Ground Crew
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PRELUDE
"The Great Schism or as it is sometimes known the Inter-Legionary Conflict was arguably the greatest conflict to split our great Imperium of Man. It would see the shattering of the dream of a united Human race across the stars, the loss of the First Emperor, a hardening of previously-liberal and tolerant policies across the Imperium, and the beginning of a Cold War between Humanity and the Eldar and their allies which has endured to the present day, however not all of its outcomes were purely negative. It would temper the Imperial Truth, reforging it into a newer, more adaptive form which allowed it to overcome degenerative trends along the lines of religious revival, along with newer, more comprehensive policies towards psychic abilities which simultaneously allowed Humanity to explore and develop its great psychic potential all the while securing it from infection with Warp Madness..."
- Aveskamp, Dale, Introduction, The Great Schism, A History, Ninety-Second Edition, Imperial Order of Remembrancers
"...Imperial historians generally agree on three primary events which led to the Great Schism, the Council of Nikaea, the Triumph of Ullanor, and the Alpha Void Predator Assault on Warmaster Horus...the first of these events was the Council of Nikaea, convened at the command of the First Emperor to settle the then-increasingly-divisive issue over the exploration and use of psychic powers across the Greater Imperium. The pro-psychic faction, led by the Primarch Magnus the Red of the Thousand Sons Legion, argued that while there were dangers within the Warp, to cower in fear of said dangers and to only use of psychic abilities whenever necessary would go against the principles of the Imperial Truth. Indeed, the principles of the Imperial Truth implied that Humanity should face such fears and dangers with courage and reason, and overcome said fears and dangers to safely harness Humanity's psychic potential in full over time. Opposing the Crimson King were the Primarchs Rogal Dorn, Leman Russ, and Mortarion of the Imperial Fists, Space Wolves, and Death Guard Legions. The three of them argued that Magnus and his allies underestimated the dangers of the Warp, drawing examples of psychic tyrants and monstrous void predators and other such Warp-born abominations from both the Old Night and War of Conquest (then known as the Great Crusade) as proof of the inherent risk of harnessing the Warp, and that responsibility and wisdom dictated that Humanity only turn to the Warp at utmost need. The Primarch Mortarion also assured Magnus at this time - ironic given later events - that they opposed him not out of any form of rancor against him, but out of concern for both Humanity and Magnus himself, as the most gifted of their brother Primarchs when it came to the harnessing of the Warp...
...ultimately however the First Emperor would adopt a compromise offered by the Chief Librarian of the White Scars Legion, wherein the use and exploration of psychic abilities would be tolerated under a unified policy of screening, training, and deployment overseen by the Imperial Administration. In this way the Imperium as a whole would be responsible for its psychic citizens and their abilities, as opposed to the varying policies from world-to-world, sector-to-sector, and even legion-to-legion that existed prior to the council. This suggestion was supported by key figures in particular the Primarchs Sanguinius, Roboutte Guilliman, and Fulgrim of the Blood Angels, Ultramarines, and Emperor's Children Legions. The First Emperor's adoption of the Nikaean Compromise would fail to satisfy the leaders of the opposing factions, but the political-minded Magnus the Red took advantage of the situation to regain a measure of favor with the Emperor over the Nikaean Incident which took place the prior night (later discovered as a plot of the Alpha Void Predator TZEENTCH), by publicly-ordering the dismissal of all Tutelaries within the day, and breaking up the then-nine full-strength fellowships (equivalent to a post-war chapter) into forty-five under-strength fellowships (and undermining a trap by the Alpha Void Predator TZEENTCH) over the following months...it would also see the promulgation of the Chaplain Edict, drafted by Malcador the Sigillite and signed by the First Emperor...the chaplains - ironic considering the origins of the title - were tasked with ensuring the sanity and loyalties of their brothers in general and by their psychic brothers in particular...the Thousand Sons Legion assigned multiple chaplains in fellowships with psychic captains, in-line with the Chaplain Edict's mandate and also to serve as a 'devil's advocate' to their captains...this arrangement while initially seen as needlessly-divisive, ultimately served the Thousand Sons well, as the chaplains' 'dissent' proved to be useful when it came to finding errors within strategies and tactical plans that would otherwise go unnoticed prior to field implementation...
...Ullanor is agreed upon as the crowning point of the War of Conquest...would see the appointment of Horus Lupercal Primarch of the then-Luna Wolves (currently the Sons of Horus) Legion as the Warmaster of the Imperial Armed Forces...it would also see further action on the part of Magnus the Red, who in a move to address whispered dissent - in particular by and among the Space Wolves Legion among others - over the continued use and exploration of psychic powers (in which the Thousand Sons Legion was a particular leader) in-line with the Nikaean Compromise, attached his legion to the newly-renamed Sons of Horus Legion, and have the Warmaster himself witness their accord with the Nikaean Compromise...such an act was seen as a shameless act of politics by Dorn, Russ, and Mortarion, but was seen as favorable by others including the First Emperor as if any could be called a reliable judge of Magnus' accord it would be none other than the Emperor's own favored and greatest son...the act also inspired the First Emperor to heal the rift between himself and the Lord of the Fourth Legion, Perturabo...the First Emperor granted to the Lord of Iron the task of rebuilding the Imperial Palace in particular and Terra in general as the center of the rising Imperium...to the Legio IV Astartes Iron Warriors it was a great challenge, and one that did not carry the usually sullen realization of yet another siege operation, but the opposite: they would be building as opposed to destroying. While neither the Iron Warriors nor their gene-father displayed open triumph at the First Emperor's decision, it is clear to witnesses then and afterwards that the decision ultimately raised the usual sullen mood of the Fourth Legion, laying the seeds for what would later be the trademark stoic character of those of Fourth Legion descent...but while most approved (including the Warmaster) of the First Emperor's offering an olive branch to his sullen and considerably-alienated son, the fact that prior to Ullanor it was all but decided that if any would have the task of rebuilding Ancient Terra it would be Rogal Dorn and his legion would have consequences in the future...
...the assault of the Alpha Void Predators on Warmaster Horus above the Moon of Davin is generally-agreed as the trigger for the Great Schism. It was orchestrated by the machinations of Erebus, then-First Chaplain of the Word Bearers Legion, who acting upon the words of prophecy wherein the Warmaster would rebel against the First Emperor and usher in a new dark age set in motion a plot...would see Warmaster Horus' soul cast into the Warp, accompanied by Primarch Magnus, whereupon they were confronted by the four Alpha Void Predators who initially sought to use deception to drive the two Primarchs into Warp Madness...however the Warmaster with Magnus' aid was able to see through the Alphas' deception and forced them to make use of direct methods to drive the Primarchs into madness...ironically, the direct assault nearly overcame the Crimson King, and only the Warmaster's timely herculean feat of blowing back the Alphas - and in the process awaken his latent psychic abilities - saved the Crimson King from Warp Madness. Even then the Crimson King would later admit to the Remembrancers that their return to the material universe was a matter of great peril...however in their escape from the Warp both the Warmaster and the Crimson King both perceived Erebus' role in the affair...the First Chaplain was ultimately captured by the Sons of Horus in vicious hunting campaign over Davin, and ixtracted from him was the truth about his plot, his Primarch's role, and ultimately the knowledge of Lorgar Aurelian's own Warp Madness ever since his 'Great Pilgrimage' into 'the Place where Gods and Mortals Meet' or as it is better known the Great Storm...
- Aveskamp, Dale, Introduction, The Great Schism, A History, Ninety-Second Edition, Imperial Order of Remembrancers
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