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Hello again. As a 40k player, I've always believed in adding a personal touch to the armies I command. So, when I came to the Horus Heresy, I was drawn to the fate of the missing legions and decided to re-create the IInd Legion. I've been at it for over half a year now with the intent of creating a working ruleset (in the same format you'd find a normal legion in a Forgeworld HH book) and a story to go with it, focusing on the Primarch Alexandros.

Hope all of you will enjoy my efforts as much as I have.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I believe their operation and conduct should be reported to the Council of Terra, pending censure or dissolution. It wouldn't be the first time a Legion Astartes has overstepped the mark, after all." - Chayne talking to Lord General Namatijira


Before the maelstrom that would come to be known as the Horus Heresy, twenty legions of the Emperor’s Angels of Death roamed the stars. On the greatest of crusades, they were charged with bringing the entire Galaxy into the embrace of the Emperor. Each legion was led by a general, a primarch, a father. Although all were cut from the same mold, experience and people shaped them into a myriad of different men. The Lion, cold and calculating as he planned grand strategies. Angron, rage incarnate as he gorged his chainaxes on blood and flesh. And Horus, first found, the greatest of the Emperor’s sons and to whom would first wear the title ‘Warmaster’.

As the Emperor’s Sons were found and rose to command their legions, the differences between them became more pronounced as more and more were brought into the Imperium’s fold. This led to the belief that each of the Primarchs fulfilled some kind of aspect of war. Corax with his emphasis on stealth, Dorn and his mastery of siegecraft, finally, Magnus armed with his vast knowledge of the Warp.

How vast the differences and roles could be was not obvious from the outset. Mighty and brilliant Horus seemed to embody the populace’s belief on what a Son of the Emperor would be like. Next found was the barbaric Russ. Although lacking the civilized aspect of Horus and the Emperor, all could see an innate majesty emanating from the Wolf King. And no one could doubt either Horus’ or Russ’ aptitude for war. It was easy for the casual observer to guess that all of the Emperor’s Sons would have some mark of nobility and power among them. The third son found did not fit the easy image.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Crusade Army List Appendix: The Halcyon Wardens
Legiones Astartes (Halcyon Wardens)

The Space Marines of the Emperor's Legions are genetically engineered, psycho-indoctrinated warriors with superhuman abilities and minds and souls tempered for war. In addition each individual legion has its own idiosyncrasies and character - the product of their gene-seed and unique warrior culture.

The Halcyon Wardens always remembered that it they were created to serve and protect Humanity and not to simply kill their enemies. To this end, they have sought out the lost conclaves of Humanity and to bring them peaceably into the Imperium's fold, while enriching the lives of its current citizens. When the offer of reunion is rejected or the worlds of the Imperium find themselves under attack, the Wardens will don their shields and march out to meet their enemies to form a living, mobile wall between the enemy and their charges. Guided by the legion's psykers, they hold the line as their enemies batter themselves against their shields before launching precise counter-attacks to bring a quick end to the battle.

"With my Father at our lead and my brothers and I to support him, what force in the galaxy can stop us? With victory guaranteed, we must make the Imperium's ascension as bloodless as possible so that all may enjoy the coming future of prosperity."

-Alexandros Darshan VonSalim, speech given during victory celebration of the Liberation of Balov.



•Legion Astartes (Halcyon Wardens): All units with this special rule may always attempt to regroup regardless of casualties.

•Preeminent Defenders: All units with LA:HW equipped with a shield of any kind, gain +1 Initiative when charged. This bonus is lost in subsequent combat sub-phases beyond the first.

•Shields of the Imperium: All units with LA:HW and any Dreadnoughts part of a HW primary detachment confer a +1 cover save to any non-Xenos units behind them. The entire unit must be equipped with a shield of some kind to confer this bonus. Dreadnoughts ignore this restriction.

•Bonds of Brotherhood: Any Halcyon Warders Primary Detachment may include generic Legion units that utilize other Legion Unique rules in lieu of the Legiones Astartes (Halcyon Wardens) special rule, limited by the Allies Matrix. Units chosen in such a manner retain their own specific Legion Astartes rules and any Benefits or Detriments that may confer. Up to 2 units may be substituted for Battle Brothers, while only 1 unit is allowed for Fellow Warriors. No units are allowed to substitute for either Distrusted Allies or By Order of X! No independent character, HQ, or unique legion units may be chosen.



Unique Legion Wargear

Tower shield – 10 points for characters in terminator armor/15 points for non-terminator characters/50 points as a unit upgrade - Grants +1 to the model's invulnerable save and counts as defensive grenades. Models with a tower shield can never benefit from having two close combat weapons. Available to terminator squads, command squads and characters.

Pugaree - 5 points - Adds +1 to Perils of the Warp roll

Alexandros Darshan VonSalim 450 points
The Strategos, The Seer, Shield-Lord of the Halcyon Wardens

Of all of the Emperor's sons, it was Alexandros who united his world through words alone, bypassing the usual civil war before becoming its sole leader, in deed if not in title. As such, of all the Primarchs, Alexandros has sought the least bloody path on the Great Crusade, relying on his words and his powers of Divination and Telepathy to navigate and re-unite Terra's lost colonies of Humanity. Yet, when words fail or xenos stand in his way, Alexandros is every bit able to fulfill the role of conqueror and general. His lists of conquests are shorter than his brothers for glory has never been his desire. Time devoted to the path of peace slows the Wardens' conquests, and he is always the first to volunteer to aid his brothers while giving them the glory of their inevitable triumph. Not only does he seek peace among humanity, but also among his fellow Primarchs, endeavoring to befriend them and keep his 'family' happy.

Between these two traits, the Lord of the Wardens is not as acclaimed as his brothers. Yet, those with wisdom realize that his influence is far greater than what it appears. Of all the Primarchs, Alexandros has the trust and loyalty of over half of them. The planets and cultures he has liberated have been noted as the most loyal to the Imperium. It is these two facts that make Alexandros one of the most dangerous Primarchs. For if he ever should turn his back on the Imperium, the havoc he would unleash would be terrible.

WS BS S T W I A LD Sv
Alexandros 7 5 6 6 5 7 5 10 2+

Unit Composition
1 (Unique)
Unit Type
Infantry (Character)

Wargear
The Auspice Armor
The Aegis
Xiphos
Ultimatum
Frag grenades
Melta Bombs

Special Rules

Primarch (Independent Character, Eternal Warrior, Fear, Adamantium Will, Fleet, Fearless, It Will Not Die, Master of the Legion)
Sire of the Halcyon Wardens
Psyker Level 4
Foresight
Voice of Reason
Psyker Duelist
Bulky


Special Rules

Sire of the Halcyon Wardens

Whether protecting an Imperium world from attack or exterminating a hostile xeno race, the Lord of the Wardens always directs the battle with special attention to minimizing his casualties, be they Space Marine, Imperial Army, or Mechanicum. As such, he places himself in the most dangerous zone of the battlefield leading his Myrmidon to protect his lines. All units in both primary and allied detachments may use Alexandros' leadership value in lieu of their own for morale and pinning test if Alexandros is in play. Additionally, Alexandros is able to watch over the units closest to them and forewarn them of danger, granting a 6+ Invulnerable save or a +1 to an existing Invulnerable save that can't improve beyond a 3+ save to all units within 12 inches of Alexandros.

Myrmidon may be taken as Troop choices for a Halcyon Wardens primary detachment with Alexandros as Warlord.

Foresight

Before the enemy commander knows that there will be a battle, the Seer already knows where and when it will be. As such, Alexandros may choose two Warlord traits from the Strategic table.

Voice of Reason - Warp Charge 1

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. With his mastery of telepathy, Alexandros has perfected a technique for finding the enemy minds who are plagued with doubt. Using mental communication, enemy formations have been thrown into chaos as warriors have been sent in retreat by Darshan's mind alone.

This is a Malediction power that targets an enemy unit. A successful invocation causes a Morale test with a -1 Modifier for every additional success on the manifestation roll.

Psyker Duelist

With his mastery over Divination, Alexandros has perfected a technique for gazing into the near future even as he is in the middle of war's maelstrom. Alexandros always has the Precognition power.

Armor of Auspice

Upon completing his instruction on Terra, the Emperor himself presented this unique armor to Alexandros. Utilizing lost technology from an earlier age, this artificer armor provides powerful protection, while enhancing Darshan's control over his powers and defend his soldiers from foul warpcraft. This armor provides a 2+ armor save, adds +1 to Perils of the Warp chart, and may roll for Deny the Witch for any unit targeted within 24 inches of him.

The Aegis

With mirroring convictions to protect humanity, Alexandros and Vulkan would prove to be fast friends and learned a great deal from each other. After their first campaign together, Vulkan wished to create a gift for his brother. Instead of accepting, Alexandros asked that Vulkan guide him in creating his own gift. Vulkan assented and the Aegis was the result. The shield combined a power shield and grav generator to protect its owner from harm. The Aegis provides a 4+ Invulnerable Save and increases Alexandros' Toughness by 1 in close combat. Due to its size, Alexandros may never claim an additional attack from being armed with two close combat weapons.

Xiphos

Based on ancient Grekian designs, Xiphos is a perfectly balanced short sword with edges and a point sharpened to a monomolecular level. This weapon was a repayment from Ferrus Manus to Alexandros after the latter arrived as reinforcements during the Parviaten Liberation campaign. It's maneuverability combined with Alexandros skill has ended many opponents with one surgical attack.

Range S AP Type
Xiphos - User 2 Melee, Force, Surgical Strike*

*On to wound rolls of 6, Alexandros wounds regardless of Toughness. Invulnerable saves are allowed.

Ultimatum

Although the Aegis was supposed to be Vulkan's gift to himself, the master smith still found the time to create his own gift for his close brother before they parted. This plasma blaster contains an expertly balanced power system, preventing any kind of overheating and does not have the Gets Hot! special rule.

