Editing Steel Marshals (section)

=Legion History=

Although all of the Loyalist Legions are beloved by the people of the Imperium, few of the Emperor's Angels of Death hold quite the same appeal as the Steel Marshals.  They have ever been dedicated to honour and glory in the Emperor's name, seeking neither to found a new legacy nor to receive material reward.  While a few words of disgrace stand in the epic of the Legion, each one must be measured against chapters of brilliant, selfless deeds done in the service of humanity.

==Unification of Terra==

'''Formation''': The 10th Squad of Hektor's Sacred Band (The Original Legionnares)

Before the rise of Imperium at the hands of the Emperor, the first Astartes rallied behind the Emperor and his son [[Hektor Cincinnatus]], slowly marching across the Hives of Terra. Those Space Marines who would one day form the core of the Legions Astartes, the first three hundred, were organized into the 30 squads of Hektor Cincinnatus's Sacred Band. Of these men, the 10th Squad, dubbed the "Tempest Knights" by Hektor would one day form the heart of the Steel Marshals. These (in)famous warriors were:

'''Dietmar Hohn''' - The Lord Commander of the Tempest Knights. Hohn was the scion of a noble family of Jermani extraction. Though he was inducted in the Astartes Project at a young age his demeanour bore an aristocratic stamp throughout his service to the Legion - and beyond. (Status: Deceased, Battle of Terra. Traitoris Excommunicatus.)

'''Helmut Woidich''' - The Warden of the Tempest Knights.  Led the 184th Expedition Fleet. (Status: Deceased, Salvation of Rosskar.)

'''Arthur Marzluff''' - The Marshal of the Tempest Knights (Status: Deceased, passed away among the Steel Seekers.)

'''Konrad Wohlfarth''' - Dread-bringer of the Brasilia Hives (Status: Deceased, Battle of Terra. Traitoris Excommunicatus.)

'''Kilian Fach''' - Hero of the Saturn Front (Status: Deceased, The Scouring.)

'''Gustav Wild''' - Butcher of Hive Boliv(Status: Deceased, Battle of Felton Gap. Traitoris Excommunicatus.)

'''Lutze Seeger''' - The Blade-bound (Status: Unknown, last seen on Penitent Crusade into the Eye of Terror.)

'''Dieter Noeske''' - Honor Guard to Hektor (Status: Unknown, was with Hektor before outbreak of the Heresy. Presumed Dead.)

'''Luft Loehr''' - The Iron Baron of [[Werkerde]], Future Magos of the Techmarine Convent (Status: Interred inside a Contemptor Dreadnought, The Scouring.)

'''Otto Henkenschuh''' - The Floating Blade, Future Chief Librarian of the Legion Librarus (Status: Unknown, lost with the Battle Barge '''Priori''' in a warp storm.)

===Notable Battles===

*'''Burning of the Brasilia Hives'''.  Led by Dietmar Hohn, the first Tempest Knight, the 10th Band followed Hektor's lead, sieging enemy citadels from foot or below the ground, their natural talents even showing then. They were instrumental in the taking of the Brasilia Hives. The southern continent refused the Emperor and his might, and it was laid to the 10th Squad to bring them into compliance. Storming Hive Ven'zula, the Tempest Knights would soon become infamous as brutal killers, the most aggressive of them moving ahead of the troops, leaving a bloody path to follow. The worst of the lot, Konrad and Gustav, relished the bloodshed and would care not for collateral damage except when Dietmar reigned them in, and the Lord Commander only did so when under Hektor's supervision.

*'''Argenten Aerial Aces'''.  Unlike the sieges of the Brasila Hives, the cities of Argenten were well fortified against ground attacks once news spread about the Emperor's men. With ground attackers being hampered by enemy air, the 10th Squad and the Imperial forces were stalled. It wasn't until Luft Loehr, one of more technical minded of the Sacred Band, began tinkering with old Brasilia aircraft. Adapted for the Astartes large physique, he and other members took to the air, engaging the enemy in aerial duels while the ground forces began making advances. It was in the skies of Argenten that Luft earned the title of the Iron Baron, following a code of honor that his Demi-Chapter would follow well into the end of the Crusade.

==The Great Crusade - from Terra until the rediscovery of the Primarch==

'''Formation''': The Tempest Knights (The Beginning of the Legion, growing to roughly 100,000 Marines before Roman's discovery)

The Tempest Knights served without fail during the next five decades, seizing worlds that would not comply with the Emperor's will, with Dietmar Hohn leading the Knights into bloody sieges. Even before the rediscovery of [[Roman Albrecht]] the Tenth Legion was forthright and direct, willing to battle through the main approach rather than engage in underhanded ruses or indiscriminate bombardment. Remembrancers attached to their Crusading warships found no shortage of inspiring images to capture for the benefit of new and prospective Imperial Citizens.

