Intro:

The galaxy is wounded. It reels as the Warpstorms continue to tear at it. The Imperial forces fight tooth and nail to
secure the Imperium Sanctus, while the worlds of the Imperium Nihilus are besieged by unremitting horror. The
Legions of the Dark Gods attack from every front; nowhere is safe. Xenos races are either fighting for survival or to
vie for supremacy. In this maelstrom of destruction and slaughter, no force is capable of truly seizing the upper
hand. Each victory or defeat serves to stoke the inferno. After millennia of labour and planning, Abaddon's
ambitions will not tolerate the galaxy being consumed by the fires of mutual destruction. His agents move unseen
across the galaxy, and his seers and sorcerers pick at the strands of prophecy and fate. All in an effort to find a way
for the Warmaster to seize control of this raging inferno. He seeks a final weapon to unleash on the Imperium of
Man, and he will tear space and time asunder to find it.

Chapter 1:

As Abaddon led his forces against Vigilus, something sinister was unfolding on the artificial moon of Pergamatos.
The moon belongs to the tech-priests of Forgeworld Goralech. It was their duty to handle forbidden lore for a cabal
of the Ordos Malleus. The vaults of Pergamatos were where they gathered the heretical data. The moon's systems
hid its presence even from the most powerful sensor sweeps.

The disaster began years ago when small power surges pulsed in a steady slow rhythm that ate away at the moon's
systems. Anomalies and glitches accumulated unnoticed by the tech-magi. It culminated in a blasted servitor
plastered all over an inspection hatch. The gory mess prevented the tech-magi from effecting the necessary repairs
long enough for an overload to do its work. The primary auspex baffle array was shutdown by the rogue power
surge.

Seemingly by chance, the secondary baffles registered a need for maintenance and were shutdown earlier. So when
the primary array was rendered offline, there were no baffle systems to fill the hole. The tech-priests, with haste,
reworked the secondary baffles and got them back online. But by then, the damage was done. Pergamatos was
revealed to the wider galaxy for five minutes and fifteen seconds. Time enough for a Black Legion warship, the
Unrepentant, to detect it and get a remarkably clear datacapture of the world's nature and hints of the wealth stored
within.

Globally sheeted with feet-thick adamantine armor and void shields, protected by orbital lasers that guarded every
approach to the moon, and garrisoned by legions of skitarii and a maniple of reaver titans from Lego Maledictus,
Pergamatos was no easy target. Yet thanks to the datacapture, the leader of the Black Legion invasion force,
Warpsmith Vask prepared accordingly and brought a substantial force with him.

What followed was a tragically one-sided battle, as the moon's void shields mysteriously suffered failures. The
defense batteries were left unprotected against orbital fire and were obliterated by the Black Legion warships. The
Black Legion and their renegade and Dark Mech allies landed on both poles of the moon and took the fight to the
tech-priests. Though they fought with fanatical desperation, the skitarii could not prevent the traitors from breaching
the underground and the reaver titans were pulled down and destroyed by the Dark Mech's daemonic warmachines.

-It was during the last hours of the battle that a malfunctioning door trapped a Dark Mech Magos in a vault. While
his servitors and servants worked to get him out, the Magos stumbled on a shrine that held a data-tome. Upon
freeing the tome from its runic wards, the Magos was thrilled with the prospect of using the tome's dark lore in a
show of power that would gain him Abaddon's favor. When he was assigned to be among the countless maintenance
personnel repairing the damaged Vengeful Spirit, the Magos smuggled the data-tome aboard. All were unaware that
what transpired was by the design of Vashtorr the Arkifane.

Chapter 2:

-Abaddon stood within the occulturium aboard the Vengeful Spirit. He was compelling the infernal undead things
called the Oracles to show him visions from across the galaxy. After Abaddon rebuffed their attempts at
intimidation, they obeyed. Images formed over the octagram.
-The first vision was of a clenched Gauntlet. Storms tore at it until it became brittle and covered in spreading
darkness. Then a spear suddenly stabbed through the Gauntlet. It snapped open, and its fingers broke off, and were
dragged into the maelstrom. Abaddon already knew that the Worldclaimer was winning his war in the Nachmund
Gauntlet. He had no use for the Oracles' attempts at pleasing him. He demanded that they show him another vision.

-As the images whirled, Abaddon mused on how he envied Haarken's war. A straightforward war where he would
bathe Drach'nyen in the blood of loyalist scum would do much to soothe his ire. However, he could not allow
himself such indulgences now.

-Abaddon knew that there were those among his followers that questioned why he didn't order the attack on Terra.
They wonder why he hadn't used the Noctis Aeterna to launch the killing blow or hurled the entirety of his might
along the Crimson Path while the Imperium reeled from the Great Rift's birth.

-The answer was simple. Abaddon was not a fool like Horus was. He would not risk his ambitions on the fickleness
of the Warp and the whims of mad gods. He would not sail to Terra and leave behind him vast armies of loyalists.
To do so would repeat the mistakes of the past. Abaddon would not make himself a gambler as Horus did. Abaddon
was devoid of the innate arrogance of the Primarchs. When it was time to strike at Terra, it would be from a position
of absolute strength. It would neither be a battle nor a siege. It would be the fall of a headman's axe, singular and
final.