Note – Alexandros may only roll from the Divination and/or Telepathy disciplines.

Just trying to figure out the image system on this site.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
And again!



And the rest.

Allied Matrix

Battle Brothers
Dark Angels
Emperor's Children
Iron Warriors
White Scars
Space Wolves
Blood Angels
Ultramarines
Thousand Sons
Word Bearers
Salamanders
and the Imperial Army

Fellow Warriors
Iron Hands
Sons of Horus
[Raven Guard]
Mechanicum


Distrusted Allies
Imperial Fists
Death Guard


By Order!
[Night Lords]
[World Eaters]
[Alpha Legion]

???
[The XI Legion strikes again!]


[Here are the blurbs I wrote while I developed the matrix. Have anything you want clarified, merely ask.]

Dark Angels - Battle Brothers - Despite an earlier rivalry between the first two legions, Alexandros puts the past in the past and works to create a bond of friendship utilizing their mirroring masteries of strategy. While the Lion possesses an innate expertise in the art, the Strategos is able to replicate it through his mastery of divination and reading the opposing leader's minds from great distances. The process takes an extraordinary amount of effort and patience on Alexandros' part, but is worded with the Lion's complete trust. Signified by an actual joke from the Lion.

Emperor's Children - Battle Brothers - The Legions of Purple get along easily, aided by their mutual statuses as diplomats of the legions. This is further aided by the primarch's shared interest in artistry. Of course, Alexandros willingness to yield glory to Fulgrim in their allied campaigns has cemented their relationship further.

Iron Warriors -
Battle Brothers - Although initial meetings went poorly due to Alexandros' outward personality and Perturabo's inward personality, the two became the closest of friends over their mutual desire to end conflicts through words alone. The trust between the two would be guaranteed when Perturabo revealed some of his architectural designs to Alexandros. The two form complimentary forces with Perturabo providing the necessary power to destroy enemy fortresses while Alexandros handles field armies, protecting the Iron Warriors as they go about their work.

White Scars - Battle Brothers - The Khan is so often overlooked by his brothers to the point of frustration. Only two brothers have always kept the Khan in his mind: Horus and Alexandros. While others are off-put by the Scars weak organization and their barbaric image, the Strategos is fascinated by the strange ways of his brother and has gone on several hunts with the Khan. Their sons form a truly terrifying force as the White Scars mobility compensates the Wardens slow speed, while the endurance of the Wardens absorbs damage that would lay waste to the Scars.

Space Wolves - Battle Brothers - The outward, energetic natures of both primarchs has led to an undying friendship between the two, aided by Alexandros' restraint in his psyker powers. Both have learned a great deal from the other as have their sons. Due to this, the Cataclysm would permanently scar both Leman Russ and his legion.

Imperial Fists -
Distrusted Allies - Alexandros' open questioning of parts of the Imperial creed has caused Dorn to turn a wary eye on his brother. This wariness and suspicion has spread throughout his legion, lending a more bitter rivalry between the two legions, despite their similar strengths in defensive combat.

Night Lords -
By Order! - Having heard of Alexandros' reputation, Curze refused any kind of meeting and made sure the two never crossed paths. Combined with the blood-filled philosophies of the Night Lords, the Wardens never volunteered to fight with their brothers and no Warden chose the VIII legion for cross-campaigning.

Blood Angels - Battle Brothers - While Dorn and Alexandros find their ideals to be a conflicting point, no such barrier existed between the Seer and the Angel. Their close friendship is enhanced by how well their armies compliment each other with the Wardens maintaining control of the ground war with the Blood Angels dominating the skies.

Iron Hands -
Fellow Warriors - While relations could be closer, alternate philosophies cause differences to be highlighted, but not to a detriment extreme.



World Eaters - By Order! - Angron and the World Eaters are at the polar opposite of what the Wardens represented. Even before Angron's ascension, the War Hounds were treated with disgust and contempt for their wild rage. Alexandros met Angron once. And immediately came to the conclusion that the Butcher's Nail in Angron's head must be removed. Even if it ended with Angron's death, Alex believed that to a far better fate than the personal hell that Angron existed in. He has privately petitioned the Emperor, then Horus for this to happen.

Ultramarines -
Battle Brothers - Both masters of politics, albeit different styles, the two brothers work well together and bond over their different experiences. The Ultramarines well-roundedness can compensate for the weaknesses the Wardens sometimes face in battle.


Death Guard -
Distrusted Allies - Although Alex understands and even respects Mortarion's views and strategy, it still grates him the way his brother treats life. Mortarion finds Alex's optimism naive and his pysker powers as a warning sign.

Thousand Sons -
Battle Brothers - With both legions containing the most psykers, the two share much in identity and in experiences. Yet, their different styles allow the two to learn from each other.

Sons of Horus/Luna Wolves - Fellow Warriors - Though both statesman beyond compare, Horus' focus on overwhelming assault fits uneasily with Alexandros, while Alexandros' incredibly high regard for life is regarded as foolish by Horus. Still, their criticisms of the other are kept civil and the two legions operate fine enough.

Word Bearers -
Battle Brothers - In Lorgar, Alexandros found someone he could reveal one of his few secrets: he doesn't agree with the militant atheism enforced by their father. Though he is not a true believer himself, Alex finds the doctrine limited and potentially harmful. Lorgar is over-joyed to find someone who is not intolerant of his faith and the two become close allies. Likewise, the Word Bearers are able to confide in the Wardens, while the Wardens are able to enjoy a friendship that isn't tainted by fears of their psyker powers.


Salamanders - Battle Brothers - United in their compassion and defense of humanity, the Wardens and Salamanders enjoy each other's company.

Raven Guard - Fellow Warriors - The two primarchs respect each other's strategic specialties, but Corax personally believes that Alexandros' methods are a little wasteful and could benefit from a little guile.]

Alpha Legion - By Order! - Under no circumstance has any Alpha legionnaire been allowed to be near the infamous Seer and the Caryana. The Alpha Legion will not take any chances that they're secrets be revealed by anyone.

Imperial Army - Battle Brothers - Nothing brightens the common soldier's spirits quite like a Warden detachment. The Wardens are one of the favorites of the Imperial Army, who know that they will be valued and defended from threats beyond their ability to fight.

Adeptus Mechanicum - Fellow Warriors - While there are various Wardens who study with the Mechanicum beyond the Forge Lords, the scions of Mars do not generally gel well with the humanity-focused Wardens.

[After finishing my primarch's profile, I wrote and played out a series of duels between him and his brothers to gauge his talents.]

"Come Alexandros," the black-clad giant said. "I know of your disagreements and arguments with Father. Join me, and together we can make the Imperium right. We'll be freed from his tyranny to make the galaxy a better place."

Neither Xiphos sheathed or Ultimatum returned to its holster. "You're right, Horus," Alexandros agreed wearily. "There are some aspects of Father I hate, some laws I would love nothing more than to destroy. But do you know what I hate most, Horus?"

Horus' grip on Worldbreaker tightened. "That is?"

"I hate the Ruinous Powers most of all," Alexandros seethed, his mood matching his fiery red hair. "And so long as you stand by them, I stand against you."

"So be it."


Alex's powers - Forewarning/Misfortune/Shriek/Hallucination
Alex first. Duelist, nothing else. 1 wound from Ultimatum. Alex scores 2 more wounds on Horus. Aegis blocks. Horus gets IWND.
Horus. Alex scores 1 wound. Horus scores 1 wound. No IWND.
Alex. Horus wounds 1 with Talon. (Alex - WS: 6, S: 5). Alex wounds 1. No IWND.
Horus. Alex kills Horus


A roar resounds throughout as the Warmaster desperately to find a way through Aegis, loud blows ringing as Worldbreaker smashes against it again and again. But Alexandros is dueling against two Lupercals, the present and the future. Xiphos finds hole after hole in the Warmaster's defense until one strike pierces Horus' chest, puncturing one of his hearts. Rage and pain fuel Horus as he swings again, this time the blow defeats, not Aegis, but Alexandros' concentration. The future is denied him, but he still has his speed. Horus brings Worldbreaker down and Alexandros sees his chance. Narrowly deflecting the infamous weapon, Alexandros shoots forward, and Xiphos impales Horus between the eyes.

Preface

Even the brightest stars can cast the deepest shadows.

Many will assume I speak of the infamous Warmaster and the Heresy, but the shadows I speak of began many years before the Warmaster began his path of damnation.
For the first cracks of our seemimgly-unbreakable unity had its roots not in the vaunted XVIth legion, but in the lost legions of IInd and XIth.
Perhaps if we had not been so quick to forget these two infamous legions, perhaps we would have been prepared for the shadows ahead.
For before their respective Falls, they too stood with us during the Great Crusade. They too earned their shares of victories and glories.
They too radiated their own lights before Fate cruelly extinguished them.

Make no mistake. My other volumes will stand in the light, revealing truth as others will dare to call them false and words of darkness.
Yet, while this volume will radiate with truth as do the others, it is doomed to remain in the night.
For the Emperor's Ban remains in effect to this day. And so, though I believe this truth deserves to exist,
it will be a silent existence known only to a few.
A 'lost' volume to mirror the lost legions.

I saw with eyes then young and this is my testament. I was there when Tallarn burned and
Keoptis drowned in oceans of blood. I witnessed the skies of Terra riven with lightning and shadow on the day
that the Warmaster came and hell that followed him. I heard the funeral bell toll for the Emperor of Humanity and wept.

I remember.

"Are you sure you're well enough?" Alexandros inquired as he studied his brother before him. "I thought you were still recovering from Davin?"

Horus shook his head as he familiarized himself with Worldbreaker's weight. "I am mostly recovered and can't afford to remain idle for longer. Not with Roboute's rebellion and the Space Wolves gone mad." He grunted as he readied himself for their practice bout. "I should be at the head of the fleet, not Dorn."

