Badab X History

At the Battle of Thessala (121.M31), one of the Emperor’s loyal sons died. Robute Guilliman was mortally wounded by his traitor brother Fulgrim, and with his dying breath the Avenging Son entrusted Aeonid Thiel with the knowledge of Cawl and the Primaris project he had been tasked with. Thiel honoured his primarch’s final wish and worked closely with Cawl, overseeing the project so that it could be implemented as quickly as possible to fight the enemies of Mankind. Once ready the Primaris Marines were shared with all chapters, a new breed of warrior to stand against the encroaching darkness. The project had also born additional fruit, Cawl described it as a vision of from the Omnissiah himself that led him to develop a quicker and more efficient way of creating non-Primaris Space Marines to bolster their new brethren. For a brief while these new developments carried with them a spark of hope, but as mankind’s foes adapted, they snuffed that spark out.



In 678.M40 the “Convergence” occurred. For a moment the galaxy was split in half as the Eye of Terror, the Malestrom, and the Hadex Anomaly became one. The worlds caught in this dreaded alignment burned or were twisted into hellscapes, and in its wake came the enemies of mankind.

In the Maelstrom Zone a massive chaos fleet with black and red livery descended on the Endymion Cluster. The Wardens rallied against these crimson raiders, and under Huron’s leadership they stopped their new foe from advancing any further into Imperial territory.
The fighting was brutal, and after 2 years the invaders withdrew back into the maelstrom. The Astral Claws and Lamenters were bloodied and beaten, but still standing, however they did not celebrate for the war had seen their fellow warden, the Mantis Warriors, wiped out.

With only two understrength chapters to protect the Maelstrom Zone, Huron petitioned the High Lords of Terra for support. Many of his advisors told him he was wasting his time, but the High Lords responded. They redirected elements from 4 other chapters to join the Maelstrom Wardens. The Raptors were the first to arrive, they did not settle on one planet but rather establishing various hidden bases and listening posts throughout the Zone. The Carcharadons were given a swathe of the Zone’s frontier worlds to draw their tithes from in exchange for sending a predation fleet to patrol the edge of the Maelstrom. The Exorcists kept watch over the warp tainted Endymion Cluster and forbid anyone from entering it, some reports even noting a ship bearing the symbols of the Inquisition amongst their fleet. Lastly there were the Minotaurs, their exact purpose was unclear, some believed that they were there to act as the eyes and ears of the High Lords, others that they had been placed there to fight the heretical red armoured raiders should they ever re-emerge from the Maelstrom, or that they were there to watch for corruption amongst the Wardens.

With the Maelstrom Wardens now having doubled in size, Huron set about fortifying the Maelstrom Zone, securing war materials, establishing defences at key location but also working closely with his fellow chapters to create a tight knit group of warrior brethren. If those heretic Astartes ever returned, they would be ready.

For the next century the Warden’s fought side by side against whatever threats the Maelstrom spat out at them, and with Huron as their leader that united them, they stood triumphant. However, the Maelstrom Zone’s militarisation and stockpiling did not go unnoticed, the martial might now wielded by the Tyrant of Badab, as well as the close cooperation of 6 space marine chapters, drew the attention of concerned and paranoid eyes within the hierarchy of the Imperium. They watched as heretic and xenos forces broke against this rapidly developing bulwark of Imperial might.

Huron had been able to develop his defences so quickly by withholding resource tithes from Malestrom Zone worlds that were intended for neighbouring sectors. As a result, over the next 150 years these sectors grew weaker as they were starved for the resources necessary for their survival. Chief amongst them was the Karthago Sector whose ruling class of merchant princelings who had grown fat on the exploitation of the Maelstrom Zone’s resources. When they found their luxurious lifestyles hampered by the sudden decrease in profits they were outraged, and fearing the wrath of Adminstratum Segmentum Procurator-General, they mustered a fleet to collect the tithe.

Arriving at the Badab System the fleet encountered The Ring of Steel, a series of void defence stations. Refusing to follow the instructions of the Badab naval forces the fleet did not slow their advance and continued heading towards the system’s core. Nobody knows who fired the first shot, but the entire Tithe Fleet was subsequently destroyed before reaching Badab. Huron maintained that the Tithe Fleet’s unwillingness to cooperate and follow instructions resulted in them being treated as a hostile force.

The lords and ladies of Karthago called in every favour they could before their coffers ran dry, they launched raids and infiltration missions into the Zone, they sent requests for aid to any ally they had, and they bombarded the Adeptus Terra with message after message demanding the Warden’s censure. Tensions were further raised when pirate activity suddenly increased, further damaging Karthago’s income, and the Warden’s did nothing to stop them. The nobility of Karthago also found themselves beset by assassins, with many claiming that it was Huron behind them, although no evidence to support this claim was ever discovered. It was also during this time that Huron with the approval of the other commanders of the Wardens created the Article of Just Secession, a declaration that the Malestrom Zone would cut ties with all the surrounding sectors as the authorities that governed them imposed restrictions on them that were beyond the concerns of the Adeptus Astartes. Huron also swore that he and the Wardens would continue their Emperor-given duty and protect the Maelstrom Zone from anti-Imperial threats.

With the situation having escalated to such an extent the High Lords couldn’t ignore the situation any longer. They called on the Red Scorpions, the Star Phantoms, the Fire Angels, and the Executioners to secure Karthago’s trade routes and put an end to the hostilities and trade disruptions that were destabilising the region by having Huron surrender and answer for his actions. These chapters made their presence known in a series of swift and brutal void skirmishes, driving the pirates back to their shadowy dens.