Unusually among the Legions, the Tenth were directly responsible for the rediscovery of their Primarch. As the Tempest Knights campaigned south from Sol, Rogue Traders operating ahead of their fleets reported on the world [[Centauri Primus]], a planet united by a giant warrior unmatched in prowess. While many rejoiced at the prospect of another Primarch joining the War Council, Dietmar Hohn felt a sense of dread. Already the Lord Commanders of the [[War Scribes|Second Legion]] and [[The Justiciars|Thirteenth Legion]] had been displaced by foundlings and by all accounts the Council of Ten that ruled the [[Eyes of the Emperor|Twentieth Legion]] would soon follow suit. He reasoned that the displacement of men of proper Terran birth and upbringing by semi-savages raised without the superior culture of humanity's birth world was sure to end in misfortune, and appealed to Hektor Cincinnatus to intercede when it was announced that [[Roman Albrecht]] would take command of the Tenth Legion. Hektor's public response was to express his full confidence in his brother Primarch, but it seems likely that Hektor - or his consort, Pallas Eugenesis - kept the embers of discontent alive within the Tenth.

===Notable Battles===

*'''The Sieges of Saturn'''.  Such savage tactics would not mar the rest of the Sacred Band long, however. With their successful sieges, they were proven and the raising of the Legion began. The first real battles as a Legion saw them in the sieges of Saturn's moons. It was during these battles that the honorable members of the Sacred Band, and many in the nascent Legion, were able to prove themselves. Kilian Fach distinguished himself during this time after charging the gates of Hyperion's largest fortress, '''Hold Keats''', with but a melta-charge and his boarding shield. Other such tales of bravery survive, but are paralleled by darker deeds during that time.

*'''Siege of the Iron Ring'''.  To the galactic south of Sol lay the ringworld Delvar Kha, a massive construction of metal and rock that predated mankind by millenia. It had been colonized by Mankind during the Dark Age, but contact with it had been lost following the Fall. Eventually trade began anew, but the inhabitants of Delvar Kha resisted schemes and invasion by [[Rogue Traders (Hektor Heresy)|Rogue Traders]] moving ahead of the Legiones Astartes. This could not be tolerated, and so it was Hektor sent the Tempest Knights to bring them into Compliance. Loosely led by Dietmar, the horde of Knights descended on the ringworld, exacting an excessive blood price for their resistance.

*'''Purge of the Xathite Khanate'''

*'''The Decimation of Falrak'''

==The Great Crusade - Under the leadership of Roman Albrecht==

'''Formation''': The Steel Marshals (Roughly 180,000 Marines by the end of M30)

Roman Albrecht was well-pleased by the Tempest Knights' valour and selflessness, but he and the new Marines raised from Centauri Primus added a moral core to the Tenth Legion that would soon become famous. The Primarch taught his men to be ever-vigilant for enemies of the Imperium, but he also impressed upon them the value of aiding the weak within the realm of mankind. Roman's generosity in assisting the "orphaned" Legions (those whose Primarchs had not been rediscovered) was a significant factor in maintaining the brotherhood of the Space Marines as they spread out across the Galaxy. In particular, his patronage of the battered [[Void Angels|Fifth Legion]] played a huge role in keeping that sorry outfit in the field until they found their sire and new glory.

The Steel Marshals also won great successes on the battlefield.  Their selfless courage epitomised the spirit of the new era of mankind and their glorious deeds shone across the galaxy.

===Notable Battles===
*'''Liberation of the Eral System'''

*'''Destruction of the Dark Citadel'''

*'''Battle of the Five Legions'''

*'''[[Salvation of Reichmar IV]]'''  Under the command of Helmut Woidich, a Steel Marshals Crusade Fleet battered away at the Orks at the far reaches of the Ultima Segmentum.  Faulty Imperial intelligence led to a near disaster when migrating Orks were interpreted as a WAAAGH! of their own, when in fact these boyz were being drawn towards the mighty WAAAAGH! Wazdreg.  Thanks in part to the courage of their auxilia, the Steel Marshals were able to return to their forward base and beat Warlord Wazdreg from the borders of the Imperium.

*'''The Hathor Campaign'''  The Domain of Hathor was a massive, multi-system Empire that sat upon the border of Segmentums Pacificus and Tempestus, and almost out of reach of the Astronomicom's guiding light. It is here that Hathor the Eternal rules, from the gem world of Oasis to the fringe of the Scarlet Nebula. Rising from the ashes of the Dark Ages, the Domain was lead to enlightenment by their first great seer, the first Empress Hathor herself. Since those times many have claimed the title of Hathor and ruled the Domain, but none would find their time upon the throne as difficult as during the Great Crusade, when the Legiones Astartes drove into the heart of Hathor's empire.