-Abaddon mused that it would be easier said than done. To use the word command for the legions that march under
his banner was to stretch it to the breaking point. The hosts and legions that swear allegiance to him are without
number, yet their agendas are myriad, and they often only align with his cause out of fear or ambition. And over
them, all loomed the influence of the Chaos Gods.

- Abaddon had vowed thousands of years ago never to become a pawn of the Dark Gods. Yet resisting the dark
powers himself is not the same as keeping his men free from their influence. The Chaos Gods will not suffer their
champion grasping victory without forcing him to beg for it, nor will they allow him to be victorious while in the
thrall of one of their rivals. And so the dark gods whose power and patronage should have assured Abaddon's
victory have instead exerted their influence to scheme and wage their petty wars using infernal and mortal proxies.
Their Great Game sowed infighting in the legions he sought to unite and command.

-Abaddon saw another vision. Two godlike beings dueling atop a burning tower. One felled the other with his talon
as the skies above flared with darksome light. Abaddon recognized this for what it was. flattery with sly mockery
mixed in. His victory over Calgar on Vigilus was satisfying. However, the symbolic worth of that victory was
undermined by Xenos meddling.

-To fight the Long War and harness the power of Chaos and its worshippers through force of will without
succumbing to the embrace of any of the Dark Gods is the hardest and loneliest path that any mortal could ever
walk. Always must Abaddon assert his authority through shows of personal might and conquest. Though, he has
little time to do so.

-Abaddon saw a vision of a Crimson Cyclops atop a glimmering spire. An endless parade of supplicants threw
themselves willingly into the flames at his feet.

*Note: Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned

-Abaddon saw an ocean of rot and filth crash against a bastion of blue and gold marble. A hooded figure loomed
over it. In his bony hand, he clutched an hourglass.

*Note: Plague Wars

-Abaddon saw a vision of a smothering shroud cast on a mass of screaming faces and reaching hands. It dragged
them all into a still black lake. The vision repeated again and again until Adaddon swept it away. The Necrons and
their Silent King, Abaddon has yet to decide how to respond to their threat.
-More visions flashed before Abaddon. His cunning ancient mind deciphered the hidden truths within them. He saw
the victories and defeats of the Chaos hosts. And also their damnable omnipresent infighting. When Abaddon
glimpsed Fulgrim's latest indulgence in the Imperium Nihilus he roared in rage and had to restrain himself from
smashing his clenched talon into the octagram.

-Abaddon demanded to see the loyalists. The visions signified the Imperials surging from Terra and taking the fight
to the followers of Chaos and driving them back. The Imperials were rendered as faceless legions with their eyes
downcast as they carefully marched over their own fallen. Yet in each of their eyes glinted the light of Terra.
Abaddon sensed the devotion that drove these pathetic fools forward. He hated their mindless faith. The fact that it
was based on a lie made it more loathsome for him.

-Abaddon was about to swipe the images on the octagram to reveal more warzones when the visions flickered, and a
shockwave of emotion hit Abaddon. It was the Oracles. They were in a state of distress and rage. Expecting an
infernal incursion, Abaddon took a fighting stance and exited the occulturium. He was met with the monstrous form
of Falkus Kibre, the leader of Abaddon's terminator bodyguard, the Harbingers of Despair. Kibre reported to the
Warmaster that the incursion was not limited to the occulturium. It was widespread.

-As Abaddibn made his way through the ship, he watched as Warp corruption of the Vengeful Spirit was fading
before the touch of snaking filaments of brass and silver. As the filaments swarmed and spread across the ship, the
daemons that long haunted the vessel fled from them. Abaddon was contacted by Xorphas. Abaddon ordered him to
quit reciting his titles and give a report. Xorphas reported that the source of this incursion was the reserve
sensorium. One of the most damaged portions of the ship by the Aeldari attack.

*Note: Xorphas is the main villain of Traitor's Hate/Angel's Blade. Why is he in this book instead of Zaraphiston?

-Abaddon and his warriors arrived at the area. The immense masses of writhing tendrils and filaments confirmed it
to be the source of the infection that was overtaking the Venegful Spirit. He also found the dark tech-magi
responsible for this mess. The tech-magi prostrated in fear before Abaddon and their ringleader pleaded with
Abaddon that he only thought to repair his mighty vessel.

-Abaddon looked towards Xorphas for information on what was happening. Xorphas explained that without
studying the data-tome used in the ritual, he could not say for certain what transpired here. It was nothing he had
seen before. However, the filaments seem to be repairing the ship, and their energy was flowing primarily toward
the bridge.

-Abaddon had Kibre drag away the Magos for torturous interrogation, followed by a lesson in the consequences of
displeasing the Warmaster.