Darshan said nothing. Of late, he saw troubling shadows in the futures he would watch. The shadows were growing stronger, tainting more and more possibilities. With great worry, he knew Dorn stood close to the shadows in more than half of the futures he foresaw.

"The dampening field is engaged. Let's begin."

Alex's powers: Forewarning/Perfect Timing/Hallucination/Psychic Shriek
Alex goes first. No Duelist and Shriek flounders. Ultimatum does nothing.
Horus. Shoots, nothing, charges, Alex does nothing, Horus scores 1 wound w/WorldBreaker. Alex gets IWND.
Alex. Gets Duelist, Horus swings first, 1 wound w/Talons, (Alex - WS: 6 S: 5), Horus saves all of Alex's attacks. No IWND
Horus. Alex first, 1 wound on Horus, then 1 wound on Alex (Alex - Ws: 5, S: 4). Alex gets IWND.
Alex. Duelist & Perils cuts 1 Wound (Power Drain), no wounds on Horus who slices 3 wounds off Alex (Alex - WS: 2, S: 1). Horus gets IWND and is full health.
Horus. Alex fails to get a successful to-wound roll. Aegis saves Alex from death. No IWND.
Alex. Yes Duelist. No to wounding Horus or Alex. Alex gets IWND.
Horus. Alex wounds Horus 1, Worldbreaker wounds Alex 1. Alex gets IWND.
Alex. 1 wound off Alex (Alex - WS: 1, S: 1). No IWND.
Horus. 1 wound off Alex, concussive. No IWND.
Alex. Duelist & Perils, loses 1 Wound. Horus can't kill Alex, while 1 wound off Horus. Alex gets IWND.
Horus. Nothing happens. Horus gets IWND.
Alex. Perils, 1 wound. 1 more wound from Worldbreaker. Alex gets IWND.
Horus.
Alex. Horus defeats Alex.


After an hour of fighting, both Horus and Alexandros are drenched in sweat and bruises. Some of the bruises are the remains of rapidly healing broken bones. In the end, Darhsan's divination could not overcome his brother's skill, Horus' talons around his neck. With a gasp, Alexandros pulled back and sheathed Xiphos. "I must admit, when I came here with Lorgar and Magnus, I had originally seen myself as providing spiritual support." He remembered Lorgar's chosen duty and quickly amended, "Metaphorically, of course."

Horus chuckled. "Are you telling me the great Seer can still be surprised?"

Alexandros matched the chuckle. "Sometimes." Without warning, Dorn wrapped in a great cloak of darkness appeared before him. In an instant, the vision was gone. He resisted a grimace, not wanting to worry Horus. "Sometimes."

The Halcyon Wardens

Numeration: The IInd Legion

Primogenitor: Alexandros Darshan VonSalim

Cognomen (Prior): Storm Riders

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Liberation and Defensive Operations, Attritional Warfare, Enforced Pacification, Psyker and Counter-psyker operations, Co-ordinated Mass-theatre Warfare, Armoured Support Operations

Noteworthy Domains: The Delos System, Terra (Tertiary), the Balov System, and twenty-six systems under Protectorate status

Allegiance: Perierat

"To be granted a Governorship is always a high honor, but what that entails differs depending on whom came before. To become a governor of a planet brought into Compliance by the Night Lords means inheriting an obedient but terrified and disgruntled population who would love nothing more than to lash out against you but are kept in check by their own terror. To govern a planet conquered by the Word Bearers carries its own risk as the population will forever belong to the Imperium, but at the price of whispered superstitions and a strange adaption of the Imperial Creed. Finally, to be a governor of a planet liberated by the Halcyon Wardens requires you to forget their previous disobedience and treat them with the utmost respect as citizens of the Imperium. Do this and you will be rewarded with a peaceful and prosperous reign for the Wardens have already done the hard work."

Archai Luka Jovinius
Planetary Governor of Izanki

"I remember everything."

Horus Aximand waited for his liege to expound, but the Warmaster left the words hanging in the air as he retrieved Worldbreaker. When it became clear an explanation would come later, Aximand surveyed the survivors of the Emperor's trap. The corpses of hapless Justaerians were scattered here and there. Out of the members of the Mournival, only one had escaped unharmed.

We took a beating, Aximand noted as he felt his own injuries trouble him.

"Indeed, you did!"

There are few things that can surprise a space marine. Even fewer can surprise a Primarch. Thus, Aximand's shock was twofold. The first from the voice. The second when he noticed the Warmaster's confusion. Standing between them and the cave's exit was a giant clad in magnificent purple armor touched with red. For a brief moment, Aximand thought Fulgrim had come to them. But then he saw the red hair and the being's face.

"Impossible," Horus whispered. "Alexandros...you were lost."

The lost Primarch released an amused laugh. "Ah, in a sense, I was. Surprises, all around, eh brother?"

Despite the easy grin and the casual way Alexandros held himself, Aximand quickly noted the unsheathed sword and the plasma blaster in his hands. Before Aximand could prepare, a voice in his mind ordered, "Drop."

With a painful clatter, Aximand fell to his knees, along with the other Sons of Hours. Only Horus stood.

"It's impossible," Horus hissed. "You can't be on Molech."

Alexandros shrugged as he took a few steps forward. "Perhaps I am not. Perhaps I am just another defense of Father's come here to torment you with my image before I slay you. Either way," he finished as he aimed his plasma blaster at Horus. "Are you willing to bet your life on that 'impossibility'?"

Last Round.
Vs. Horus
Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Shriek/Invisibility (Interesting)
Horus first. Ineffective firing.
Alex. Both Duelist & Invisibility go off. No perils. Ultimatum burns 1 wound off Horus. Xiphos takes 1 more. Horus misses. Horus gets IWND.
Horus. Serpenta protects Horus. Horus still can't hit. Horus gets IWND.
Alex. Both powers go off, Horus fails Deny. (Only got 1 success on Duelist, so only used 4 Deny dice instead of all 6.) Horus loses 2 wounds. Horus hits! Aegis laughs. No IWND.
Horus. Xiphos stabs 1 wound off. Horus 1 hit, Aegis laughs. Horus gets IWND.
Alex. Alex very narrowly gets both. Horus no Deny. Serpenta protects as does Aegis. No IWND.
Horus. Xiphos cuts 2 wounds. Worldbreaker finds Alex for 1 wound! Alex gets IWND. Still concussive.
Alex. Duelist - rolls three 1's & a 6. Horus rolls all 6 Deny and gets one 5. What the heck!? Invisibility causes Peril. Alex loses 1 wound. Talons blocked. Xiphos takes final wound.

Alex wins.

Time slows as Aximand can only watch his gene-father struggle against this newest challenger. To his horror, the Warmaster is whittled down with quick and precise thrusts that find weakpoints in Horus' armor. Then the world stops turning as Alexandros, laughing and enjoying himself, parry's Worldbreaker before embedding his short sword in the Warmaster's skull.

In that moment, he cursed the day he ever heard of the world Molech.

All of the legions were made to serve Humanity. To reclaim our lost outposts of civilizations, to extend our dominion over the entire galaxy, and to protect those borders once established, that was their mission. At times, it is difficult to remember this since they stand above us in stature, both literally and metaphorically. Yet, the Halcyon Wardens never forgot this and struggled the most to ensure Humanity's security. Always ready to sacrifice possible glory for guaranteed safety, the II legion never matched the long lists of victories and triumphs of its brother legions. However, no legion could claim the heart of the common Man as the II legion could. For the Wardens not only worked harder to protect the Imperium, they made the most effort to connect with Humanity on a personal level. It was not an uncommon sight for Wardens to interact with the common man, to speak with and to learn from each other. It was perhaps for this very reason that when tragedy befell the Wardens, the Imperium as a whole was quick to forget, for to remember was too painful.

Origins: The Armored Spear

Few remember, but the original, Terran-based II Legion was a much different beast than what it would become under the ideals of their Primarch. In those early days, the II Legion consistently displayed a much more aggressive temper as they fought in the Unification Wars. The legion as a whole adopted and gradually mastered a variety of assault tactics as they preferred to meet their enemy face-to-face before destroying them, whether it be by bloodied blade or by grinding tanks. Early theorists believed that this was perhaps a side effect of their unique gene-seed, but these theories would eventually be disproven by later evidence.

Instead, the IInd Legion's belligerent temperament toward war seemed to be rooted in the psychological rather than any biological predispositions. Although the IInd Legion achieved combat readiness and deployment earlier than many of its brother legions, any glory or victory gained was always in the shadow of the Ist Legion. Additionally, the First Legion enjoyed the privilege of testing out experimental prototypes of war. Thus, an early rivalry formed, an unusual exception to the unity shown by most Terran Astartes, though several remembrancers would point to this event as early evidence for the flaw carried within their gene-seed.

To establish their own supremacy, the Second Legion began to shift an emphasis on close-combat tactics. Legionnaires became more proficient with hand-to-hand weapons, and assault squads began to displace tactical squads as the typical legion unit. Soon, they forged a proficiency and a reputation for being melee specialists, but at a price. Even when protected by power armor, casualties among the Second Legion were rising to then-current highs. Yet, none could argue against the effectiveness and potentially morale-breaking attacks their tactics were causing. A solution came in the form of new assault vehicles. For the first time, a legion other than the First tested out what would become known as the Land Raider.

So much death, Alexandros as he peered over the 'battlefield'. He did not understand why he had been given this command. He did not understand what being could possibly believe that the Wardens and the Eaters belonged on the same planet. Most of all, he did not understand why Angron couldn't stop himself from charging his army right through the enemy and then into the planet's capital and butcher every man, woman, and child. No, he could understand, he just didn't want to. The Emperor had wanted a berserker. So, one of his brothers was a gore-covered, madness-ridden berserker.