==The War against Chaos: Heresy and Scouring (005.M31 to 021.M31)==

Numeration: The X Legion

Primogenator: Roman Albrecht (also known as "The Duelist, the Lord Knight, the Blade of the Emperor, The Wild Warrior")

Cognomen (Prior): The Tempest Knights.

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Area Denial operation, Armoured assault, Mechanized Infantry assault, Siege assault, Tunneling, Massed Force attack

Noteworthy Domains: [[Centauri Primus]] (Legion Homeworld)

Allegiance: Fedelitas Constantus 

Despite their formidable reputation, the Steel Marshals were slow to enter the maelstrom of the [[Hektor Heresy]]. When the conflict broke out, Roman Albrecht and the Legion's main force were engaged in fighting across the mighty Realm of Hathor, one of the last non-Compliant human realms in the Galaxy. Despite repeated diplomatic efforts, Hathor had refused peaceful annexation and their strength was sufficient to hold out against the concentrated power of a Crusade Fleet, forcing Albrecht to muster tens of thousands of his gene-sons, accompanied by a vast army of auxilia and supported by the god-machines of the Titan Legions. To some extent, the concentration of the Steel Marshals in this distant quarter of the Galaxy kept their strength ready for the close of the civil war, but this was little comfort to the over-stretched defenders of Sol.

Worse still, the first warriors of the Tenth Legion to join the fray did so on the side of the Warmaster. Dietmar Hohn, once master of the Legion, brought thousands of rebel Steel Marshals into the Traitor camp and fought at Hektor's command until his death on Terra. This stain on the Legion's honour would not have long-lasting effects, but it strained relations among the "Terran" Loyalists who had been led by [[Alexandri of Rosskar]] during the dark days of siege and "Pacificus" Legions who had struck from that Segmentum to force Hektor's hand at the end of the Heresy. Although the pursuit of the Traitor Legions could be conducted without a single leader and many hoped for the Emperor's recovery, the question of a new ruler weighed heavy on the minds of the Loyalist Primarchs. [[Gaspard Lumey]] and [[Onyx the Indestructible]] backed Roman Albrecht, but the Lord-Knight was unwilling to let another civil war or even the threat of such decide the issue.

Seeking to defuse the issue, Roman claimed that since the Steel Marshals had buried their dead in the soil of Rosskar they and Silver Cataphracts should carry out their campaign of retribution together. Alexandri accepted, recording in his journals that he would accept co-command now and co-rule later. While their military campaigns were largely successful, the culmination of the Scouring saw Roman Albrecht lost and Alexandri of Rosskar mortally wounded. Under the command of Lutze Seeger, the Tenth Legion fulfilled its duties to the Imperium but became obsessed with once again finding their lost Primarch.

===Notable Battles===

*'''The Hathor Truce'''.  The Hathor campaign was still in its infancy when word of the betrayal at Olmer came to the ears of the Marshals. Only two worlds, both feral and unimportant to the small empire had been fully conquered. Already the defenses of the Hathorites were being arrayed against the Legion to make them bleed for each step. The Seer-Empress understood that the Imperium would be hesitant to send too many forces at once against her. The Domain was difficult to attack, with Navigators suffering greatly for each day in the warpspace to travel across its borders. The Witches of the Domain used dark sorceries akin to that of the Psykers beholden by the Ruinous Powers to hasten journeys between worlds. Any attempting strike at a border world would have the other fleets arriving to throw off the Imperials within no time, and a multi-pronged assault would only result in a disjointed and scattered assault force.   Roman Albrecht understood the necessity to turn his Legion back towards Terra as soon as possible, but would not risk the system-spanning Empire of Hathor to harass him as he retreated. The Steel Marshals chose then to drive forward, skipping several planets and risking their supply lines be cut off entirely to reach the heart of the Empire itself. Oasis. The meager fleet in defense of the world was crushed swiftly, with its two moons being bombarded afterwards. Roman's aim was not to achieve total victory, but make an arrangement with the Hathorites before their border fleets, which had been set to stop the Steel Marshals, arrived. If they did not, he would be caught out alone from any aid, resulting in enormous losses.  It worked. Empress Hathor chose that rather than see the seat of their mighty realm be utterly destroyed, would accept the offer being broadcasted on every frequency of her world. The Steel Marshals would leave one thousand of their Marines behind, including twelve million of their assigned Imperial Army Auxilia to garrison, defend, and ensure the loyalty of Hathor. In return, Empress Hathor would remain in power, their worlds would not pay tithe for at least fifty years, and their culture would remain without any outside interference such as the Imperial Truth. These terms did not sit well with most in Roman's Expedition Fleet, but all understood the need.   [[Hektor Cincinnatus|Hektor]], the Warmaster himself, had betrayed the Emperor, and thrown his banner in rebellion. Over a million marines were marching towards Sol, with only a handful of Legions, most battered, remaining to stop his advance. The Marshals would be needed there, and not at the fringes of the Pacificus.