-When Abaddon reached by the bridge, the sight of what was within made him pause, almost causing Xorphas to run
into him as he flipped through the datatome. A mass of metallic tendrils, molten metal, and the bridge's crew were
being dragged into a growing maelstrom of energy. A humanoid being was forming within the storm of butchered
meat and tortured metal. Abaddon did not know exactly what stopped him from ordering his gathered warriors to
blast apart the manifestation. Perhaps it was the pull of destiny, or it was simply his desire to use the forming
creature as an outlet for the violence he was denied for too long.

-When the being fully manifested before Abaddon. He introduced himself in a rasping static laced voice as Vashtorr
the Arkifane. He has come with an offer.

Chapter 3:

-Who knows how the fate of the galaxy would have played out if Abaddon chose to order his men to fire at the
manifestation or if he had taken his Tallon to the towering being that stood before him? Fate chose this path.
Abaddon demanded that the being identify himself and reveal what Dark God did he serve. He demanded to know
what is he doing with his ship and how a petty band of cultists accidently summoned him aboard. Abaddon's long
experience with dealing with daemons, especially the devious sorts like Be'lakor, gave the expectation that Vashtorr
would speak to him in riddles and twisted words. Abaddon was surprised when the daemon spoke with plain clear
honesty.

-Vashtorr introduced himself as the Master of the Soul Forges. He was a being who spat on the notion of serving any
god.

-The utter contempt Abaddon felt in Vashtorr toward the idea of serving the gods engendered a waning of distrust.
Abaddon felt that Vashtorr's echoed his own resistance to bending the knee to the Dark Gods.

-Vashtorr explained that the manifestations aboard the ship were an act of goodwill, a gift. They were repairing the
Warmaster's vessel and improving it. The changes were being completed with supernatural speed. Abaddon voxed
his technical servants for confirmation. They confirmed that the ship was being repaired. Some daemonic entities
that have long haunted the ship were banished, but the biomechanical systems that appeared in their place seem to
be far more efficient. Abaddon, still mistrustful, ordered his sorcerors to inspect every inch of the ship.

-Vashtorr explained that the cultists and everything around them were just cogs in his plans. This is a testament to
how he could use his power to exert control over reality. Abaddon saw this as a taunt and an inference. Enraged,
Abaddon told the daemon that he resisted the Dark Gods for 10K years. He would not bend the knee to a God of
Cogitators. Abaddon was surprised when an amused Vashtorr told him that he doesn't desire to make Abaddon into
a thrall. He merely seeks a mutually beneficial alliance. He knows that Abaddon is seeking a fate-altering weapon.
Vashtorr knows of a prophecy that will lead him to it, and he knows how to decipher it.

-Vashtorr stated his motives outright, again defying Abaddon's expectations. Vashtorr believed that divinity lies in
the fulfillment of the prophecy. For this aim, he is willing to aid Abaddon in his Long War. Abaddom, impressed
with the scope of the daemon's ambition, agreed to the alliance.

-To show the value of their alliance, Vashtorr pointed Abaddon to the world of Magdalor where he claimed the next
fragment of the key was located. Knowing that while caution has its place, victory belonged to the bold, Abaddon
sailed to the world. He was confident that should his daemonic ally's words prove false, he would crush him for his
treachery.

Chapter 4:

-Magdalor was the homeworld of the Iron Angels chapter. They relocated to it in M33 after their original
homeworld was destroyed in a disaster. Most of their leadership and heritage were lost during the disaster barring a
few precious chapter relics. This severed them from their history and the knowledge of their Founding chapter. They
hollowed out and turned the peak of the tallest mountain of Magdalor into their Fortress Monastery, and they named
it Angel's Crown. Within its deepest chambers, they held the last precious relics to be unleashed only in times of
greatest peril.

-Over thousands of years, The Iron Angels fought heroically in the Emperor's name. Yet ill fortune and their
stubborn code of refusing to retreat except in the face of total destruction cost them dearly. The outbreak of psychic
manifestation and mutations among the tribal populations they recruited from further compounded the chapter's
troubles. When Abaddon's fleet arrived to the world, they found a diminished yet stubbornly defiant force of the
Emperor's Angels. For all of that, the battle was not hopeless, thanks to their formidable chapter fleet. The Iron
Angels sent a terse distress call to the wider Imperium and manned their defenses. It was a symbolic act, for they
knew that they were facing the Despoiler. The battle would be over before any aid arrived.

-As ship wreckage and landing craft rained from the skies, Abaddon and a massive force of terminators teleported
within the Angel's Crown. The teleport strike served two purposes. It would end the battle quickly and decisively
and finally allow Abaddon to immerse himself the in the glory of battle and vent his frustrations. Immediately they
were beset by all sides. A trio of Librarians led the defense. The fire of the loyalists felled some of the terminators
with well-placed shots. Joyous that the loyalists were making it a challenge, Abaddon stormed through the bolter
and plasma fire and dueled two of the librarians at once. The terminators' return fire blew the loyalist marines off
their feet, and then Kibre led them into a charge against the Iron Angels' veterans. The elites of both forces traded
blows.
-Abaddon tore the head of one of the librarians and wept tears of black blood as he endured the psychic onslaught of
the other before cleaving him in two with Drach'nyen. Then Abaddon joined Kibre in the slaughter. One by one the
loyalists were felled. Abaddon slew one loyalist after another until there was nothing left of them but butchered
corpses

