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Legio Vulturum

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The Legio Vulturum ("Gore Crows"), was originally a Titan Legion of the Collegia Titanica that was sworn to serve the Forge World of Xana II. Little was known about the Legio Vulturum beyond their disdain of mercy, a trait forged during the Rangdan Xenocides.

The Gore Crows were often a vessel for technological experimentation, lavished with esoteric weapons created within the forge-fanes of Xana II and tested upon the fiercest of battlefields.

But the Legio Vulturum became a Traitor Titan Legion of the Dark Mechanicum that repudiated its oaths to the Emperor of Mankind and followed the Warmaster Horus into the service of the Ruinous Powers during the Horus Heresy.

At the end of the Heresy, during the Great Scouring, the Legio Vulturum was driven towards the Eye of Terror along with the rest of the forces of Chaos.

It remains trapped in servitude to the Chaos Gods, fighting the Long War against the Corpse Emperor that began ten millennia before.

Legion History[]

Legio Vulturum Warlord Class Titan

Legio Vulturum colour scheme as displayed by a Warlord-class Titan Sanguinem Innocentiae.

Origins[]

The origin of this Titan Legion harkens back to the early years of the Great Crusade.

They originally served the cyborg lords of the powerful and independent Forge World of Xana II, which was long rumoured to be a forbidden domain which held within it the wonders and terrors of the Age of Technology. This realm of the machine lay on the very edge of the western galactic reach.

The tides of war and conquest would mean that the truth of Xana II would remain uncovered until 843.M30 when a damaged galleass belonging to the Rogue Trader Casilida DeAniasie, having been flung far off-course after engaging in battle with Fra'al corsairs, intercepted a trio of hulking automata warships at the edge of the intergalactic void, and inadvertently discovered the sovereign forge domain of Xana II.

Negotiations between the Imperium and Xana II soon followed upon the Rogue Trader's return, but despite the cordial tone under which they had been instigated, they were quickly beset by suspicions by many within the Imperium's camp.

Suspicions were not allayed by the Xanites' vagueness regarding their world's origins and activities over the years, blaming the tribulations of long distant wars and the privations of past solar storms of blistering power for their missing and incoherent records as to their own history, while their vast military capacity they explained as a reaction to prior attacks by alien invaders.

A deal was reached between the ambassadors of Terra and the Lords of Xana, a proposal which came with the undertone of drastic action by the Imperium should its generous offers be rejected.

Under this treaty of Imperial Compliance, Xana II would maintain its sovereignty as part of the greater Imperium, and notionally while falling under the rule of distant Mars, its affairs and secrets would largely remain its own so long as it obeyed the restrictions on technological development imposed on Mars itself by the Emperor.

Xana II in return, and its forges and fanes, would now arm the Great Crusade and serve as a port for its voidships, and the Imperium in turn would feed Xana with raw materials and fresh blood and schematics to enable this.

The accord was sealed and ratified by the Lords of Xana and the Emperor's own writ, despite the misgivings of many and the barely concealed displeasure of the fabricator-general of Mars.

In spite of the suspicions of many, the accord and the uneasy alliance bore fruit; the Titans of Xana II, divided now into two Legios, the Legio Vulturum (known as the "Gore Crows") and the Legio Kydianos (known as the "Death Cry"), left their world along with the Xanan void warship armada and scores of Legio Cybernetica cohorts.

They hurled themselves without relent into the fires of the Rangdan campaign, known in Imperial history as the Rangdan Xenocides, which was the greatest existential threat of the Imperium's first century of existence and a conflict whose casualties and losses would be unmatched in scope until the wars of the Horus Heresy itself were fought.

Xana II's reinforcement of the Imperial front line was direly needed, and the Xanite forces broke their greater strength in countless battles on the edge of the Halo Stars, becoming shattered remnants of their former selves, but earned much honour in doing so for their Forge World.

