Fabius was larger, the winged warrior was swifter. His blade, though seemingly insubstantial, cut deeply into the enemy, provoking screams of anguish that rent the air. All the while, the robed warrior who had seemingly initiated this encounter, maintained his vigil amidst the conflict, his head bowed. The crucial battle now reached its climax. With a mighty swing of its arm, the bloody fiend brought its axe crashing through the cowled spectre and howled in triumph. Before its very eyes though, it beheld the invincibility of its foe who, unharmed by this assault, thrust his own weapon deep into the beast. This time the howl was of pain and frustration. The demon tore at the very air around it, as if seeking to cling to existence, but it was to no avail and just as suddenly as it had arrived, it was gone. Disappeared too was its bane, leaving only the kneeling warrior as testament to the encounter. The silence that had descended around the combatants held for but a second longer, before our defenders surged forward. Almost instantaneously we detected a growing noise, which began to shake Derax to its foundations. As it reached a crescendo, we were cast into shadow as scores of great black birds soared from behind Fabius' horde over the battle lines. Each bird carried two warriors who directed fire onto their enemies below with deadly precision. Swooping on the winds, these new arrivals screamed once again over our heads, diving until they were but a man's height above the battle. It was this that finally broke the black horde. Dismayed by attacks from in front, behind and above, they surged away from our position, out onto the plain, pursued all the while by our saviours. We observed this rout for many minutes, indeed many of our knights sallied from the fortress in pursuit themselves, eager to fight amongst such mighty warriors. The king though, overcome with what he had witnessed, descended to the battle line and sought out the leader of the defenders of his kingdom. The robed warriors that had broken off pursuit had now once again knelt in prayer before Derax. Onias strode to the figure that led this ritual and knelt before him in the custom of the vassal of our kingdom. Seeing his actions, many of the remaining nobles followed his lead. Indeed, it was not long before the entire population of the fortress had pledged their allegiance to these men. How we were regarded by our allies at first, I do not know, for they maintained their position until their prayer was done. Then, seeing the surviving lords of Averam before them, they took counsel together for some time. Discourse between the two camps was seemingly impossible, for neither of us understood the others' tongue, but then from Derax came the sage. Unconcerned by unfamiliarity or awe, he moved to the robed men and entered their circle. I know not what truly transpired then, nor I doubt does any man, but the sage conversed for many hours with one warrior, he who had knelt before the titanic duel of beast and spectre. Tales are told that they spoke without words, each simply knowing what the other wished to convey and I do not doubt this to be true knowing the power of such men. Whatever the truth, I know that the sage returned to us the next day and told us of the emperor beyond the stars, of his son the Lion, of his chosen warriors who had fought for our salvation, and his messenger, the angel Azrael. He also conveyed to us the offer of the messenger: to raise up as many knights as wished it to the status of his warriors, so that they might serve the true god and his son for eternity. The king spoke this offer to his people and over one hundred knights joined the angels of the emperor. Amongst them went the sage. The king himself dearly wished to join these warriors, but with his kingdom sacked and without an heir, he nobly submitted to the restraints of duty and remained behind to hold Averam in the name of the Angels. Before they left, the Angels raised a monument to the emperor at Derax and promised to return once every two hundred years to select new knights to join those of the emperor. A number of them remained in Averam long after their brothers had ascended to the heavens, cleansing our sickened land and teaching our people the ways of the emperor. These warriors are now immortalised in the royal palace at Derax, their likenesses carved into the very stone of the king's court. Of the fate of Fabius we know not, but it is foretold that never again whilst the emperor reigns shall he set foot on Averam. And so ends my humble account of the rebirth of Averam from the ashes of its destruction. To you, Lord King Haberon, first monarch of the third age, vassal of the emperor beyond the stars and of his son the Lion, I offer thanks for permitting me to tell of these events, which surely shall be renowned as long as men walk upon Averam. The document ends here. Analysis: compiled in the name of the Emperor by Lex. Alexius Vaan Imperial records suggest that the chapters of the Lamenters and the Nova Marines also participated in the cleansing of Averam, although as you have seen, they are not mentioned in the records of this world. Due to the lack of population on Averam, this is unsurprising. 'Fabius' must be considered a reference to enemy of the Imperium, Fabius Bile. Records tell us that he, with a large number of the Black Legion of the arch heretic attempted to take Averam in order to enslave its population. What we know of Fabius suggests that the purpose of this is likely to have been in some way connected with the abomination's experiments. Samples recovered from the planet revealed evidence of accelerated growth and enhanced body structure in victims of the aforementioned 'pestilence', and it has been hypothesised that Bile is attempting to swell the ranks of the traitor legions. Inquisition resources are currently assigned to the investigation of this grave threat. With reference to the first chapter of the Adeptus Astartes: the providence of the information on these warriors is uncertain. It is recommended that a mission of the Adeptus Ministorum be dispatched to Averam to instruct its people in the Imperial faith and to dispel any superstition that may have taken hold after the events described. It may be prudent to examine other systems in which the Dark Angels have been active in order to assess whether the taint of heresy against Ministorum doctrine is being propagated by the practices of the chapter. Despite these concerns, it is still evident that the Dark Angels remain loyal defenders of the Imperium. As such, no action will be taken at this time. Praise To The Emperor +TRANSMISSION ENDS+ |
CHRONICLE OF AVERAM By Jacob Stow |
FABLES OF THE UNFORGIVEN |
