I wanted to do an iron warrior faction with a real twist.
I got my idea for the twist based on the fact the whole imperial ecclisiarchy is based on the works of Lorgar, which the big E fought to expunge from existence. So basically the imperium came to be rules by the works of the first heretic that the emperor opposes vehemently. Quite an irony...
I had an idea for an iron warrior faction that, in a great irony, is fighting to establish pretty much the exact society the emperor himself wanted: A human society based on logic, reason ans science that left superstition and religion behind.
Basically an IW grand company's master began to succumb to ennui. He still felt hate for the imperium and it's abuse of perturabo, but simply grew weary of the endless cycles of hate, attack, inflict damage, retreat, repeat, eternally.
In despair, he consulted an Ancient Iron Warrior veteran who had been placed in a dreadnought after his injuries at the siege of terra.
The ancient tole him of the great crusade, how the emperor began with a great vision of a society free from superstition and ignorance, based on science and reason. He spoke of his great enthusiasm for this dream as a youth, before the emperor heaped such abuse on the Iron Warriors it drove them from his vision and filled them, with endless hate.
The company commander listened, and spoke with the ancient at length about the emperor's original vision. After many hours he emerged with a renewed sense of purpose. He would create the great society of reason the emperor sought to build, despite him and not at his command. And is this world the iron warriors would not be be abused and disregarded.
He shared his vision with his company, and the ancient spoke at his side.
The iron warriors were the scions of a builder, an architect, a creator. After ages of nothing but plans to tear down the emproer's creating the chance to build, to craft a new society in which reason and logic would prevail over the ignorant, stagnant carcass of the imperium their builder's urges stirred. The would strive to build a perfect image of the emperor's original dream, but without him as it's leader and in which they would receive the respect they were due.
They rallied for war with a greater sense of purpose than ever before, and soon took control of a beleagured and besigned world near the eye of terror known as Antikythera. A world long raided by various chaos factions, dark eldar and greenskin filth.
They ended the dark eldar predation on the people of Antikythera, drove off chaos raiders and devastated the nearby ork infested world the greenskin raids came from. They hardly had to conquer the population of their new world, they eagerly accepted protection and the fairly benign rule of the iron warriors.
Antikythera prospered under the shield of iron that guarded it, the people received education, began to learn how to do more than just fight or flee. Industry was rebuilt, the people were taught the truth of chaos and how to use it as a resource while resisting being enslaved to it. Within decades fortified cities stood, People had time to learn, study, become skilled at things besides base survival.
It was no small additional irony that despite their hatred of fulgrim and his legion for his betrayal of perturabo, the renegade IW brought much the same Renaissance to their world that the the peacock bought to chemos...
Under the protection of their saviors, the people of Antikythera have gone a long way to creating a model of the emperor's original vision, a human society of reason, logic and progress. Armed with the knowledge of chaos the emperor denied humanity out of fear, they resist it's influence admirably.
Within a century of planetfall, the renegades stood over a world they took pride in creating. They waged war to protect it, and many enemies quickly learned the foolishness of assaulting defenses built and manned by the sons of Perturabo, especially when they were utterly dedicated to protecting something.
When the great warpstorm sundered the imperium, the renegades sent envoys to several suddenly isolated and defenceless imperial worlds. More than one accepted their offer of protection. On some worlds the imperial tarot seemed to direct them to do so. Perhaps the emperor himself wished them some success...
That's my basic outline for "iron warrior heretics" and if people can give feedback I'll read it.
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