The Nova Terra Interregnum and the Moirae Schism

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**Medium of Death**

This seems like a fairly big event in the Imperium.

The Nova Terra Interregnum is also known as the time of twin Empires and lasted for 9 centuries

Is there any more information on this 'Time of the Twin Empires' that occurred in M35?

I'd like to know where this info. comes from and if there is any more info. relating to this period.

Lexicanum and 40K wiki. regarding the Moirae Schism.

This was a period in human history of division and civil war in which the Imperium became fractured into a number of different warring factions. The Adeptus Mechanicus was also affected during this Interregnum by division and internal warfare brought about by doctrinal differences and competing centres of power. One of the most discordant of these conflicts was the Moirae Schism, a dogmatic battle between the Martian Orthodoxy of the standard Cult Mechanicus and a far more radical creed based upon the prophetic writings of a triad of tech-mystics from the minor Forge World of Moirae. The Moirae Schism was one of the most divisive and widespread doctrinal conflicts to afflict the Adeptus Mechanicus since the Horus Heresy. These heretical writings spread like wildfire through the domains of the Mechanicus even after Moirae was reduced to a cinder by the Fabricator-General of Mars' rectification fleet.

The Moirae tech-creed was based on the prophetic wave calculations of the triad of tech-mystics who believed that they had discerned a series of predictive patterns within the micro-fluctuations of the Astronomican's psychic beacon. They believed that these geometric patterns contained the word of the Omnissiah and God-Emperor from which the skein of future history and humanity's destiny could be read. These radical teachings included veiled references to the future overthrow of the Priesthood of Mars and the fusion of the Cult Mechanicus and the Ecclesiarchy into a unified ecclesiastical hierarchy. Such claims were predictably treated as dark sedition by the Mechanicus authorities on Mars and civil war was quickly sparked between the Orthodox and radical elements of the Mechanicus.

The disruptive creed of Moirae quickly gained influence; within the Mechanicus priesthood, a number of Tech Guard regiments and even some Titan Legions causing untold harm, before being transmitted further afield to Space Marine Chapters with close ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus - and in this the Iron Hands were no exception. Championed by the infamous Omnissian mystic, the Iron Father Setol Sollex, a significant percentage of those within the Chapter quickly embraced the Moirae doctrines. As discord soon followed, the Iron Hands were faced with the prospect of a full civil war within the Chapter. This was only averted by the wise counsel of the Iron Hands' Great Clan Council's intervention to propose a settlement. Though deemed straightforward and harsh, their solution to avoid mass bloodshed within their ranks was a simple one - exile from the Iron Hands' homeworld of Medusa for the minority who had embraced the dissident doctrines, and a binding treaty never to raise their hands against their former brothers enacted by both sides.

**dreadfury101**

iron hands cant fight iron hands huh?

**Harriticus**

The Nova Terra Interregnum was first and thus far only mentioned in the 5th Ed Rulebook and is supposed to be an allusion to the division of the Roman Empire me thinks.

It's a huge and potentially fascinating event, yeah, but GW won't dwell on it much as it isn't about Space Marines.

**FabricatorGeneralMike**

Harriticus wrote:The Nova Terra Interregnum was first and thus far only mentioned in the 5th Ed Rulebook and is supposed to be an allusion to the division of the Roman Empire me thinks.

It's a huge and potentially fascinating event, yeah, but GW won't dwell on it much as it isn't about Space Marines.

Bing. Thats right, if they can't make model line for it it will never be more then a throw away line in the rule book. It would be nice to see BL expand apon these things in print. But they are to busy ~~raping~~ re-interpriting the horus heresy.

**BrainDeleted**

The Moirae Schism had to do with Tech Priest on the Forge World of Moirae, as I recall. They believed they could divine the Emperor's will from the patterns within the light frequencies of the Astronomicon or something similar to that. Moirae was destroyed by Mars...

There's more information on it in the Imperial Armor series...I think specifically in 10 under the Sons of Medusa entry...I'll dig it out later.

**English Assassin**

FabricatorGeneralMike wrote:
Harriticus wrote:The Nova Terra Interregnum was first and thus far only mentioned in the 5th Ed Rulebook and is supposed to be an allusion to the division of the Roman Empire me thinks.

It's a huge and potentially fascinating event, yeah, but GW won't dwell on it much as it isn't about Space Marines.

Bing. Thats right, if they can't make model line for it it will never be more then a throw away line in the rule book. It would be nice to see BL expand apon these things in print. But they are to busy ~~raping~~ re-interpriting the horus heresy.

I wouldn't be so sure: given the success of the Horus Heresy series, it's by no means inconceivable that Games Workshop might visit other 'historical' events of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. I could imagine an Age of Apostasy series...

**Mustela**

FabricatorGeneralMike wrote:
Harriticus wrote:The Nova Terra Interregnum was first and thus far only mentioned in the 5th Ed Rulebook and is supposed to be an allusion to the division of the Roman Empire me thinks.

It's a huge and potentially fascinating event, yeah, but GW won't dwell on it much as it isn't about Space Marines.

Bing. Thats right, if they can't make model line for it it will never be more then a throw away line in the rule book. It would be nice to see BL expand apon these things in print. But they are to busy ~~raping~~ re-interpriting the horus heresy.

No, you were right the first time, no need to correct that.

**Medium of Death**

Cheers for the info.

I'll maybe just have to elaborate in my mind if I want to create a force surrounded by it.

Would it be fair to assume Moirae Iron Hands painted their armour green before being formed into the Sons Of Medusa?

Also, what's wrong with the HH series thus far?

**BrainDeleted**

No. They did that after the council meeting that decided they would break into two separate chapters.

**English Assassin**

According to Imperial Armour X, they continued to use the Iron Hands' iconography (with the book says 'minor variations') after their exile from the chapter, I would presume that their present, green heraldry was adopted some time after, most likely only after the High Lords recognised them officially as a separate chapter.

**kronk**

Medium of Death wrote:
Also, what's wrong with the HH series thus far?

Nothing. They've been a great read.

Just some old folks complaining because the few paragraphs written in a shop before GW took off while the employees were drunk hasn't been followed to the T in the HH.

Remember folks, all of the old rules and fluff were written by drunks. Genestealer Orks are the proof!

**BrainDeleted**

English Assassin: Yeah, you're right about that part though it's somewhat unclear just when they changed schemes. A lot of their iconography is still very similar.

More on the Schism:

As I said before, it originated on the forge world of Moirae in the galactic northwest during the Nova Terra Interregnum. The tech priests there believed that they had divined the God-Omnissiah-Emperor's will from subtle micro-fluctuations within the Astronomican. Their visions included veiled references to the fall of Mars and the fusion of the Cult Mechanicus and the Ecclesiarchy into a unified whole. Obviously, the Mechanicus on Mars treated these visions and teachings as heresy. Maybe even double heresy. The Martian fleet obliterated the world of Moirae pretty early own but their teachings survived for quite a while. Spread to the Iron Hands, yadda yadda, Sons of Medusa born, yadda yadda, who knows how much the Sons of Medusa still believe in the Moiraen (?) teachings, yadda yadda present day 40k.

**Tengri**

does this have to do with the age of apostasy, which I think occurred in m35-36

**KamikazeCanuck**

I haven't heard of this, sounds interesting though. Maybe If the ever make a Codex Mechanicum they'll elaborate on it.