Shattered Imperium

Shattered Imperium is a setting based around Warhammer 30K and 40K where, instead of just Loyalists and Traitors, there are sever large factions as well as a few minor factions, vying for control of humanity. These groups include loyalists, traitors, revolutionaries, transhumanists, and minor empires.

Factions

Loyalists

Some of the Legions have stayed loyal to the Emperor and His vision of a Secular Imperium, Entering a Golden Age.

• Imperial Fists
• Raven Guard
• Salamanders
• Blood Angels

Traitors

As in the main 40k setting, Lorgar discovers the powers of Chaos and attempts to lead his brother's into their all-too-eager arms.

• Sons of Horus
• Word Bearers
• Alpha Legion
• White Scars

Path Of Ascension

The Forces of the Path of Ascension, sometimes referred to Ascensionists, are a transhumanist movement who believe that humans need to evolve to survive the perils of the Galaxy. Their methods vary from cybernetic enhancement to trying to turn all humans into Psykers

• Thousand Sons
• Iron Hands
• Emperor's Children

Organisation

Individual Enclaves of the Path of Ascension are ruled over by a Cleric or Magos of the Path. Each of them is in charge of the organisation, goals and ideals of the specific Enclave. Each Enclave is nominally under the control of the 3 Primarchs but they rarely interject into the affairs of enclaves not specifically run by them.

There are three predominant schools of thought within the Path of Ascension. Each differs wildly on their approach to ascending humanity.

Scions of the Machine

The Scions of the Machine, or Machinists, believe that cybernetic augmentation is the quickest and most efficient path to transhumanism. The majority of this movement is made up of Iron Hands. Machinist practitioners will often look similar to the tech priests of Mars, with little to no organic components on display.

Tend to rely on heavily augmented soldiers, basic soldiers are akin to skitarii, the former astartes are comparable to myrmidons. They tend to utilize more esoteric weapons than the rest of their allies such as volkite, rad, and even phosphex weapons. Most enclaves have at least a small number of robots, larger enclaves can have entire legions of them.

Scions of the Flesh

The Scions of the Flesh, or Organicists, believe that the genetic augmentations that an Astartes receives are the first step on the Path to Ascension. Practitioners of this path can vary wildly in appearance and behavior. Whilst the most advanced skin-forges can create beautifully sculpted specimens of humanity, there are plenty of less advanced enclaves that produce barely human mutants with bodies stuffed with unusual and unnecessary organs.

Tend to rely on biologically modified soldiers. Basic soldiers are pseudo astartes akin to Kor Phaeron, although they are also known to utilize augmented abhumans, most notable Ogryn with strength similar to a Primarch, and ratlings able to actively slow down their metabolism so they can hold a position for days before taking a shot. Astartes tend to be even more advanced than Bile's New Men, being stronger, faster, and tougher than a normal astartes. Unfortunately their modifications are sometimes unstable and astartes and mortal auxiliaries are known to sometimes break out into cancerous tumors, that at best end up leaving them crippled for life after they are removed, and at worst kill them outright.

Scions of the Mind

True to Magnus' original scheme, the Scions of the Mind, or Mystics, pursue any opportunity to develop psychic abilities in their brother Astartes as well as the mortal humans within their enclaves. Outwardly, the Scions of the Mind appear often weilding their psychic might openly.

Carry out breeding programs to create psykers and sometimes even request the assistance of the biologists and mechanicals in augmenting psychic abilities even further. Their basic armies tend to be made up of squads led by psykers able to prenaturally predict the flow of battle, with specialist teams of storm troopers which are entirely made up of psykers. Their astartes are mostly psykers, non-psykers are shunned and either thrown into the fray to die, abandon their order for one of the other orders, or undergo dangerous geneseed modification or mechanical augmentation to gain psychic abilities.