He could see it all. The mindless hatred aura that covered and indwelled within the World Eaters as they murdered the city. The dark hues of fear, hatred, and despair that was the city's population, both the civilians and the few remaining enemy combatants. He could hear it all. The thundering mono-thoughts of the World Eaters as murder and pleasure were mixed into one hideous cocktail. The few World Eaters who were not lost to the Nails and were only trying to keep up with their maddened brothers. And he could hear the desperate last pleas screaming from the butchered. Every parent trying to console their child. Every husband trying to protect their wife. Every single agonizing screech as a chain-axe massacred another. Every. Single. One.

"I will not stand for this," he whispered to himself.

Only Pyrrhicles at his side heard him. "My lord?"

For the first time in his life, Alexandros could feel hate growing within him. "I will not stand for this," he seethed. He glanced over his lines. The Wardens remained outside the city, forbidden to take part of the slaughter. He quickly gave the order. "My sons! Protocol Sigma! We will have five minutes before the enemies reach our lines!"

The legion obeyed. "Sigma, my lord?" Pyrrhicles inquired. Protocol Sigma was a formation and a series of priority tasks with the expectation of meeting an extremely dangerous enemy attack at full defensive strength. It was the only protocol that did not contain any counter-strikes or maneuvers. It was a wall. An impenetrable wall to stop anything.

Time to give it a real test. "Prepare, Pyr. This will be an infamous day." He activated a different vox channel meant for one particular group within the legion. "My Caryana! Watch and do as I do."

Alexandros gathered his psychic might and focused it on Angron and a few hundred World Eaters near him that were lost to the Nails. It was a single telepathic thought that repeated one word: pain. Alexandros knew that use of the warp vexed his brother and had either restrained his powers or stayed away from him out of polite respect. Now, he used that weakness against him. The Caryana followed his example and spread a net of telepathy over the World Eaters. The change was quick as the butchers felt it. For a moment, Alexandros could see Angron twitching and thought he may very well ignore it. Then he changed course. As did his legion.

The final quarter of the city was spared as the majority of the World Eaters did an about face and ran from them, leaving the few cognizant World Eaters incredibly confused. Alexandros waited until the vanguard units exited the city before he gave the order. "The World Eaters seek to kill us. Fire." The World Eaters forward lines disappeared in explosions and blood as Warden ballistics scythed through them.

It would not stop them.

Charging straight through the chaos was Angron. Coming directly at Alexandros. "I will deal with him," Alexandros voxed to his legion. "Focus your fire on the World Eaters."

With two hate-filled roars, the Seer and the Red Angel clashed.

Alex's Usable Powers - Hallucination/Invisibility


Angron wins the first roll and scores the first wound with some plasma.

Alex becomes invisible, but Angron's screaming interrupts his combat divination. Ultimatum does nothing before Alex takes another plasma while charging. To his dismay, his inflicted 3 wounds are all saved by the Armor of Mars, while Angron inflicts yet anther wound on him. Alex gets IWND.

Angron cuts off another wound before Alex scores his first wound against him. No IWND.

Alex has nothing as Angron Denies Duelist and Invisibility sputters. Angron makes his one needed save before he ends the fight with an extra wound thrown on Alex for kicks and giggles...

[Hard to gauge since the psychic phase went poorly for Alex, and 10 attacks is nothing to scoff at.]


Alexandros did not know if it was his rage or his opponent's that crippled his concentration. The air was saturated and tore at him as he fought his brother. His battle-sight stolen from him, his technique was overwhelmed by the frenzied whirlwind before him as the massive chain-axes ripped chunks of his flesh off. It did not take a prophet to see where this fight was going. A glance at his electronic displays revealed the rest of the battle fared not much better. The World Eaters had suffered hideous casualties yet had also inflicted horrors in return. Activating a vox to his legion, Alexandros gave an order he had never once even thought of during his entire service as one of the Great Crusade's masters. "Retreat!"

With the advent of assault vehicles, three major changes occurred. First, casualty rates, while never high enough to threaten the Legion's existence, drastically fell. At the time, the IInd Legion lagged behind some of the other legions' rate of growth, especially the stable IVth Legion. With the new growth, the Legion was able to split between three expeditionary fleets upon the advent of the Great Crusade. Second, the emphasis on assault squads waned, but remained higher than most legions. Instead, tactical squads armed with close combat weapons would enjoy a renewed prominence, until the introduction of terminator armor. Alongside the Luna Wolves, the IInd Legion were vocal proponents of the new assault units. Third, an elite corps of vehicle commanders grew within the Legion, garnering experience and honor. The IInd Legion would be one of the few legions were a tank commander could ascend to the upper echelons of command and still continue their service from within their original assigned vehicle.

The new changes occurred shortly after the Albyon campaign, which would become a future recruiting site for the IInd Legion. Originally, while recruits came from all corners of Terra during its earliest days, the lion's share of bodies would come from Jermani. This small techno-barbarian state would be one of the few Terran political entities to wholly embrace the Emperor's new Imperium. At the time, Jermani was divided into a caste system with the ruling caste composed of warrior-priests, who alternated between warring with their neighbors and each other. However, no matter how much they appeared to be divided, they were united in their religion with some minor variations. Chief among their tenets was the prophecy of the OberMann. Coming from an ancient prophet in M2, it was predicted that one day the OberMann, or the Supreme Human, would one day come and unite the various tribes and led them into a glorious 10,000 year reign.

To them, the Emperor was the individual they had long awaited. With the exception of only one Bischof who was summarily executed, Jermani rallied behind the Emperor. The Emperor accepted them into Jermani and would gradually erase the religious overtones. (Of course, not long after the end of the Horus Heresy, Jermani quickly returned to its past as the Imperial Cult has made a powerful resurgence that grows at a phenomenal rate to this day.) Their soldiers, the infamous Blitzers or Lightning Warriors, had developed a reputation for both fearlessness and close-quarter tactics, their preferred weapon being the ancient yet reliable shotgun. Many of the Lightning Warriors would become Legiones Astartes, while the remaining soldiers joined the Imperial Army.

The new legion would first test themselves against the isle nations of Albyon, which had avoided the Imperium's early list of conquests due to its small strategic value. After the Albyon campaign and the integration of the assault tanks, the IInd Legion would practice their new legion organization in the Liberation of Nordafrik Conclaves. The campaign had been well underway for several years as part of a multi-front war against the state of Ursh, and was currently at a stalemate. The stalemate broke as the mechanized IInd legion smashed through several Ursh defense lines, allowing the Imperial Army to advance and eventually push the Ursh forces completely out of Afrik.

Thus, the IInd legion became renown as masters of armor assaults and close quarter tactics as the Unification Wars came to an end and the Great Crusade began. No other legion could field an equal body of talented cavalry officers, and so the legion found itself deployed against enemy armies that featured large or skilled mechanized units. Many battles left landscapes filled with burning wrecks as no armored unit could hope to withstand against the veteran IInd. The Legion also deployed in many urban warfare scenarios where the Legion shined as they cleared streets and buildings of enemy forces. For a time, the IInd Legion enjoyed nothing but a growing series of accomplishments and honors.

Plague of Madness

During the seventh year of the Great Crusade, a transformation fell on the IInd Legion. It began when several legionnaires exhibited the abilities to foresee the future and read the thoughts of others. Then the few became a few dozen, then a few hundred, then a few thousand. As these psykers developed, many of them discovered their abilities either limited or unable to grow beyond the powers of divination and telepathy with some exceptions. While the change was unexpected, the IInd Legion quickly put these psykers to work, augmenting legion combat efficiency. With the ability to predict enemy maneuvers and disorient their minds, the Legion enjoyed its new advantage on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, this tool of war turned against its masters. The first documented case happened during the Ork Extermination campaign in the Hamadan cluster. A legionnaire, 3rd Lieutenant Froid, was leading his brothers on a flank attack against a small mob. Another legion element was to open fire and draw the attention of the mob before Froid's unit launched a rear attack and crush them. Moments before the trap was ready, Froid, who had been using his powers to reveal the xenos' exact positions in cover, abruptly gave the order to charge, ruining their element of surprise and support. Throughout the entire melee, the officer was shouting and screaming with unheard of barbarity as they fought. Even with the assistance of their support element, the greenskins died only after inflicting high casualties, including Froid himself who was bifurcated by a power klaw.

Lieutenant Froid's case would not be the last. Less than two months later, a veteran sergeant by the name of Goverian succumbed to an affliction of acute paranoia and was removed from active duty before he could do harm. Then a new recruit, one who had never shown any signs of being a psyker, was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder after his second campaign. What began as a trickle grew into a dismal steady pool of mental health issues, though it never neared the catastrophic levels of the Thousand Sons' flesh-change affliction. The most infamous incident occurred when Lord Commander Yeshie, the head of the Legion itself, fell under the sway of schizophrenia and died of it.

Unfortunately, while the legion was never crippled by this strange endemic of madness, their reputation took a much more critical wounding. Although the Great Crusade fought against improper beliefs, especially inane superstitions, rumors pointed to an ill-define curse upon the IInd Legion. Imperial Army units ordered to field with the Legion were more wary, and this suspicion (though not entirely misplaced) hampered cohesion and the operational effectiveness. To their brother legions, the IInd Legion became something of a minor embarrassment, which had a far greater impact on the Legion's reaction to their new struggle.

In order to stem the tide, new Chapter Master, Lord Commander Irvin Ruel, enacted a general ban on battle psykers since they represented the majority of the afflicted. Additionally, a reinforced Chaplain Corps was given the important duty for policing the Legion and discovering and intercepting any incidents that may follow. His efforts proved to be a balm on the issue, decreasing the number of incidents, but never outright ending them. It would ultimately take a Primarch to provide a more powerful solution.

Alexandros gave his shield another wipe as he asked, "When do you deploy?"

Across from him, similarly engaged in weapon maintenance, Angron answered, "Tomorrow, at oh-four-hundred. I should reach Isstvan V at Dorn's appointed time. Together, we will put an end to Guilliman's foolishness."