More importantly, weapons and arms poured forth from Xana II and were shipped directly to the segmentum-wide battle lines of the war, providing much needed respite and fresh strength to beleaguered Imperial forces, helping to slowly turn the tide of defeat into first stalemate and eventually victory.

It was a victory Xana II was in no small part bled dry to achieve.

Though now diminished, Xana II entered the Great Crusade's later era as still a powerful and sovereign Forge World, its independence from the direct authority of Mars and Terra maintained not simply by the absolute adherence to the treaty under which it had entered the Imperium, but also its great distance from the Segmentum Solar and easy scrutiny.

Horus Heresy[]

So it was that when the Warmaster Horus rose to power after the Ullanor Crusade, Xana II remained a distant and almost legendary force in an Imperium grown much to encompass a galaxy on whose silent and unpopulated edge it dwelled alone, a Forge World whose magi kept no counsel but their own, its paradox unsolved.

After his corruption by Chaos upon Davin's moon, the Warmaster sent ambassadors to Xana II, to entreat them to join his cause.

Much as with Sarum and Cyclothrathe, other "renegade" Forge Worlds distrustful of Mars that the Warmaster had enticed into his cause with the lure of petty empire-building and freedom of experimentation, he offered a new treaty of alliance whose accords Xana's ruling Vodian Consistory would find more to their liking than the old.

By this new pact Xana II would serve Horus' "new Imperium" just as it had the old, but where they had been used and bled dry callously in the past by a master who cared nothing for their power or prosperity, under Horus they would flourish and be rewarded.

Thus, the Legio Vulturum, along with their Xanite Mechanicum overlords, joined the Warmaster's cause against the wider Imperium.

When the Warmaster's Heresy eventually failed during the final epic conclusion of the Siege of Terra, the Legio Vulturum, along with the entirety of the damned Hell-Forge of Xana II, fled to the relative safety of the hellish realms of the Eye of Terror, where the Legio Vulturum presumably still protects the hellish industries of their Chaos-corrupted Dark Mechanicum masters.

Notable Campaigns[]

