Editing Unburdened Horde (section)

==History of the Horde==
'''Zarac Hordan Triumphant'''
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Zhardan was not born under the name that would be spoken of by rising Chaos Lords with both admiration and envy. He was once known as '''Zarac Hordan''', a non-Psykic member of the [[Black Augurs]] Traitor [[Legiones Astartes (Hektor Heresy)|Space Marine Legion]]. Due to the hierarchy of the Augurs being based entirely upon those with sorcerous capability, Zarac was left out of many accomplishments gained in both the [[Great Crusade (Hektor Heresy)|Great Crusade]] and [[Hektor Heresy]]. In the mayhem caused by Heresy, and the numerous losses heaped upon the Black Augurs Zarac found himself being promoted to Ship's Master aboard the ''Insidious Hammer'', an Avenger-class Grandcruiser. From this post Zarac was instrumental in doing absolutely nothing at all as the ship performed rear-guard actions for the invasion of the Sol-System until finally fleeing upon Imperial reinforcement.


The retreat from Terra was hellish for the Traitors. After the Betrayal of Sudden Flame, which the Insidious Hammer was absent from taking part in despite nearly every Black Augur fighting in the battle, Traitors began to turn on one another en masse. The Augurs almost religiously, maliciously took advantage of their comrades from other Legions. Zarac could only watch as his Captain and superior continuously bordered ships, butchered the Marines aboard, and impressed the crew into service. The Hammer over time built an impressive stock of gene-seed, leading to Zarac having a brilliant concept. The various successes made by Sorcerers had not been without loss, and they kept the regular Marines out most of the fighting taking the revel of looting for themselves. 


When the next assault took place upon a wounded [[Eternal Zealots|Eternal Zealot]] transport fleet, Zarac sprung his plan into action. Due to the depletion of loyal crewmembers thanks to the boarding party sallying out, the Captain was outnumbered 10 to 100. Seizing control of the Insidious Hammer, the enslaved vessels were given a choice - Follow Captain Hordan into the Eye with many other Traitors, or stay out to be prey to the vengeful [[Void Angels|Void Angel]] armada. Few decided to remain without the protection of the much larger, powerful warship. 


In the eye, Zarac had time to plan and to think. While other warbands fought over constantly depleting resources, he would ration and plot. A new generation of Space Marines was raised up from any children his troop could acquire, but it took time. After what felt like an eternity, the Captain revealed his force to the wider world of the Eye. At first his warband appeared an oddity, intervening in battles that seemed decisive to save one side from being wiped out. Word spread then of a disciplined band of warriors naming themselves the Unburdened, led by man named Zhardan. Many joked of their insanity, never taking plunder for themselves and disappearing before any reward could be exacted.


Opinion shifted at a historic event in the history of the Legionary Wars. The Ramparts, the primary successor to the ambitious state of the Bulwark, was facing a dire fate. A giant store of their collected gene-seed had been stolen by the Gnawed-Claws warband. The Crimson Teeth successors had struck with debilitating, and suicidal force, managing to elude their advanced defenses to hit their heart. The Unburdened had been invited to the raid by the Gnawed Claws, and during their retreat into orbit a Thunderhawk assault-wing from the Unburdened betrayed them. To the Ramparts, it seemed that the arrival of the Unburdened was nothing less than near divine intervention. 


Indomitus, founder of the Ramparts, named Zhardan 'the Impeccable' for his amazing timing. From then on, the Unburdened gained recognition across the Eye and an alliance with one of the more powerful warbands in it. In this lies the true strength of the early Unburdened, in the illusion that they had any. Their ships ran on fumes, and memory of promethium. Their bolt shells had dwindled to barely enough to outfit a squad. Half their Marines were without power armour due to no ability to support the rapid growth Zhardan insisted upon. The gamble in the 'rescue' of the Ramparts' geneseed paid off however, when the warband was able to loot everything the Gnawed-Claws owned. This intake of supply gave them the impetus for the next phase of the ambitious plan laid out so many years ago.




'''The Great Cadian Raid, or the First Great Chaos Incursion'''
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To the Traitors, it had been decades. To the outside world, numerous centuries. The Great Scouring had forced the last remnants of Horus's ill-fated rebellion off into a place from which no life could sustain itself. This is what Zhardan was gambling on. The Legionary Wars had forced the warbands to focus inward, the Imperium appearing to be unstoppable wall of bastion worlds defended by the highly adaptable and fluid Space Marine Chapters. But word had reached the ears of the Traitors of WAAAGH!The Beast, of how it had crippled the once indomitable formations arrayed against them. Only a handful of raiders were taking advantage of the mayhem but their attacks were small time. Searching for slaves and plunder. 


Zhardan would build an empire upon the foundations of the old. His first move was to seek if the Ramparts were interested in sponsoring the assault. Giving over troops, supply, and ships was help enough but this was not enough for Zhardan. The ''Immaculate Phalanx'' warband led by '''Cocytus Raptis''', along with the ''Unrequited Sons'' commanded by the brilliant Jamasa were invited to the assault. Not as subordinates, or even partners, but simply to attack at the same time upon a common enemy. Their combined might allowed the Traitor forces to experience the stunning victory over the Imperial forces that is remembered fondly by all servants of the Dark Gods.