"Sad it has come to this," Alex finished as put away his tools. "Are you prepared to fight Roboute if the situation forces your hand?"

"If honor demands it," Angron replied, his hand subconsciously sliding over the scar where the Bucther's Nails used to be. "However, I am optimistic that it will not come to that. What hope does Guilliman have against seven legions?"

"None, though be alert," Alex warned as he stood. "I suspect there might be something more going on."

Angron paused as he studied his brother. "Have you had a vision?"

"I haven't, yet. It's just a feeling." Alex glanced at the famous chainaxes that Angron wielded. "Perhaps a training bout is in order? You will need to be in peak form if you hope to defeat Roboute without killing him."

Angron smiled as his thumb hovered over the activation rune. "I think you overestimate his chances."



Alex's Usable Powers - Shriek (The narrowest selection of powers to date)

Angron wins the roll. The Spite Furnace fires and fails to wound.

Alex tries Shriek but it fails to score higher than a 10 on the LD check, while he barely gets Duelist. Two wounds with plasma, but Angron's armor saves him. Overwatch fails to wound as Alex makes the charge. In top form, Alex proceeds to get most of his hits, which end up as 4 wounds on Angron, while the Red Angel does only 1 in return with no FNP saves. No IWND.

Angron does another wound before Alex shows him up by unleashing three wounds on his brother, but Angron gets 2 FNP saves, just barely keeping him in the fight.

Duelist is maintained as Alex suffers 1 more wound before ending Angron with 1 wound to spare, mirroring their last fight.

[My gosh. These duels go so quickly. Maybe Dornian Heresy Angron is just too nice to be able to win?]


Even against his brother's legendary skill, Alex's command over the future allow him to control the flow of battle. A feint turns into a debilitating blow against Angron. A scratch on Alex leads to defeat as Angron is tripped and sent sprawling onto the floor. With a blade to his neck, Angron sighs. "I yield."

Name: Delos
Classification: Legiones Astartes Home World [Imperial Civilized World]

System Data: DS/1564//δτ
Stellar-Grid: 13-BAT/LV-247
Segmentum: Solar/Fifty-Seventh Quadrant

Notation: Temperate, Rich in Mineral Resources
Native Population: 11 Billion
++[Fiefdom of the Halcyon Wardens]++
++[Current Status: Unknown]++


A New Perspective

Against this background of mistrust and struggle, the IInd Legion was ordered by the Emperor himself to re-assemble the entire Legion underneath his command. Rumors spread throughout the Legion serfs and other allied human contingents that this could only mean that the Emperor was to formally act against the Legion and warned that the Legion would be pulled from the Great Crusade and made to wait on Earth where they could no longer sully the honor of the Legiones Astartes, much like their brothers in the XVth Legion.

The rumors were proven false as the Legion rendezvous at the ordered coordinates. Waiting for them were not only the Emperor's flagship, but the flagships of his only two found sons: Horus and Russ. The IInd Legion were to take their place for an unique, temporary Expeditionary Fleet. Their target? The Delos System, which lay just beyond the Imperium's latest conquests. The rumors of degradation withered away as newer, more exotic rumors took their place, trying to explain how one system could require the personal involvement of the Emperor and his Sons. They spoke of an unheard of and deadly xeno threat that would need a decade to exterminate, a lost treasure trove of the Dark Age of Technology guarded by ancient machines, and, lastly, that another lost Primarch had been located.

Old Night had left a weak scar on the Delos system. When it struck, the Delos system became bereft of its connection to Humanity and had surrendered to fear as a brief, intense civil war reduced its technology levels to pre-Industrial capabilities. Yet, the blow was temporary and several planets including Delos Prime were still rich in natural resources. In time, the Delians struggled to return to their past prosperity, eventually spawning several new civilizations that would commit war and diplomacy against one another. Technological progress suffered when xenos raiders targeted the system, stealing valuable resources and destroying scientific centers, in moves obviously meant to impede advancement, all the while, never outright attempting to destroy the Delians, despite possessing the capability to do so. Though these setbacks greatly hampered progress and caused great fear of these 'night demons', these attacks would aid the Delians' on the road to political unity. Unfortunately, it was unknown which scenario would occur first: the Delians' eventual annihilation or developing the means to fight off their monsters.

That answer arrived in an incubation pod. Landing near a village within the small Hellasan state of Massidon, the Primarch was discovered and adopted by the local magistrate. Only a few years would pass before Alexandros was known throughout the planet, making his mark through his military victories over their xenos parasites, while becoming an unparralleled statesman. While other brothers conquered their homeworlds with force, Alexandros would take the longer,more difficult, and less trodden road of unification solely through diplomacy. With his innante, Emperor-given gifts, this nigh impossible feat was accomplished in a decade. Not only was he appointed as supreme military commander & de facto political leader, Alexandros had invested small portions of his time into technology and science causing a new boom of innovation and progress.

It was to this prosperous system the Emperor and his armies arrived. Knowing four days before the first of the Imperial ships would reach the system, Alexandros began a subtle propaganda campaign that would plant the seeds for the inevitable Imperial compliance. Broadcasting planet-wide, the Primarch spoke to his people of his dreams. He dreamed of reuniting with the rest of the Humanity. A dream to share in lost technologies. A dream of an even brighter future, where they were made whole. Although it seemed obvious, we must remember we have the benefit of hindsight, and the Delians had no knowledge of the Imperium.

Thus, when the Emperor arrived, his Son was waiting and willing to join the Great Crusade. The Compliance of Delos was achieved quickly as Alexandros departed from his homeworld to Terra to learn directly from his Father. It was during this time he would learn about the Imperium and his place in it. Once his time came to an end, he would finally take his place at the head of the Storm Riders.

Few legions have undergone such a drastic change as the IInd Legion did with Alexandros' ascension. Renaming the Legion as the Halcyon Wardens, Alexandros changed the appearance and guiding principles of the legion. No longer was the priority on destroying the enemy, but on preserving Humanity. Instead of aggressive assaults, Alexandros molded the legion into a powerful defensive army that could absorb much firepower before unleashing devastating counter-attacks or force their enemies into suicidal charges. With contemporary warfare involving close quarter fighting as much as long-range ballistics, an ancient tool of war was resurrected and underwent an apotheosis through technology: the shield.

Well that was absolutely worth the read. Some great ideas that you've realised effectively. I look forward to reading more!

Thanks, I was starting to wonder if there was no interest at all!

Lorgar could hear the Warp as it reacted and absorbed the battle around them. He could feel a crescendo building up and knew what he had to do. He began chanting as Roboute continued to fight Angron before him. Against Angron's power, Roboute was being pushed back, let alone able to intercept Lorgar, even if he recognized what Lorgar was doing. Success was only a breath away for him.

Focused on his ritual, he did not hear the vox warn him about the new fleet entering the system. He didn't hear about how the largest of the new warships was now above planet. He did notice it when a dark-purple drop pod crashed to the surface only a few feet from the dueling Primarchs. Their fight paused as the doors blasted open. A ghost stepped out.

"Alex?" Roboute murmured.

"Roboute, stop Lorgar and his ritual!" Alexandros declared as he charged. "Angron is mine!"


Alex's Usable Powers - Shriek/Hallucination

[Angron's attacks set at 8]

Alex wins the first roll. Despite 10 warp charges (and throwing 2 & 4 into Shriek & Duelist, respectively), both of those powers end up as duds, while Hallucination causes Warp Surge with Alex passing the LD test. Ultimatum does nothing against the Red Angel.

Angron, ironically, proves to be a much better shot, but Aegis blocks the plasma. Angron makes his charge and, despite everything, fails to wound Alex because of his invigorated warp invul saves, Alex has the same trouble, failing to hit with all but 1, which is saved by Angron's invul save.

Alex devotes his focus to Duelist and keeps it without Peril, scoring 1 wound on Angron, while taking 2 from the berserker. No IWND.

Angron deals another wound, while taking 1 from Alex, FNP ignoring the other. No IWND.

This time, Angron suffers from Hallucination & Alex has duelist, which allows Alex to stab another wound off Angron before the Red Angel fails to harm the Shield. Alex gets IWND.

Angron takes 2 wounds this time as he causes 2 wounds in return. Angron gets IWND, placing them both on 2 wounds left.

Alex has nothing, but then Mr. 2 decides that Angron is his best buddy. Out of 8 attacks, 6 of them are 2's, making them useless along with a 1, and the single resulting wound comes up as a 1, sparing Alex from an embarrasing curbstomp. Alex's chance at ending the fight before another round of mass attacks against his power-less self fail as he only inflicts 1 wound. No IWND.

Angron, pissed off his pysker enemy is still alive and slowly turning his headache into a full-blown migraine launches himself at Alex. But Mr. 2 is still hanging around and gives him another 6 hit dice with his face on it. Angron is not pleased, but he does wound twice this time. With only 2 wounds left, Alex throws his invul saves and rolls a 1....and a 4, saving him from defeat. In return, despite not having Duelist, he rolls 5 hits and wounds with 3 of them. Angron, who swears who will murder Mr. 2 in incredibly horrific and painful ways, rolls his invul saves and gets a 4, a 5, and a.....2, removing his last wound.


[When I saw the gaggle of 1s, 2s, and 3s, for Alex's psychic rolling, I thought that was it. Then Angron rolled so. many. 2s. It was ridiculous, to say the least, which seems to be the theme of the Angron/Alex duels. I guess their mutual hatred of each other translates into obnoxious rolling. Make no mistake, despite 2 defeats, Angron is truly terrifying when the attacks start piling on. He's like a wrecking ball coming straight at you. Pray that he misses or you're in a world of hurt.]