  • Rangdan Xenocides (Late 800s.M30) - Following their inclusion in the nascent Imperium of Man, the Xanite forces, including the Legio Vulturum, hurled themselves and broke their greater strength in countless battles against the vile xenos on the edge of the Halo Stars near the northern borders of the Imperium, becoming shattered remnants of their former selves. But they earned much honour in doing so for their Forge World. More importantly, weapons and arms poured forth from Xana II and were shipped directly to the segmentum-wide battle lines of the conflict, providing much-needed respite and fresh strength to the beleaguered Imperial forces. These reinforcements helped to slowly turn the tide of defeat into first stalemate and eventually victory. It was a victory Xana II was in no small part bled dry to achieve, which generated a great festering resentment among the tech-adepts of that Forge World.
  • Ruin of Maerdan (008.M31) - This battle of the Horus Heresy saw the Imperial colony world of Maerdan on the edge of the Segmentum Solar become savagely contested between Loyalist and Traitor forces. Loyalist Titans of the Legio Gryphonicus, Legio Metalica, and Legio Destructor clashed with the Traitors of the Legio Mortis, Legio Argentum, and Legio Vulturum. One of the largest Titan battles of the early Heresy era, more than 200 god-engines clashed as Maerdan was ultimately reduced to ruin. Heavy losses were incurred by both sides and neither combatant was able to claim true victory.
  • Defence of Ryza (012.M31) - Amongst the echelons of the Cult Mechanicus, the Forge World of Ryza stood second only to Mars in power and prominence by the end of the Great Crusade. Located within the Ultima Segmentum, its position was secured by its raw manufacturing power and its tactical location that, since Ryza first forged treaties with the Imperium, served to fuel the reach of the Great Crusade eastwards across the galaxy. Above all else, Ryza possessed unparalleled expertise in the engineering and production of plasma technology thanks to the sect of tech-priests it hosted known as the Omnissiah Igvita. In war, the luminaries of Ryza turned their efforts towards the continued support of the Imperium, refusing to be swayed by the honeyed promises of the Warmaster Horus and his emissaries. So it was that when the Warmaster bade his allies to seize the Forge World, it stood guarded not just by the formidable might of the Legio Crucius (Warmongers) but the resurgent power of several other Legios and Knight houses. Amongst their number stood both House Taranis and House Zavora, ancient Knight houses bound to Mars since the Age of Strife, and both the Legio Honorum and Legio Osedax lent portions of their strength to Ryza in accordance with treaties negotiated with their patron worlds. All were sworn to Ryza unto death, for the world toiled to reunite the shattered forces that still opposed the Warmaster across the Ultima Segmentum, providing vital munitions and materiel as aid. Yet, despite the might assembled upon the world, it paled in the face of the force marshalled against it, which included the might of the Legio Vulturum and Legio Magna, with promises of vast riches awaiting their patrons should their aid bring success. With them came a decad of Titans from the Legio Mortis, their presence demanded by the Warmaster to ensure victory. In all, nearly 140 Titans were assembled, their gathered might a portent of doom for the world of Ryza. These Titan Legions were not to walk alone, for the Knight houses of Morbidia and Oroborn had been amassed alongside them. With them came vast hosts of Mechanicum Taghmata, supported by a menagerie of twisted creations given life by the minds of their Dark Mechanicum masters. Despite the Traitors' best efforts the Loyalist forces managed to beat back the attack of the Traitor forces, despite being outnumbered and outgunned. However, their victory proved to be a pyrrhic victory at best, with nearly half their number wiped out during the Traitor assault. Fires raged on Ryza for several solar weeks after the conclusion of the final battle, the Traitors in orbit bombarding the planet below as a final parting gift before departing before the arrival of Loyalist reinforcements. When the last fire sputtered out, only a fifth of the Forge World's infrastructure remained functional, the rest nothing more than blackened ruins. Though the Traitors had failed in their desire to seize Ryza as their own, they returned to the Warmaster victorious, for the Furnace of Shackled Stars no longer stood as a beacon of hope for Loyalist forces, the broken world a stark exemplar of the tragic fate that had befallen the galaxy.
    • Assault Upon the Fortress (012.M31)
    • Death of Salvation (012.M31)
    • Relief of Endeavour (012.M31)
  • Battle of Beta-Garmon, "The Titandeath" (006-013.M31) - The Legio Vulturum took part in the long and savage Beta-Garmon campaign, which included hundreds of war zones across dozens of worlds. Even before the greater armies of the Warmaster Horus reached the star cluster, the battle lines had long since been drawn, and fighting had been going on for many Terran years. It was a cauldron of battle that would consume millions of lives before its end and see the demise of entire Titan Legions, earning this campaign the dire moniker of the "Titandeath." The Beta-Garmon Cluster, also known as the gateway to the throneworld of Terra, was the last hurdle that the Warmaster Horus' forces had to overcome before they reached the Imperium's capital world. Heavily fortified by the Loyalists, Beta-Garmon would become one of the greatest and bloodiest battles of the Horus Heresy, as well as one of the longest-lasting. During the Battle of Beta-Garmon, the Legio Vulturum was supported by the Knights of House Vyridion.

Legion Combat Doctrine[]

The brutal wars that became known as the Rangdan Xenocides did much to forge Legio Vulturum into a Titan Legion of merciless killers that revelled in the act of unleashing their might upon those they deemed weak.

This ethos saw the Gore Crows throw themselves into the Horus Heresy with eager abandon, treating it as a crucible in which they could test their mettle against opposing Titan Legions.

As the galaxy-wide conflict raged, kill markings upon their god-engines' honour banners quickly built the Gore Crows' reputation for being ruthless Titan hunters, racking up an impressive amount of engine kills across dozens of battlefields.