Returning with a legendary haul to cement a historic victory, Zhardan used the diplomatic momentum to sign pacts and alliances with various smaller warbands. Bringing them under his protection and allowing to use them to further his reach. At the same time, six of the greatest collections of Chaos warriors was assembled to discuss repeating the success had over the Imperium. This became known as the Council of Medica. 




'''The Resolution of Medica'''
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Medica was important for being of no value. It held no life, it was a small planet without mineral wealth to speak of and weak atmosphere unable to sustain a colonial effort. Not even the presence of daemons persisted on it. Here, Zhardan had made his base from which few figured anyone would take enough of a vested interest in fortifying. But the Fortress-Port of Medica Primus is the heart of all trade within the Eye of Terror. Before rising to prominence, it was known for the agreement reached by the Nine Warlords over how the Post-Heresy Traitors would conduct themselves against the Imperium.


The procession started with death threats, the drawing of weapons, three fatalities, and numerous expletives. The leaders of the eight factions had been called forth by Zhardan using both bribes and promises of future partnership to secure their patronage. Eleven were supposed to arrive, but three crucial forces did not arrive. The Ramparts were interested only being an allied party, nothing more. The [[Iron Rangers]] refused to be a part of the talks, as did the ''Sommesgard Vanguard'', one of the largest successor warbands to the [[Lions Rampant]]. 


This left the following warbands: The ''Bastion Breakers'' led by '''Dreadnought-Adjudicator Serbat''', the ''Dread Banners Company'' led by Syndic '''Nicimodeus''', the ''Immaculate Phalanx'' led by '''Cocytus Raptis''', ''Unrequited Sons'' led by '''Jamasa''',  the ''Priests of the Primordial'' led by the Pontiff,  the ''Scions of Perfection'' led by '''Kyrian Iohannes the Invincible''', the ''Stellar Reavers'' led by '''Tapayaxi''', and the ''Zealous Blades'' led by '''Krosmosr 'Shadow Hawk' Cestus'''. 


Zhardan silenced the bickering for a moment to speak of his plan. He had seen what the infighting between the warbands had reduced them to. He knew they would never have the unity they once had under Hektor however flawed it may have been. This did not stop them from facing their one true enemy - the Imperium proper. Another raid the likes of which Zhardan pulled off would not be achievable with the relative ease he and his compatriots enjoyed. Even now, as he continued to explain, all the worlds they took were being spied upon. Weighed, and soon, tested. The grip of the Imperials would tighten, the strength of the Traitors beyond the Eye would wane. If they could not somehow find a way to stop fighting one another to strike back they would have the Eye of Terror be their tomb as the Imperium intended it to be.


After many hours, an accord was somehow able to be struck between the wildly varied warbands. They would bring their troops under a singular host, coloring themselves in the standard of the Unburdened. However, one pauldron would be colored in the fashion of their old warband or preferred origin Legion. Zhardan was not able to consolidate leadership either, having to abdicate to the rule of the Nine Warlords, whom would chose a Warmaster among them when he become worthy to guide them out of the Eye to strike down the Imperium's armies and lay waste to their worlds. Lastly, he was not able to even make them able to agree not to raid among themselves leaving future generations assuredly to take advantage of one another.


The initial grab of power made by the Unburdened was not capable of being challenged. Spreading out across the Eye from Medica, countless warbands were assimilated or added to their Horde. Allies, such as the Ramparts and Eternal Zealots were invaluable to their success at launching raids from the Eye. But the Traitors grew content with their power, growing fat off of their victories. The Khornates had battle aplenty, the Nurglites able to spread disease at ease, the Slaaneshi capable of feeding their pleasures with perverse excess, and the Tzeentchians left to plot, plan, study, and hope. While not a period of stagnation, Zhardan was never able to bring all the swords of Chaos into one as he had hoped. 


His second Great Chaos Incursion would never be realized. He would never see the foundations of Armageddon's hives upturned or Ciban razed to the ground. Putting down a slave insurrection against the Unburdened, a stray artillery undershot, landing square at allied lines where he was leading from the front in melee. No grand plot to eliminate him, no epic betrayal worthy of drama or song. Zhardan whom had brought the Traitors from the brink together as one was slain ingloriously as he had begun all those years ago in the Black Augurs.



'''Imperial Reckoning and the Second Great Chaos Incursion'''
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The holdings claimed in the First Great Chaos Incursion switched hands between lieutenants inside the Horde multiple times. The systems at the entrance to the Eye warred with one another in a near perpetual state of inner conflict. Due to their distance from the core of the Unburdened's strength, the relative stability brought on by the rule from Medica was not extended to this region. It was not long before the Imperium rallied behind a leader to strike back. World after world fell, each planet not only being purged of life and rebuilt again but wrought anew into iron shape.


The greatest example of this triumph was the Fortress World of Cadia. A testament to Mankinds ability for total war, the keystone world to the very causeway of the Eye of Terror was made into an impenetrable juggernaut of stellar and terrestrial defensive measures. No world in the whole of the millions held together by the Imperium say for Terra herself could rival the defensive value that had been poured into fortifying Cadia. Exactly as Zhardan had anticipated in his speech all those years ago. Worse for the Horde, they did not react immediately. The Warlords could not agree on a Warmaster, and no one alone could challenge the strength of the Imperium.