With the Warp so close to the surface of reality, Alexandros found it a boon and a curse. Utilizing it, he was able to lock the Red Angel in an imaginary tornado that howled at him, giving him an edge to the fight as he predicted his monstrous brother's attacks. Yet, blinding him caused Angron to wildly throw his rage everywhere around him, making any offense against him a hazardous endeavor. Choosing not to attack was not an option as Alexandros threw himself into the whirlwind, finding the holes in Angron's defenses to wound the madman but suffering the teeth of the massive chainblades in return.

Abruptly, the warp turned against him as Lorgar was able to partially redirect it away from Alex. The Shield-Lord felt crippled without his third sight as Angron's furious gaze locked onto his form. Despite being devoid of his powers, Alexandros was still a primarch. Angron smashed into him, breaking ribs as Xiphos impaled him several times. Screaming his endless hatred, Angron grabbed him and tossed him into the nearest building where Alex crashed through several walls before stopping just on the other side of it.

Groaning, Alex hopped back into his feet and saw his enemy charging again. Hoping he was fast enough and still cursing Lorgar, Alex counter-charged, the two primarchs running at each other at speeds beyond any human's ability to see. At the last moment, Alex dived beneath Angron. Although small, Alex underestimated his own size as one of Angron's feet broke his wrist as Alex cut through Angron's thigh. Angron roared as his charge slipped off course and slammed through a different portion of the building. With so many of its support pillars nothing but debris, the commercial block lost its own fight with gravity and began to collapse.

Holding both sword and shield between his fingers, Alex raced out of it in time to see Roboute score a critical wound against Lorgar before a fog of smoke and debris covered them all. Sounds of battle penetrated the fog, but offered no real guidance to the Seer as he waited for Angron's next attack. It came with no subtlty as Angron screamed at Alex as he charged out of the cloud. Alexandros reacted with uncharacteristic surprise and threw Xiphos at him. Neither of them expecting the attack, Xiphas sang through the air before burying itself into Angron's forehead.

Angron collapsed as inertia drove his body all the way up to Alexandros' feet. The Seer stared at it, waiting for his brother to jump up and attack again. It never came. Only Lorgar's roar of defiance and defeat as his plan to save Angron finally died.

Remade with adamantium and powerful generators, the shield would become the symbol of Alexandros as he campaigned across the galaxy. Able to defend against both melee and ballistic weaponry, it offered a utility hinged on its size from the small, agile combat shields to the elite, mammoth tower shields. More importantly, in Alexandros' eyes, it sacrificed a small portion of offensive power for a greater degree of defense that could be shared by both wearer and any units behind him.

While the shield remained as the legion's most visible change, Alexandros wrought another, greater change upon taking command. The incidents of insanity that had reeked havoc upon the IInd Legion simply stopped. Curiously, for a Primarch who had been infamous for his insistence on transparency, how this came to be is still unknown. Where truth remains hidden, rumor is more than eager to fill its place. From early whispers of the Emperor himself secretly curing the legion to the latter fears of daemonic pacts, none could be sure. Whenever questioned on the subject, Alexandros would merely offer a wink, a grin, and say, "Que sera, sera."

Regardless of the mystery, in a decade, Alexandros had completed his transformation of his legion. With his new combat doctrines and philosophy of command, the Halcyon Wardens transitioned from being ostracized to being a welcome sight on the battlefield. With his men in full control of themselves, their brother legions and the Imperial Army could rely on them to do their part. With the Wardens taking special care to defend the Imperial Army on deployments, the mortals fighting for the Emperor released their former suspicions and eventually cheering at the mere sight of the Wardens.

However, they never truly reclaimed their former glory of the early days of the Great Crusade. While enjoying an enormous amount of trust and respect from their allies, Alexandros preferred a slower pace of conquest than that of his brothers, save the infamous Lorgar before Monarchia. Insisting on going above and beyond the objective of Compliance, each system taken by Alexandros underwent a period of intense scrutiny and reorganization as the Primarch took a personal hand in forging the natives toward Imperial loyalty. None could argue the results: not one planet liberated by Alexandros has ever turned from the Emperor's enlightenment. Unfortunately, his thorough approach left him far behind most of his brothers in battle awards and hard-won glory.

A Foolish Choice

Alas, as we already know, Fate would not allow them to reap their just rewards for their service to the Great Crusade. Yet, it is unfortunate that we come to the least understood moment of the IInd Legion: its Fall. I will begin withe the facts that were given to us by the Imperium. In the year 969.M30, the entire legion had been redeployed into a single expeditionary fleet under the command of Alexandros. Locating an entry node to the mysterious Webway, a message recorded by Alexandros himself suggested he had located the primary base of the Dark Eldar, a xenos foe that had terrorized his home planet before he personally drove them off. Due to a mixture of revenge and overconfidence, Alexandros committed his entire legion to an assault and promptly vanished.

After a few weeks of no communication, the Emperor sent Leman Russ and his Wolves to investigate. They returned with the worst news. Alexandros and his legion were destroyed. Scout ships had made entry into the Webway and discovered the Wardens engaged in a losing battle with their enemies, apparently being outnumbered over a 100-to-1. Before the Wolves could reinforce their brothers, the Dark Eldar collapsed the entry point, sealing the Wardens to their doom. With a heavy heart, Leman Russ returned only with bodies and pieces of wreckage that marked the end of the legion. To mark the death of his son, the Emperor proclaimed a time of mourning before the Halcyon Wardens and their gene-sire were to be removed from memory.

Many point to this last decision for believing that something else occurred from the official story. Defenders have made counter-arguments, pointing out that the Wardens the only legion to have ever been completely destroyed, it was a source of great embarrassment to the legion itself, its Primarch, and, most importantly, to the Emperor. Thus, it was better to be erased from existence instead of being forever remembered for incompetence and, therefore, a kindness. The argument has merit, merit which has faded since the fall of the XIth legion and the Horus Heresy.

Eldrad froze as he sensed the evil contained within the sword in Fulgrim's possession. His mouth opened to cry out a warning, but another voice jumped in. "Now, now, Farseer. Calm yourself. Diplomacy can only succeed if you remain in control."

Both Eldar and Emperor's Children were instantly alert as the new voice made itself known. The Phoenician's gazed fixed on a point over Eldrad's shoulder. Another second passed before all could hear footsteps. Before their very eyes, a large shape slowly coalesced as it moved from the Eldar's party to stand between the two races. The giant's form gained detail as seconds passed to reveal a warrior in deep purple and pure white, wielding a large shield.

"Alex? Is that you?" Fulgrim asked as the Strategos revealed himself.

Alexandros replied with a grin. "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. It's good to see you, brother, though I see you've traded your Fireblade for something much more dangerous."

Fulgrim's hand snapped toward the Laeran blade, a shot of anger piercing through his confusion. "I don't understand. How, why are you here? And what of this blade?"

Holding up both of his hands, Alex answered, "Peace Fulgrim. I will explain everything in moments, but I must ask a favor of you first. A simple one. May I see that sword?"

The hand gripped the sword tighter. "What of it, Alex? You've been missing for decades and now you show up here, demanding my primary weapon in the company of xenos?"

"There's no need for worry, Fulgrim," Alex said as his hands remained free of weapons. "You have my word that Eldrad will not attack you." Behind the primarch, the Eldar shifted uneasily as they were roped into promise by this strange being. Eldrad stared at Alexandros before looking to Fulgrim. He nodded. "There's no danger here, brother. Please, may I see the sword?"

Fulgrim didn't know why or when, but the happiness he briefly felt at Alexandros' survival was eclipsed by a maelstrom of anger, confusion, and...fear. He blinked as he reviewed his emotions. The intensity of them were overwhelming, but yes, it was there. Alien fear. "I fear nothing," he mumbled. He noticed his hand drawing the Laeran blade, but not in peaceful compromise.

Alex's eyes jumped between Fulgrim and the sword with a small hint of worry. His grin widened. "Very well, I understand your hesitance. This must all seem strange to you, but let me prove it to you that I really me. What do you say to a friendly bout? I will see the sword in action and will have no need to examine it myself if you can properly demonstrate its power to me."

With a grin that mirrored none of Alex's warmth, Fulgrim said, "An excellent idea."

Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Shriek/Invisibility (Ha! The irony is delicious, I wrote the intro before I rolled the powers)

Fulgrim wins the roll. Utilizing his fancy Volkite Charger, Fulgrim fires and actually causes a wound despite its AP 5. [Quick note, Fulgrim's Volkite is extra terrifying just because of the Shred. It's what allowed him to wound twice with his first volley, which initially were a 4 & 2.]

Alex tries Shriek and this time it grants him 3 wounds against Fulgrim, only one of those is saved. Duelist is here, while Foreboding is pointless since Alex is about to charge. Ultimatum wounds twice, and Fulgrim fails to save both, leaving him with just 2 wounds left already. Fulgrim gets a shot off in Overwatch, but Alex blocks it with aegis. Finally in his element, Fulgrim strikes first and rolls a full house of 2's and 1's with a 4 thrown in. He does wound, but Alex saves it. On the other hand, Alex rolls a Yahtzee of 5's and a 2, which Alex rerolls into another 5. Despite his awesome swordsmanship, on the invul save, Fulgrim rolls only a single 6 and another two 2's and a 1, which means the fight is over just like that.

[ . Fulgrim is allergic to AP 2 gunfire.]

The friendly challenge had shed its false image after a few swings. It shifted as Fulgrim's attacks became more lethal. Soon, Alexandros was deflecting swings that would take his head. The Seer never commented and looked as though he were enjoying a lazy game of Regicide. The serenity he exuded infuriated Fulgrim, though he didn't know why. Faster and faster he attacked, ignoring the blows he absorbed when Alex's fist or shield found the holes in Fulgrim's defenses.

If Fulgrim didn't know better, he would've suspected his blade driving him deeper into aggression. It almost twitched in his hand, eschewing restraint as it sought to defeat his opponent. Another window of weakness and Xiphos' pommel smashed into his right temple. Fulgrim's enhanced biology prevented the blow from doing permanent harm, but it shattered his sense of balance temporarily.