-Abaddon and the terminators made their way deeper into the fortress. He resolved to take the chapters's geneseed
and burn their Reclusiam before he was done. As they marched on, Abaddon saw evidence of an earlier battle. The
corpses of chapter serfs and loyalist marines were scattered amidst the carnage. The Iron Angel'sown defenses
turned into cog-teethed monstrosities and turned on them. And everywhere were the signs of a daemonic incursion.
Something had torn the heart of the Fortress Monastery before Abaddon launched his attack. It was Vashtorr. He
had suspected that the daemon would use him and his men as expendable pawns that did most of the dirty work.
Another misgiving Abaddon had for his new ally was proven false. Perhaps Vashtorr was indeed a worthy ally.

-Abaddom and Vashtorr led their combined forces against the last stand of the loyalists' first company. The Iron
Angels' heroism and defiance in this doomed battle were worthy of legend, yet they could not prevail against the
Despoiler and the Arkifane. Vashtorr prevented the Reclusiarch from purging the chapter's corrupted apothecarium
by smashing him to gory paste with his hammer leaving the path open for daemonic entities to swarm from it.
Abaddon dueled the Iron Angels chapter master. They exchanged blows before Abaddon ran him through with
Drach'nyen. The daemon sword drank the chapter master's soul as the last of the Iron Angels were massacred.

-From the Reclusiam, Vashtorr claimed a pillar of marble that the now-extinct Iron Angels called the Oathing Stone.

-Abaddon questioned Vashtorr on the Oathing stone. The prophecy did not mention it. Vashtorr responded by saying
when a warrior speaks of his gun; he does not speak about its components. Abaddon demanded that he not start
speaking riddles now.

-Within the innermost sanctum of the Vengeful Spirit, Abaddon and Vashtorr had a private conversation. Vashtorr
revealed the prize at stake and the nature of the Oathing Stone. In their hours-long conversation, the nature of the
Oathing Stone was revealed to Abaddon. Abaddon was overtaken with dark mirth; his laughter echoed throughout
the Vengeful Spirit. Even as he returned to his men, he could not suppress chuckling. He commented that for all
their piety, the servants of the Corpse Emperor are greater traitors than his side will ever be. At least his and his
men's rebellion is honest.

-Abaddon was fully convinced now that the quest was worth his time and the lives of his men. It will lead to a
weapon that will change the fate of the galaxy. Thus the bargain was truly sealed. Both Vashtorr and Abaddon
would be allies until both achieved their aims.

The Key Fragments:

The first step in their plan was to collect a great number of mystical relics that had been scattered across space and
time by a long-ago catastrophe. The relics take different forms, but each has a unique psychic signature that can be
tracked. Vashtorr, through his Warp sorcery and studies, knows how to combine these relics into what he calls the
Key.

Some of the relics were scattered among the wilderness of the galaxy. Most were buried or hidden among the
civilizations of the galaxy. Some beings in the galaxy noted their importance and hoarded them in well-protected
vaults. As such, the claiming of most of these relics required military action. This task was left to Vashtorr's mortal
allies.

In truth, VAshtorr did not require all the key fragments. His mastery of science and sorcery will enable him to
reassemble the key even if some fragments are missing. However, the more fragments recovered, the greater the
power of the key will be. And some of the fragments were crucial. The task of retrieving the vital fragments was
entrusted to Abaddon's most reliable and powerful champions.
There was no rhyme or reason to the nature and form of the fragments. One fragment appeared as a charred ancient
cogitator held in a stasis field. Another appeared as a meteorite embedded in a world's bedrock.

The Arks of Omen:

Not wanting to waste Black Legion lives for what he considered secondary conflicts, Abaddon and Vashtorr
concocted a plan to marshall a vast assemblage of traitors and heretics. Abaddon sent out an offer to the forces of
Chaos. Any warlord that comes before Abaddon and bends their knee would receive Abaddon's patronage as well as
a mighty gift. An Ark of Omen would be his to command. The one stipulation was that the masters of Arks must
fulfill the task given to them by Abaddon. Indeed, the promise of commanding these mighty vessels drew many
warlords and champions.

Each Ark of Omen was a space Hulk. Vashtorr and the Black Legion Dark Magi and sorcerers pulled a number of
Space Hulks from the depths of the Warp to the Imperium Nihilus where they could affect their works in relative
safety. Vashtorr fashioned the first Space Hulks into the Arks of Omen. Later Abaddon's sorcerers and Darkmech
allies fashioned their own Arks of Omen using the Arkifane's teachings.

The Arks of Omen were not cleared totally of their dangers by the Black Legion. Abaddon considered it a task of
vermin eradication not worthy of the lives of his men. If a warlord failed to overcome the danger of his gifted Ark of
Omen, then he was not worthy of Abaddon's patronage. Indeed, some warbands were slaughtered by the perils of
their Arks of Omen. In two cases, the Black Legion had to step in to destroy an Ark with mass ship fire before its
unholy dangers burst out to wreak havoc on the Black Legion ships.