The Gore Crows often employed merciless tactics, forcing their foes to retreat into crossfires that ensured none survived. Legio Vulturum also possessed an intense culture of competition, leading their princeps to push themselves beyond reason in an effort to claim kills that would bring them the greatest glory.

The involvement of Xana II, the parent Forge World of the Legio Vulturum, in the Rangdan Xenocides saw the tech-priests of the now-damned world develop numerous new modifications to the weapons of their Titan Legions.

The Gore Crows were often a vessel for experimentation, lavished upon with esoteric weapons created within the forge-fanes of Xana II and tested upon the fiercest of battlefields.

Though many of these experimental weapons exhibited drawbacks that proved too detrimental for sustained use, more successful tests saw the engineering of such achievements as storm frag shells for use within Vulcan Mega Bolters.

Many of the Gore Crows' princeps believed the tech-priests of Xana II to be conduits of the Omnissiah, eagerly submitting to their experiments and the boons they brought.

This Legio's princeps despised weakness in all its forms, unleashing their wrath upon any who dared flinch in their duty, even their own allies.

Legion Specific Wargear[]

  • Storm Frag Shells - The Legio Vulturum often bore experimental weapons in battle, used as test-beds by the tech-priests of Xana II. The meticulously-crafted ammunition vastly increased the power of their weapons at the cost of generating a considerable amount of heat during sustained firing. However, if the rate of fire was sustained for an extensive period a time, the intense heat built up could possibly cause a Titan's Plasma Reactor to overload, resulting in a catastrophic failure and inevitable meltdown.

Notable Titans[]

  • Messorum Noctern (Warlord-class Titan) - The Messorum Noctern fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
  • Mors Avem (Warlord-class Titan) - The Mors Avem fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
  • Sanguinem Innocentiae (Warlord-class Titan) - The Sanguinem Innocentiae fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. It finally fell at Conveyance Terminus Omega-Nine during the last battles for Ryza, though not before slaying three Loyalist Titans that sought its death.
  • Silens Semper (Warlord-class Titan) - The Silens Semper fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
  • Umbra Dolor (Warbringer Nemesis-class Titan) - The Umbra Dolor fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. At the Defence of Ryza, the Umbra Dolor proved invaluable in breaking open the Loyalists' defensive lines. Its most notable contribution was the blunting of the Legio Osedax counterattack when a squadron of Warhound Titans exploited a weak point in the Gore Crows' line. Targeting the advancing Loyalists with bombardments from its Quake Cannon, the Umbra Dolor delayed the Warhounds long enough for a Gore Crows relief force to surround the Loyalists and obliterate them with sustained barrages.
  • Uocem Noctis (Warbringers Nemesis-class Titan) - The Uocem Noctis was a Titan that fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
  • Avarice of Night (Warhound-class Titan) - The Avarice of Night fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. During the assault on Ryza, the mismanagement of the use of Storm Frag Shells within the Warhound Titan's Vulcan Mega Bolters overtaxed its reactors due to the considerable amount of heat during sustained firing, a fact Avarice of Night fatally learned during the Traitors' assault upon the city of Endeavour.
  • Mors Desperandum (Warhound-class Titan) - The Mors Desperandum fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Its most notable engagement was during the siege of the Loyalist Forge World of Ryza, where it was destroyed during its assault on the city of Endeavour.
  • Shadow of Death (Warhound-class Titan) - The Shadow of Death fought during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Its most notable engagement was during the siege of the Loyalist Forge World of Ryza, where it was destroyed during its assault on the city of Endeavour.

Notable Personnel[]

None listed in current Imperial records.

Legion Allies[]

Vassal Knight Houses[]

Legion Appearance[]

Legion Colours[]

The colours of the Legio Vulturum primarily beige and black, trimmed in silver.

Legion Badge[]

The Legio badge of the Legio Vulturum takes the form of a black, skeletal crow, its wings elevated and spread to the sides, while its talons grasp a severed skull, the spinal column still attached.

This central symbol is centred upon a beige field.

Sources[]

Gallery[]

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