Apparently, that was exactly what Alexandros was waiting for.

Aegis fell from his grip as the Shield-Lord seemed to teleport toward Fulgrim, his now-free arm twisting and pinning Fulgrim's sword arm. Alex's serenity disappeared as it was replaced with undisputed disgust. "Die, daemon!" He roared as he swung Xiphos, which now glowed with purple energy. Xiphos fell upon, not Fulgrim, but the Laeran Blade, shattering it.

To Fulgrim's shock, the blade screamed before it exploded sending shards and the primarchs flying from it. Fulgrim laid on the ground as his emotions formed a raw tempest. In the back of his mind, he saw his sons reacting as they prepared to avenge him, but Alexandros held up a hand as he stood. "My brother lives and is now free from a threat none of you were prepared for." The Emperor's Children held fire, and Fulgrim suspected that it wasn't words alone that kept them in place.

Alexandros offered a hand to him. "Fulgrim, how do you feel?"

After a pause, the Phoenician answered bluntly, "I don't know."

That earned a chuckled. "I'm not surprised. Don't worry, I'll explain everything."

However, while the Emperor's reaction was plausible, of greater mystery, were the actions of Alexandros. Renowned for his ability to navigate the future and read his opponents' moves well before they had conceived it themselves, many, especially former sub-commanders, questioned how the xenos could have surprised or trapped the Strategos. Further muddying the truth were reports of Warden warships appearing in Ultramar space after the supposed destruction of the IInd Legion. Then there are the Space Wolves. We now know of their reputation as the Emperor's executioners. Which begs the question, what event established this identity that they cultivate. Taken together, these facts have led some to believe an alternative view of the Wardens' end.

What if they hadn't been destroyed?

The Emperor's imposed silence has ended further speculation, but not before the rumors were allowed one last chance to 'illuminate' the truth. The Wardens were sent on a secret crusade in the labyrinthine Webway to eliminate the Eldar. The Space Wolves betrayed the Wardens. Lastly, the Wardens had fled from the Imperium.

Whatever the truth may be, one fact cannot be denied. The Halcyon Wardens were never seen again.

You could surrender, you know? The Dark Prince would be pleased to add another capable individual such as yourself to his Court."

Fulgrim didn't know what he was hearing. He was deaf to Isstvan V's pain as the battle continued around them, and completely at a loss of what to make of his brother. In his prime, Alexandros was a balance of pride and humility who wore fine armor of white and red with a cape of deep purple. The being who stood before him shared only a few of those qualities, his armor a painful menagerie of riotous colors. "Alex, what have you become?"

With a grin, Alex answered, "Free. Free of my Father's overbearing stupidity. Free of the meaningless burden of 'nobility'. Free to enjoy the pleasures offered by an entire galaxy for an eternity. Come Fulgrim, why don't you join me?"

With a pained scowl, Fulgrim raised his Fireblade and muttered, "Never."

Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Shriek

Fulgrim wins the first roll. Firebrand gets the hits and the wounds, but Aegis blocks them both.

Alex fails to Shriek, but gets Duelist before opening fire, plasma-burning off 2 wounds. And then a big surprise! Alex fails his charge, though Fulgrim's Overwatch is negligible.

Fulgrim moves and stops in front of Alex's face, an inch away and shoots. Alex laughs as the Volkite Charger does nothing before firing his Overwatch, which gets a hit but fails to wound, sparing Fulgrim from using his pansy 5++. Despite 7 attacks, Fulgrim fails to wound. In return, he takes a wound but forces a Blind test, which Alex passes. Fulgrim gets IWND.

Duelist stays, and it keeps Alex out of harm's way before he ....he....the heck!? He gets all 5 hits, which translate into 5 wounds (with rerolls, of course, but not many needed) and then Fulgrim promptly rolls triple 1's and a 2 & 5, which knocks out his remaining wounds.

[Imagine how terrifying would it be if Fulgrim was in a duel with somebody who had been hit by Concussive?]


"Oh! If only you could realize how ironic this is, Fulgrim!" Alex giggled out as he disarmed his brother and forced him to his knees.

Fulgrim glanced between Alex and Fireblade, which was only an arm's length away. He was faster, he knew that, but how much faster?

"Did you know, Fulgrim, that I took your place? That if I had followed my destiny, I would've been safe and far removed from all of this insanity?" Alex continued, laughing out the words as tears streamed down his face. "That means its all your fault, Fulgrim! ALL YOUR FAULT! How will you repay me for this, hm?"

"Your choices were your own, Alex!" Fulgrim spat back before lunging. His hand snapped around Fireblade's hilt. A sharp pain cut through his neck. And the last thing he saw was a cycle of ground, sky, and his headless body falling forward as his head tumbled away.

Origins Subsection #1 - Force for Brotherhood

While it was well-known to the general public that the Wardens had reforged their reputation as a legion to defend the common man, it was also true that Alexandros strengthened ties between his legion and their cousins. Out of all of the Primarchs, Alexandros was perhaps the most dedicated to fostering a sense of familial roots between them with varying degrees of success. After his first campaign as Legion Master, he enacted a cross-legion service program where legionnaires, squads, and rarely entire companies would be rotated to fight alongside other legions. Not only were battle-forged friendships made, but returning Wardens often brought valuable experience and training to the IInd Legion. Alexandros himself spent almost half of his time as Legion Master standing side-by-side his brothers both on and off the battlefield and was rewarded with many close friendships even with Primarchs who held rivalries between themselves, such as the Lion and Leman Russ.

There were exceptions, of course. Whether it be personal disgust or a professional disagreement, there were those among Primarchs and legions that never made positive ties to the Wardens. Chief among them were the World-Eaters led by their butcher of a Primarch. Finding their blood-soaked tactics as something heinous, no Warden and World-Eater ever fought on the same battlefield, even going as far as to ignore requests for reinforcements from each other. Likewise, the Night Lords and Halcyon Wardens fought in only one battle together, which nearly erupted into a fight when the Warden commander attempted to save a group of prisoners from the Night Lords' 'justice'. Konrad Curze was known to refuse any attempted meeting that Alexandros instigated, though the reason why is denied to us. Finally, the Alpha Legion along with their Primarch Alpharius, had consistently refused to be in the same physical vicinity, claiming the Seer and his sons' telepathy would lead to compromise among the XX's tactics and strategy. In the case of the Death Guard and the Imperial Fists, the legions would fight as allies, but suffered from idealogical differences that led to either a strained friendship or a competitive rivalry.

Regardless of his failures, detractors of Alexandros were not reassured by the wide influence the Strategos did have. Able to count on a little over half of the legions as faithful allies, the critics warned that Alexandros could be a danger to the Imperium if he ever chose to rebel. While it is not hard for us to imagine a Primarch going rogue, in those days the Emperor still personally led the Great Crusade and few took the warnings with any real serious agreement. With the destruction (or disappearnce) of the Halcyon Wardens, many Primarchs lost more than an allied general. Many had lost a true brother and were grieved for it. Few must wonder how would the Horus Heresy have played out if Alexandros and his Wardens had remained. Could the Strategos have used his personal friendships to guide his brothers away from traitorship, or would the Seer have ensured Horus' victory?

"Eidolon!"

Perturabo was as confused as Fulgrim. After stealing his strength, Fulgrim had ordered his Lord Commander to attend to him. Eidolon, operating on a plan beyond Perturabo, approached his lord and made a cut across Fulgrim's skin. Then, Eidolon was about to shove several Eldar stones, but stopped at the last moment.

Now the Lord Commander was walking away from Fulgrim, ignoring every command. He stopped a few feet away and offered a whole cache of Eldar stones to the air. Perturabo knew some form of madness had engulfed his brother's legion, but this was stranger still.

"Next time, brother," A voice said as a being materialized before them all. "Choose a lackey with a bit more willpower. If I wanted to, I could make this man dance." The being accepted the 'gift' as he revealed himself.

"Alex?" Fulgrim and Perturabo exclaimed.

"Now that I have these," Alex declared before his sword cut off Eidolon's head. He turned to Fulgrim. "I will end any hope you have of corrupting yourself further."

All hell broke loose.


Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Shriek

Fulgrim wins the first roll and opens fire and scores the first wound.

No Shriek, but yes Duelist. Fulgrim takes some plasma to the face before Alex fails the charge again! Overwatch does nothing, but Fulgrim is about to get stabby. Alex gets IWND.

Firebrand does nothing. Unlike his trip-happy brother, Fulgrim makes his charge, but takes a plasma wound for it. The resulting fight is lackluster as neither wounds the other. Fulgrim gets IWND.

Duelist stays as the primarchs duel it out. (That was bad, forgive me.) Aegis' grav generator prevents Fulgrim from wounding, but that doesn't stop Alex from clobbering Fulgrim and knocking him down to his last wound.

Fulgrim gets a couple of wounds in, but none of them stick, while Alex gets that last wound to stick to Fulgrim.

[Fireblade is a much better weapon than the Laer Blade.]


"You've really lost your touch, haven't you, brother?"

Fulgrim snarled before Xiphos sliced through his midsection. Blood and stomach acid spewed out, adding another layer of misery as Fulgrim was forced back. "You shouldn't be here. You can't be here!"

"You forget, I am the Seer," Alex wearily replied as he prepared for the final blow. "I foresaw this fight over a year ago. And now, I'll allow you to die with a scrap of decency. Farewell, Fulgrim."

Fulgrim launched himself at Alex. The Seer swung his sword and bifurcated the would-be Daemon Prince.