Escorting the Arks were armadas of traitor warships called the Balefleets. These gatherings of heretical forces would
come to rival the Indomitus Crusade.

Abaddon was no fool. He knew that fear of him was not enough to keep some of the warlords from prioritizing their
self-interest over their mission. So he seeded the Arks with agents and champions whose loyalty to him was without
question. They would focus Balefleets on the task. In extreme examples, Abaddon generously assigned Black
Legion chosen or terminators to Arks. These warriors were indirect threats to the warlords. These Black
Legionnaires would gladly give their lives for Abaddon's cause, and they would slaughter anyone that stands in their
way.

Abaddon made a pact with a number of Alpha Legion operatives. They infiltrated almost every balefleet. Their
mission was to ensure that the key fragments were claimed, regardless of the difficulties encountered. What reward
Abaddon promised the Alpha Legion is unknown.

The descent of the galaxy into deeper anarchy meant that maintaining organization and unity was extremely difficult
for all but the most advanced races. This was an advantage to the Arks of Omen and their balefleets. Each Ark of
Omen force was self-sufficient and obeyed the centralized command issued from the Ark. This is in contrast to the
Indomitus Crusade, whose formations were interdependent and labored to be parts of a greater strategy. Abaddon
successfully turned the anarchic individualism of the followers of Chaos into an advantage. The Arks functioned
without the need for a coherent unifying strategy, and each was expendable for Abaddon, provided that it
accomplished its task.

Some of the vital adaptations and modifications of the Arks of Omen:

-Each Ark had a captive Warp portal within it. The warlords were unaware of its purpose. They were only told to
bring the key fragments to the portals. The portals led to a secret location where the key fragments were gathered.

-Obelyskanes were infernal inventions of Vashtorr and one of the greatest gifts he bestowed on Abaddon. They were
short-range Warp beacon engines made from flesh, metal, and daemonic essence. They burned like infernos in the
Warp, which allowed the traitor fleets to use the Arks of Omen as waypoints to use to navigate the raging storms of
the Great Rift. The Obelyskanes were powered by Warp furnaces that were fed the souls of psykers. The mockery of
the Astronomican was not lost on Abaddon.
-Since it was impossible for mundane and conventional means to command and pilot such vast vessels, each Ark of
Omen was piloted by a daemonic entity called the Ferryman. The Ferrymen acted as both bridge and crew of the
Arks of Omen. They were bound to obey the commands of the warlords of the Arks. Though, their true loyalty
belonged to the Arkifane.

-The traitor managed to salvage and harness some of the ancient and bizarre technologies within the Arks of Omen.
Temporal and reality-based weapons, counter-ballistic teleporters, and quantum communicators were among the
many technologies they found and utilized. While these systems and weapons were a boon that added to the might
of the Arks of Omen, they were often unreliable.

-The Arks of Omen featured covens of slave psykers whose heads were augmented with parasitic insectoid daemon
helmets. The psykers were nothing more than living auspicators that desperately homed in on the warp signature of
the key fragments.

The Arks Unleashed:

The first wave of the arks of Omen descended on the galaxy, with the second wave following in their wake. Almost
every Segmentum was hit, even those in the Imperium Sanctus. Traitor ships, due to having the protection of the
Chaos Gods and being unreliant on the Light of Terra, could cross through the Great Rift. However, for such
massive and coordinated armadas to cross through the Great Rift and strike targets vast distances away within the
Imperium Sanctus was unprecedented. The Ferrymen and Obelyskanes made this previously near-impossible feat
happen again and again.

The Imperials watched in bafflement as the Arks of Omen onslaught fell upon them and other forces in the galaxy.
The attacks seemed to be random, following no clear pattern. However, the fact that the Arks kept targeting areas of
obscure archeotech and how the traitors managed to pinpoint the location of hidden Inquisitorial enclaves with
unnerving accuracy and then plunder them implied otherwise. By large, the Imperium remained clueless.

The Imperial counterattacks managed to overrun several Arks, but many more continued to rampage across the
galaxy bringing apocalyptic levels of destruction wherever they attacked. One such attack fell on the fortress world
of Cortosia III. One of its martial museums held a sword that was one of the Key fragments.

The Ark of Omen, named the Ogre, crewed by Lord Gulthrog and his Nurglite forces, led the assault on the fortress
world. He would ensure Abaddon got his prize, but only after he claimed the world as the seat of power of the
empire he wanted to build in Nurgle's name.

Hundreds of traitor landing craft descended on the world. The Imperial defenses managed to shoot down many, but
many more managed to land and disgorge their diseased troops. Fierce fighting enveloped the fortified mountain
ranges, and when the traitors launched viral weapons at the Imperial lines, the horrific aftermath of these
bioweapons became the doorway for even greater horrors. Out of the gore and slime left by the viral strikes emerged
Vashtorr's indentured daemonic hosts to rampage.