Verant Ortys, Lord High Commander of the Red Scorpions, and commander of the Terran forces, sent a summons to the Tyrant of Badab, demanding his surrender so that he may face trial. The nobles of Karthago were jubilant, but their joy quickly subsided when faced by an unexpected visit from the Inquisition, who condemned them for their actions. Huron refused the summons, claiming that he had acted within the remits of his authority and that this political farce was a waste of time. It was his duty to protect the Maelstrom Zone, and he would do it by any means necessary.

With neither side willing to give in, a stalemate was soon established. As fleet stand-offs and threats and insults became more frequent it seemed that it was only a matter of time until someone resorted to violence. Huron himself was very vocal about being on a warpath and that if the loyalists tried anything, he would have no qualms fighting against these lapdogs of Terra, with many of his fellow Warden’s sharing his view, stoked by his great oratory skills. Not wishing to see brother fight brother, Malakim Phoros, Chapter Master of the Lamenters, met with Huron in the hopes that he could convince his oldest comrade from resorting to violence. What words were exactly exchanged between the two was unknown, just that their argument got heated and that they did not leave on good terms.

Unable to convince Huron, Malakim took it upon himself to resolve the situation peacefully, opening communications with Ortys to negotiate. Ultimately this resulted in what he had been trying to avoid. Huron saw Malakim’s actions as an act of betrayal and set the Minotaurs loose on him and his chapter. The Lamenter’s chapter fleet was in orbit around the feral world Optera when the Minotaurs launched their attack. Caught off guard by the sudden attack from their former allies the Lamenters were savaged. They fought valiantly but in the end most of their vessels were captured in vicious boarding actions, and the remaining few performed emergency warp translations to avoid destruction, including the chapter barque the Mater Lacrimarum. When it rematerialized in realspace the ancient ship found itself alone, the rest of the surviving fleet lost to the tides of the warp in an unfortunate twist of fate that the Lamenters were all to used to.

Limping to the loyalist lines Malakim met with the other commanders to tell them of what happened. Believing that Huron had gone too far Ortys mobilised his forces and a series of skirmishes marked the beginning of what would be known as the Badab War.

The room was dark, lit only by the cigarette-ends of dying candles. Death-Speaker Ashtava Fassol looked at the charms in his hand, a collection of trinkets gathered over the many years during his time with the Deathwatch. They were not worth much to any would-be thief, but each totem was sentimental, and came from one of the members of his squad at the time. A perfect reflection of their original bearers.

A small, brass, knife-shaped emblem, beautifully inlaid with a magenta gemstone, taken from Brother Pankiw of the Bone Knives. Possibly the closest person Fassol had ever though of as a friend, even amongst his own Chapter, their kinship was cemented by an exchange of gifts. To Pankiw, Fassol gave the axe he had wielded before joining the chaplaincy. A blade of deep blue, with the teachings of Dorn carefully hand etched by Fassol over the years of use. To Fassol, Pankiw gave what could only be considered a relic of his Chapter, an ancient chain on which hung a rosarius, its conversion field emitter many times more powerful than those usually given to the Chapter Chaplains. This gift had saved his life many times before, and he was certain it would save it many times yet.

A wrought iron jag, similar in design to a child-like drawing of a lightning bolt. This was taken from Brother Jouiti of the Exemplars, and reflected his rough personality, something seen throughout his Chapter. Fassol had always wondered if this coarseness came from the Chapter’s homeworld or from their practices, but Fadel was as easy to talk to as the edge of a cliff. The only time Fassol ever felt like he had gotten through to Jouiti was when he was once invited to a pre-battle ritual Jouiti usually held alone. There, Fassol had been subjected to an assortment of gaseous and liquid chemicals that burned his insides like the flames of a roaring forge. But when he exited he felt a stone-like toughness that could be the only reason for Jouiti’s endurance of harm that would have put even the strongest Marine down.

A bird’s skull, covered in overlapping layers of intricate carving. Unsurprisingly, this was taken from one of the Raven Guard’s successors, Brother Tse of the Shadow Haunters. From him came some of the most useful lessons Fassol had learnt directly. Like all Raven Guard successors, the Shadow Haunters excelled at stealth, and Fassol learnt many ticks that would put even Captain Rahul of the Executioner’s 10th Company to shame. Together they could launch attacks behind enemy lines before it was even known there was resistance. To Fassol it felt like he could stand in the brightest daylight and yet still stay hidden, all thanks to the teachings of old Tse.

A battered tooth from a long dead ocean dwelling monster, tied to a length of grey leather. This was taken from Brother Omeri of the Carcharodons. A smile dared to reach Fassol’s lips as he thought back to Omeri. The Marine had never truly taught him anything directly, but trying to keep up with him when he was released had taught Fassol how to master his jump pack, if only to allow himself some of the glory before everything was dead. But this item also brought great sadness to him as he thought towards the coming battles. Having to fight the brothers of one he once held so dearly would be difficult, and this troubled him deeply.

As he returned the items to the silver container he had chained to his waist, Fassol though of what he had brought to the squad. He had been the hammer that forged the blade from the component parts, bringing Marines from vastly different Chapters and forming them into something more than the individuals. He had brought out the fire that was held within each of them and used it to temper an axe that would strike at the throats of the xenos they were to battle. But that was many years ago, and extended wear had brought each Marine low. Upon their death, Fassol had taken an item from each to remember them by. With him as the last surviving member, the members of Deathwatch Squad Fassol would live on through him, gaining glory every time he killed, and continuing their service to the Emperor.