Origins Subsection #2 - History of Disobedience

Perhaps the greatest example of Alexandros' ability to weave public opinion in favor of his legion was how he was consistently able to persuade the greater Imperium to ignore his unusual choices. Although professing to be loyal to the Imperium, an unbiased investigation into Alexandros actions reveal that he did not accept its commands with complete conformity. Throughout the Wardens' history of service, it was deployed on the full range of missions expected of the Legiones Astartes. However, almost every extermination assignment against a fallen branch of Humanity given to the Shield-Lord of the Wardens, he never committed himself to it. Typically, he avoided campaign command through two ways. If available, he would offer full honors to one of his brothers if they would execute the mission for him, while giving them detailed enemy information before stepping back as the highlight fell upon them. Fulgrim was one such candidate and was more than happy to demonstrate his legions' perfection for his brother. Otherwise, command would fall to one of the Wardens willing to undertake the task. Such an individual, depending on character, would either be highly rewarded or reminded on the importance of human life by their gene-sire by campaign's end. Only once had Alexandros remained in command of an Extermination campaign. It was against the Tauren system and was no doubt enforced by the Emperor's personal appearance. The campaign was noted for its efficiency of force and for its short length.

Another issue brought against Alexandros was his unique view of compliance. While the worlds he brought into the fold of the Imperium were politically loyal and resilient to rebel or heretical pressures, rumors always existed of lax enforcement against superstitions and religion. If Lorgar was guilty of over-emphasizing belief in the Imperial Creed, then Alexandros was guilty of under-emphasizing it. There were exceptions. Some cults and religions were deemed too dangerous to be allowed to exist, according to Alexandros; though, it was unknown what criteria he used to judge them. In the cases of survival, many of these hidden religions existed and would reveal themselves much later with most of them being swallowed by the Imperial Cult.

Finally, Alexandros was a vocal supporter of offering protectorate status to wayward human civilizations who were not yet ready to be assimilated into the greater Imperium. Instead of forcing compliance as the only option, the Primarch suggested a three-phase process from encounter to protectorate to compliance for human civilizations that weren't ready to join the Imperium. More radically, the Shield-Lord suggested that even xeno races, provided they acknowledge the Imperium and were of a prerequsite intelligence, could be candidates as well. Since few xeno races fit within his offered standards, the point is usually forgotten, but it had existed within the records before the Emperor erased the legion. Alexandros, when pressed, did not offer any current examples, merely the Imperium should be open to the concept.

Thus, while Alexandros insisted on the loyalty of him and his legion, perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was loyal to Humanity. A small yet significant difference that did not go unnoticed by his detractors. Yet, little more could be done than hurl warnings and insults at the Halcyon Wardens. Despite the liberties their gene-sire took with the laws and commands of the Imperium, never did the Shield-Lord outright break them, choosing a more subtle path of rebellion that allowed him to continue onward, while making his dissent known, even as the crowds of Humanity cheered his name.

 simison wrote:
Thanks, I was starting to wonder if there was no interest at all!

Because it's in 40k general and not proposed rules.
Also because every 12-16 year old that's ever played 40k makes rules for the lost legions. It's like making your own space marine chapter, but you get to Mary Sue yourself in as Primarch.

Well, it's in Proposed Rules now!

Also - this is some nice looking stuff!

[Well, that was a little disorienting, but that's what the Search function is for.

Carnage - Didn't realize there was such a difference between those two forums. And I'm a little surprised to hear they've been so many attempts. I've seen relatively few in the other forums I visit.

Alpharius - Thanks! Glad you're enjoying my work.]

The Battle of Lupercalia wasn't turning toward the Warmaster's favor as Mortarion and his Death Guard arrived at the edge of it. The Percepetor Line was behind them with the remains of Molech's defenders. That easy victory would not be repeated here. Over the vox, Mortarion had communicated with Horus. Both of the Warmaster's ploys had failed. Fulgrim had failed to corrupt House Devine and the Red Angel had been sent into retreat.

Mortarion stared at the source of these failures. A familiar figure fought with the Blood Angels and purple-clad space marines as they advanced through the center of their attack. The figure had been lost and Mortarion had not been sad to hear of his demise. Though fate seems to have given me a rare chance. Mortarion and the Death Guard marched stoically forward. The rest of Horus' army was already on its way to reinforce the first third committed to the fight.

Alexandros noticed him first and cut across the battlefield on an interception course. The two Primarchs met at the edge of the battle. "So, you trade one tyrant for another," the Master of the Wardens began. He tilted his head and his sardonic grin grew. "With aspirations of becoming a tyrant yourself. Brother, you are a shining example of hypocrisy."

A sneer crossed Mortarion's features as he teased himself with an image of Silence cutting off Alexandros' jaw. His opponent laughed. You and your dark humor, brother, the voice in his head said. He lifted Xiphos and beat it against Aegis, the sound producing a unique ring. Come, Master of Death, the funeral bell tolls.

Alex's Usable powers - Foreboding/Shriek/Hallucination

Mortarion wins the roll. The Lantern does nothing.

Alex goes, gets Duelist and gets the charge. Snake eye's reduce Ultimatum's usefulness to nothing. Makes a good impact by cutting off 2 wounds. Mortarion actually completely misses. Wow. No IWND, despite his reroll, either.

Mortarion loses another wound as his higher toughness makes it harder to kill him, while Aegis blocks his attacks. No IWND.

Alex suffers a wound from Perils (Power Drain), but scores enough successes to make it impossible to Deny. Despite all 5 to-wound rolls succeeding, the Barbaran plate blocks all but 1 wound. Silence cuts into Alex, 2 wounds gone. Both get IWND.

Mortarion shrugs as he loses another wound but completely blanks out during his swiping. No IWND.

Alex maintains Duelist as he stabs 1 more wound off (Mortarion just can't make that many of his invul saves), but then Silence hurts him for 1 wound. Both get IWND (Mortarion's reroll making itself useful for the first time)

Mortarion is brought to Death's door with another wound, and Aegis blocks his wishes of doom. No IWND.

Alex gets Duelist but fails to get any 5's for the to-wound roll. But his defense is flawless. No IWND.

Mortarion fails his last invul save with a 5 and a 3.

[In all honesty, luck was just simply with Alex, especially with the to-wound rolls and Morty's inability to get the IWND reroll. That and he never got an extra 3 or more warp charges which made it harder both for Morty to Deny and to Perils.]

A cry echoed throughout the Death Guard as their vaunted stoicism was destroyed by the death of Mortarion. The defenders released a huge cheer as they redoubled their efforts.

"You will not live long to relish that."

Alexandros turned and Horus loomed above him, the rest of the Sons of Horus unleashed. Darshan smiled as he raised Ultimatum. "We'll see."

Hahaha, wow.

Your primarch rules are extremely unbalanced and it shows in the fact that your character is able to defeat every other Primarch in close combat because you gave him the most powerful character Divination power ever for free. Lorgar can choose his powers but he's much weaker and does not benefit from Precognition as much as you do. Plus, then your guy is also Mastery Level 4, and has a whole host of additional abilities.

So let's go over this. For 450 points he's T7 in combat, rerolls to-hit and to-wound rolls (making him better than angron), and rerolls invulnerable saves (making him the most resilient). He beats HORUS, who is 50 points more, quite easily. And you don't see an issue with this?

Also your Legion rules lack a downside which I see is a trend with all player-made legion rules.

The Primarch duels only tell half the story.

Yes, Alexandros is a monster in CC, that's his specialty, but he is reliant on his powers to make it happen. When they do fail, he goes from being to high tier to low tier. The only reason he gets 'Duelist' so often in these practice rounds is because I don't have to worry about using his powers for any other possible application.

In actual play, Alex has to either be a support general or frontline fighter, unlike other primarchs who can do both. Because if he's going to be frontline fighter, than he's typically in a transport, which reduces his psyker power output for a third of the game. If he's holding the line, then he's not making use of his CC abilities.

The reason there isn't a downside in the legion rules is because they're highly specialized. Two of them outright require the particular unit to buy shields to make any use of them, dreadnought exception to one of those rules, while the third only affects two units max.


Now, if you want to offer some constructive criticism, by all means.

~~~

Unit Organization and Structure within the Legion

After the experimental deployment of the Ist Legion, the IInd Legion became the first 'standard' legion. Hierachy was divided as written in the Principia Belicosa. The squad was the smallest military unit, usually composed of ten marines. While the squad was organized to be able to operate independently for small periods of time, they were limited against what types of enemy units they could engage by their primary weapons. The company, a collection of ten squads, was the smallest independent military unit, capable of being fielded against enemy infantry or armor units as needed. When it was necessary for companies to operate interdependently during an operation, a battalion was deployed. At the zenith of the legion organization was the chapter. Although this organization would be shared with the rest of the legions (excluding the mysterious XXth), the IInd Legion made it a mark of pride that they set the standard, so to speak.

In one sense, Alexandros made only a few changes upon assuming command of the legion. Only those with narrow views would believe this. Beneath the official titles, Alexandros made large reforms to elevate the legion to his ideals after three campaigns with the legion as they are. After the successful conclusion of the Erkling campaign, change came to the legion. The legion was organized into eight cohorts divided into three hundred companies.

The first three cohorts were dedicated to expanding the Imperium's borders and were nicknamed the 'Disciples of Destruction'. Comprising the largest cohorts, the Wardens greatest warriors were found in their ranks. If a Warden only felt at home on the battlefield, his place was here. Over time, each of these cohorts exhibited an affinity for one particular aspect of war. The Ist Cohort became famous for within this cohort the Myrmidon made their names known. Any Warden who chose to master the shield would find themselves drawn here. While the IInd Cohort steadily became the masters of armored tactics. Prefects of all kinds were welcomed here, and it was this cohort that closely matched its Terran roots. Mirroring the Librarian Atman that led them, the IIIrd Cohort gathered a large following of the Warden psykers who could learn from their superiors as they mastered their esoteric abilities. If an enemy xenos race resisted the Imperium with warpcraft, the IIIrd Cohort was well-suited to putting an end to such magicks.

I like the story, but it is kind of confusing. Did Alex fall to chaos, or not? Did he shatter the sword and stop Fulgrim from falling or not? It seems to imply that both results happened in either case.