Yet the situation was far from hopeless for the Imperial defenders. A huge armored spearhead threw back Gulthrog's
allied Chaos Knights at the same time as Imperial reinforcements arrived in orbit. The Black Templar and the Sisters
of Battle warships had come to aid the Imperial defenders of Cortosia III. They punched through the traitor's
blockage, and soon skies above the world blazed with intense void warfare.

Ultimately, the zeal and unity of the Imperials saw them stand triumphant over Gulthrog's warbands. The traitors
refused to fight side by side even as they witnessed their doom. Gulthrog abandoned the ground war and fled with
his personal warband to the Ogre to defend it against loyalist warships. Reacting to Gulthrog's incompetence, the
Alpha Legion operatives made their move. They issued commands through hijacked vox channels to Gulthrog's
ground forces. They sent a false order to abandon their positions and launch an attack against the primary loyalist
stronghold. The move was strategically disastrous for the sorely beset traitor forces. As the Imperials leaped to
capitalize on the traitor's misstep, the Alpha Legionaries stole the key fragment and then disappeared within the
Ogre's Warp portal.
The Galaxy Responses:

Even now, many foes of Chaos are unaware that the unconnected attacks that occurred during the Black Crusades
were part of a plan to unpick the ancient Pylon network and unleash the Great Rift. The same foes were now just as
lost and clueless about the true agenda behind the Arks of Omen. But history perhaps would not repeat itself. Some
recognized the Arks for the growing dangers they were and moved to oppose them. Among these few were the
Aeldari.

The Asuryani seers' ability to scry all potential futures alerted them to the coming darkness heralded by the Arks of
Omens. The Harelquins helped forge alliances between the Asuryani, Drukhari, Corsairs, and the Exodites. The joint
forces launched hit-and-run attacks on the Arks. Yet they knew their attacks would not be enough to forestall this
doom. A delegation of seers from many Craftworlds met a powerful and level-headed Inquisitor of the Ordos
Malleus named Coteaz. After listening in silence to Aeldari's warnings regarding the darkened path that the Arks of
Omen will drag the galaxy into, the Inquisitor allowed the Xenos witches to leave with their lives, which was
uncharacteristic for a member of the Inquisition. Coteaz did not give the Xenos any assurances, but he did indeed act
on their warnings with haste.

Coteaz would be amongst the first Imperials to begin operations against the Arks. But he was not alone. Other
members of the Ordos began to direct Imperium toward this threat. They alerted Chapter Masters and Indomitus
Crusade groupmasters or led their own agents and forces against them.

Thanks to their training, wargear, and zeal, Space Marines and the Sisters proved to be the most effective boarding
force against the Arks of Omen. However, to fight against the Arks and their balefleets was a task that required
entire Imperial warfleerts to even stand a chance. Some Space Marines were up to this challenge. The Black
Templars, Iron Tridents, and Crimson Lament chapters used their significant naval strength to successfully launch
attacks on the Arks and inflict great damage.

Other chapters that weren't as gifted in naval assets and the Sisters of Battle enlisted the aid of the Imperial Navy to
aid them in their boarding actions. More than one balefleet closed in on an Imperial naval formation only to find
their hulls breached and boarded by forces of vengeful power armoured warriors.

Few of the strikes at the Arks were entirely successful. Often damaging and slowing down the Arks was victory
enough. Many of the attacks were desperate actions against overwhelming traitor forces to delay them long enough
for Imperial worlds to be evacuated or for the inquisitorial agents to uncover what the traitors were after.
----

by random encounters, some Arks ran afoul with Xenos forces and monstrosities. The Blackened Tower was
damaged by the Enslavers. The Stobbing God translated from the Warp right in the middle of a tendril of Hive Fleet
Kraken. The escort vessels were overrun, forcing the traitors to flee into the Ark itself, where they fortified their
positions. Tyranids swarmed all over the Ark and poured into it, besieging the traitors within the heart of their Ark.

-------

-The dormant Tomb World of Vol held an urn that was one of the key fragments. It was hidden beneath the
foundations of the tomb complex. This made it the target of the Ark Beast in Scarlet. that was commanded by the
Thousand Sons. The traitor attack caught the slumbering Necrons by surprise and tore the heart out of their defenses.
The Thousand Sons claimed the urn from the shattered tomb complex and departed. Unknown to the Thousand
Sons, their attack would have dire consequences for them. The master of Vol Overlord Somtatek of the Szarekhan
dynasty was spirited away and remade on a vassal tomb world after the Thousand Sons destroyed him as he
slumbered. Enraged at being slain in such a dishonorable way, the Necron Overlord gathered his tomb fleet and
surviving legions. He was resolved to avenge this dishonor, even if it meant pursuing the Beast in Scarlet to the ends
of the galaxy.

-------
-The Ark of Omen Colossus struck at the archeotech-rich worlds of Onalpa system. When armies of the Dark Mech
and their Chaos titans descended from the balefleet to greedily plunder them for all they were worth, the Imperial
defenders believed that they were finished. It would not be so. An Ultramarine strike force used the traitor attack as
an opening to board the Ark. The Ultramarines were slain to a man fighting against the nightmarish defenders of the
Ark but not before simultaneously overloading several engines, which resulted in the Ark being torn apart by a
series of explosions.