*'''The Lion's Corridor'''. Despite the delay caused by the war with Hathor, the Steel Marshals would have quickly returned to Terra to add their siegecraft knowledge to the defenders if it were not for the actions of [[Cromwald Walgrun]] and [[Lions Rampant|his sons]]. Traitors within the Imperial Army forces picked up along their path to the Segmentum Solar relayed vital information along unseen pathways across the warring Imperium. News of their quick arrival reached the Warmaster in time to have him act. The Lions Rampant, having finished a long campaign with the Crusaders, broke off into two forces with separate orders. Both passed around the pocket of Loyalists still holding out in the Segmentum. One of these large segments immediately sped towards the Steel Marshal's fleet.  The battles on worlds and in the void were intense, with the raiding forces of the maddened Lions not pushing back or even stopping the Marshals' advance, but making them bleed for every step taken. It was dubbed by the Marines' as the the '''Lion's Corridor''' for how the Traitor Legion would pull them along deeper and deeper into their waiting claws. The Lions suffered little losses, and would sacrifice territory when needed to avoid protracted conflicts, but Roman could feel the despair of his forces. Though they moved ever closer to Terra, his Legion would be a shadow of itself both in strength and morale if he pressed onward. Again, the Primarch chose a gamble, rather than the conventional or expected means of campaign. To move forward, he went back.

*'''The Liberation of Rosskar'''  The world of [[Rosskar]] was known throughout the Segmentum Pacificus as the heart of the fiefdom established by the Silver Cataphracts to fuel their conquests. The core worlds of that realm had been set ablaze by a swarm of gene-crafted horrors unleashed by [[Pallas Eugenesis]]. Despite the stubborn resistance of Imperial Army and Militia forces, by the time of the Marshals' arrival nearly all was lost. The world was a ruin, with only a fraction of its once-teeming population surviving. But more than that would be gone had it not been for Roman's timely arrival.  In a time when the loyalties of every man were in question, the relief of [[Alexandri of Rosskar|Alexandri]]'s homeworld assured the Regent that the Marshals under Roman Albrecht's command had not foresaken their old values. In addition, the Lord-Knight would be joined by [[Onyx the Indestructible]] and [[Gaspard Lumey]] at Rosskar, and from there the three Primarchs launched their strike towards the heart of the Empire.

*'''The Forgotten Crusade''' The [[Void Angels|Fifth Legion]]'s dramatic arrival at Sol overshadows the campaign from Rosskar, but Gaspard Lumey's great leap through the Void was only possible because the Steel Marshals and [[Stone Men]] launched themselves at Hektor's cordon with exceptional violence. Seemingly without strategy, Roman Albrecht and Onyx the Indestructible led their legions in an all-out attack at every available Traitor outpost. The destruction they wrought sucked warships, then picket ships and auxiliary naval assets, into the conflict and greatly depleted the Traitor's voidcraft guarding the approach from Segmentum Pacificus. The loss of these watch ships allowed the Void Angels to break warp unnoticed in nominally Traitor-controlled systems and broke up a long perilous journey into several more managable legs.

*'''Reaching Sol'''

*'''The Great Chase'''

*'''The Lion's Den'''

*'''The Crucible'''

==The Last Legion and the Second Founding==

When [[Arelex Orannis]] and [[Gaspard Lumey]] unveiled their plan to sunder the Space Marine Legions, Lutze Seeger simply refused to issue a reply. Under direct questioning from Lumey, the leader of the Tenth Legion replied that a decision of such magnitude could only be made by the Primarch and that the First Lord would have to wait for Roman Albrecht to respond. Furious but restrained by the centuries-old brotherhood between his own Legion and the Steel Marshals, Gaspard Lumey gave Seeger one solar year to find Albrecht, or to make a decision on the Primarch's behalf. There was no refusing such an ultimatum, nor any option of idleness. For a single year, the Steel Marshals made every effort possible - and some that had previously been seen as impossible - to uncover their lost sire, but in vain. Lutze Seeger resigned his post and the last of the great Space Marine Legions was dissolved.