*Note : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6c5RZL9Skw

-------

The Netherworld Bane lost its escorting balefleet after a series of grueling campaigns. The lone ark was attacked and
boarded by ragtag fleet of renegades called Jekor's Slayers, seeking to claim it for themselves. The renegades did not
find any mortals aboard the ship. Instead, they found a host of fleshmetal daemons. The machine infection of the
daemons spread to the renegade marines causing mechanical growths to erupt from their bodies. Some were dragged
into the Ark's metal and absorbed, and others were transformed into more fleshmetal daemons. It did not take long
before Jekor's fleet was remade into the Ark's new escort fleet.

-------

Dante and the Blood Angels found the Ark Night Terror floating lifeless amongst the wreckage of its balefleet .
Upon boarding the Ark, Dante found withered remains of a strange biomechanical infestation that mingled with
what appeared as wilted plant life. Corpses of cultists and traitor marines were found scattered aboard the hulk.
Some bore explosive wounds that spoke of bolter fire. Others were cleaved as if by a giant sword. The fate of the
Ark remained a mystery to the Blood Angels even after days of searching. Dante had his men take samples to be
analyzed. He was determined to learn more.

-------
The Aeldari of the Diamond Talon Corsairs launched a raid against the Devourer of Hope Ark that was so successful
that they could have chosen to take the chance to cripple the Ark if they wanted to. They decided against it. They
left the Ark to resume its destructive rampage, sure that the mayhem it would cause to the Imperials would be to
their benefit.

Chapter 5:

It was ironic that some of the most successful attacks against the Ars of Omen were by the forces of Chaos.
Warbands either seeking to hinder Abaddon plans or to claim the Arks for their own attacked the Arks of Omen.
One ark vanished in the Maelstorm after violating the territories of the Red Corsairs. Another was destroyed when a
Word Bearer warband who saw the "enslaving" of the Space Hulks as an offense to the Chaos Gods undid the Ark's
binding and unleashed a tide of daemons that slaughtered both attacker and defender before spilling all over a
mining world.

It was the destruction of the Dirge Discordant Ark that was heading toward one of the most crucial key fragments
that drew Abaddon personal ire and mandated his intervention. With cold fury, Abaddon crushed the Khornate
Daemonkin warband responsible and then led his forces to the world of Chyron Tertius.

Abaddon's forces fell on the world and scaled its mountains; their target was the planet's temple ultima which was
cut into one of its mountains. Abaddon and his Harbringers of Despair crossed a bridge that connected the
mountains. Before them, the Cadians were staging a fighting retreat. However, they weren't as surefooted as the
Black Legion marines. The quaking caused by the orbital bombardment and the raging wind plucked some
guardsmen off the bridge and sent them plummetting in a mile-long drop into the cold waters that pooled at the feet
of the mountains. The thought of these guardsmen suffering a despairing death as their broken bodies drowned in the
icy water brought him slight amusement. It faded fast when a lucky shot from the cannon blew out the knee of one
of the terminators and caused the veteran warrior to stumble over the bridge's edge to his doom.
This enraged Abaddon. He wouldn't have been here losing the lives of too many of his men if it weren't for the
failure of the Dirge Discordant. Yet here he was, getting delayed by the mountains, the weather, and the irritatingly
stubborn scum that possessed the gall to still call themselves Cadians as if it was a mark of honor and not shame.
Abaddon used his vox-amplified to speak to the Cadians. He told them that he had broken their pathetic world and
that they were nothing more than the orphans of a murdered world. If he has to break them a hundred times before
they learn their place, then so be it.

Abaddon made a running charge toward the Cadians. The Guardsmen fire splashed and bounced harmlessly off his
armor as he closed in on them. Their sergeant screamed in hatred and fear as she aimed her bolt pistol at his head.
He reduced her to bloody mist with his Talon's bolter before she could fire. Then he used the Talon to backhand the
guardsmen's barricade with such force that he sundered it and sent the Cadians hiding behind it flying into the air.

A guardsman fired a grenade launcher at Abaddon. Abaddon spun around faster than his massive armour should
have allowed and deflected the grenade with the flat of Drach'nyen, sending it into a cluster of Cadians. Drach'nyen
seethed at being used like that. Abaddon gave his sword nothing but contempt before he used it to pierce the skull of
the grenadier and cleave apart Cadians with viper speed.

Abaddon gave a roar and smashed through with his shoulder the blast door that Cadians were guarding with their
lives. It crumbled against his might like foil. The guardsmen that weren't crushed by collapsed blast door found
themselves trapped in a rocky corridor with a raging Abaddon. The guardsmen scarcely had any time to scream
before meeting their brutal ends.

Abaddom strode forward into the temple ultima; He was surrounded by the asinine icons and symbols of Imperial
Faith which made his teeth grit. When Abaddon reached an opening, he found dozens of Cadians fortified behind a
defensive line with all their weapons trained on him. Abaddon made no effort to evade the guardsmen fire. He stood
there ignoring the Imperial barrage directed at him and motioned to his Harbringers of Despair to advance. The
terminators walked past their Warmaster's sides, followed by Black Legionares providing covering fire.

As the Cadians were being slaughtered, Abaddon was contacted by Vashtorr. He reported a complexity that might
hinder their plans. He explained (with some relish, Abaddon noted) that through desperation, innovation, and risks
taken in the name of progress, their enemies have gathered a force at the world of Malakbael too great for any
Balefleet to overcome. The entire fourth of Roboute's Crusade amasses there. The claiming one of the most
important key fragments could not be achieved there.

Abaddon was so amused by this revelation that he laughed. What delighted him was that Vashtorr wasn't as all-
knowing as he made himself appear. An irritated Vashtorr questioned Abaddon on his mirth. Abaddon explained to
the Arkifane that it does not matter how many Imperial forces amassed at that world. Roboute could take the field
there, and it would not matter at all. Abaddon revealed the doom that was coming for the Imperials with a smile
followed by a single word that spelled the destruction of worlds, the death of civilizations, and the murder of entire
species. ANGRON!

An intrigued Vashtorr stated that he would go there and witness it himself. With that settled, Abaddon rejoined the
slaughter of the Cadians. As he fought, allied warbands reported that the war over world was going well. The
Imperials were getting crushed on all fronts.

The final obstacle that stood in the way of Abaddon were the remnants of a Tempestus Scions counterattack. The
slain Black Legionnaires at the foot of their barricades were a testament to their deadly firepower.

Abaddon gave a command, and suddenly pillars of infernal light flared into being around the Scions. When the light
faded, the hulking forms of the Back Legion Obliterators were revealed to the screaming Imperials. The fleshmetal
bodies of these twisted Chaos marines manifested guns and fired them point blank into the scions, engulfing them in
a storm of plasma and flame.

Abaddon roared "Forward and to victory" to his men and led the charge. Abaddon rammed his Talon into the
commanding Scions officer and allowed Drach'nyen to drink a fine tally of souls. He let his men mop up the
remaining loyalists while he entered the Shrine of the God Emperor. Abaddon cared nothing for the serenity and
beauty of the scenes within the shrine. His eyes searched only for the fragment. As he searched, he could still hear
the sounds of battle. Even now, the Imperials were still fighting in their desperation to stop the Despoiler from
claiming his victory. But it was too late.

Using the Slaved psykers, Abaddon located the hidden spot of the key fragment and claimed it. The Key fragment
was revealed to be a simple stone chalice. Xorphas commented that its a trifle. With triumph burning in his hearts,
Abaddon retorted by saying yet by such trifles shall the imperium of Man be laid low.

General lore:

-The defeat of Horus had left a mark on Abaddon. He grew to resent his Gene-father, and he resolved never to
venerate him or emulate him in any way. For a long time, Abaddon shunned the title of Warmaster, for he saw it
tainted by Horus' failure. It was only after the successes of the 13th Black Crusade did Abaddon finally consider
bringing back the title and claiming it as his own. However, the title would no longer signify the great general and
champion of the Chaos Gods, a pawn who rules nothing he bargained for with the Dark Gods. Abaddon declared his
title to be Warmaster of the Imperium Nihilus. He would be the master of half of the Imperium. A realm larger than
anything Horus ever conquered and held, he claims.

-Vashtorr (aka The God in the Machine) is neither a daemon prince nor an entity of any of the Four Powers. He is
the warp demigod of inventors, engineers, and scientists. He represents curiosity and innovation devoid of morality
and taken to its darkest extremes. He is the mortal desire to understand the forces of the universe and enslave them
and to achieve technological ascension at any cost.

-Vashtorr has manifested rarely in the galaxy. This made him a relatively unknown figure. A rarely glimpsed
boogeyman in the bloody history of the galaxy. Each of his manifestations heralded technological disasters. Some
believe that he was created by the arms race of some ancient war that spanned the entire galaxy. Others believe that
the horrors of the DAoT created him. There is a far terrifying belief that he was the author and patron of these
events.

-Vashtorr has his own sphere of influence and his role within the Pantheon of Chaos. He is the master of the Soul
Forges. His brokers pact desperate and power-hungry daemons into entering and piloting Soul Grinders, Calamity
Engines, or Iron Bombards in exchange for an increasing fee of mortal souls. Daemons with little to offer the Soul
Forges instead enter his service for a time. They are painfully melded with the machinery of the Forges. The
indentured servitude of these daemon hosts to Vashtorr is expressed by the metallic instruments of bondage or
melded machinery parts on their manifested forms.

-Unlike other daemons, It's not within Vashtorr's nature to lie or trick. His pacts and contracts are clear in their
conditions. It's the obsessive nature of the daemons that ensnare them into his service. The usefulness of Vashtorr's
Daemon Engines, coupled with the danger of being the only deity without access to Vashtorr's services, protects him
from the wrath of the Chaos Gods over the theft of their daemons. He is the arms dealer of the gods, an agent to no
god, yet an uneasy ally to them all.

-Vashtorr is a daemon of ordered and precise evil. An entity that has power over the mechanisms of reality and can
reorder them to his will.

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