Notable Enclaves

Medusa

Ferrus has kept his marines on a short leash, largely avoiding the fall into the madness that has overtaken many of his brothers. Nonetheless, they still make widespread use of advanced technology. While they may not be as heavily augmented as some of their brother legions, they are undoubtedly better equipped. Senior officers utilize weapons and armour crafted by Ferrus Manus himself. The Iron Hands tend to shun the usage of mortal auxiliaries, viewing them as weak, although they are willing to utilize them if the situation is desperate. They are nominally loyal to Lion, although he and the stubborn Ferrus are often at odds with one another.

Chemos

Fulgrim has turned his homeworld into a magnificent palace world covered in gardens and crystal towers. The armies of Chemos are highly trained and heavily modified soldiers. Both mortals and astartes are organized into hundreds of different warrior brotherhoods. Seeking worthy challenges, they often offer their services to the Imperium, Space Wolves, and Free Legions as mercenaries. Only rarely does Fulgrim grant his services to the forces of Chaos. The forces of Chemos tend to be flamboyant combatants. It’s warriors prefer to utilize swords, spears, glaives, and axes over guns and more practical weapons of war.

Prospero

The great libraries of Prospero are defended by thousands of psychic astartes and hundreds of thousands of human auxiliaries with elite psyker storm trooper squads and psychic senior officers. Often psychic potential, research into the topics of the warp and psychic powers are the only way to advance in Prosperine politics. Even the most brilliant military officer is unlikely to climb the ranks without psychic abilities. Prospero's astartes and auxiliaries often undertake minor raids throughout the galaxy in order to recover lost knowledge or "rescue" powerful psykers from the Imperium or Free Legions.

Free Legions

The Free Legions are a revolutionary force in favour of overthrowing the tyranny of the Emperor, replacing it with a more egalitarian government. At the same time, they feel that Horus and his forces are corrupt and as likely to damn the human race as the Emperor or the Ascensionists.

• Death Guard
• Iron Warriors
• World Eaters
• Night Lords

Renegades

• Ultramarines
  • Guilliman, still technically loyal to the Emperor, has hidden himself way from the rest of the galaxy and created his own semi-autonomous Imperium Secundus

• Dark Angels
  • Lion El'Johnson left the imperium decades ago after the indignation of not being chosen as warmaster. He feels that if he can't be the heir-apparent to the Imperium, he might as well just make his own empire.

• Space Wolves
  • Russ hates Magnus the Red more than words can describe. He has abandoned any semblance of loyalty or duty in his own personal crusade to crush Magnus and his sons.

Timeline

The Purge Of The Unknown Legions

Early in the Great Crusade, the 2nd and 11th legions strayed from the Emperor's light. In turn, he smites the legions with the aide of Russ, his executioner. Whilst several of the Primarchs feel that this action was necessary, Guilleman speaks out against it and is reprimanded by Horus and Dorn, who both feel he is overstepping his mark. Less publicly, Perturabo and Mortarion equivocate the Emperor to the tyrants of their own adoptive homeworlds.

Lorgar's Shame

The Emperor, fearing that two more of his sons have drifted from his will, devises a plan to test the loyalty of the 13th and 17th legions. Guilleman is ordered to destroy the city of Monarchia, the crowning glory of Lorgar's zealous crusade. Guilleman resists but eventually obeys when he realises that the Emperor is willing to set Russ on him if he doesn't. Lorgar and Guilleman come to blows after the incident and both of them lose their faith in the Imperium. Across the Legions, there is talk of whether or not the Emperor's judgment has been somehow impaired. Soon, Guilleman is back in Ultramar and Lorgar is facing the Primordial Truth.

The Alpharius Gambit

An Eldar/xenos cabal approaches the twin primarchs with a warning of the impending fall of Horus and the fracture of the Imperium. Their emissary implores the 20th Primarchs to slay Horus and Help the Emperor purge the Ranks of the Astartes legions. The twin Primarchs slay the foul xenos and set off to find Horus at once. Along the way, they examine evidence of the Primordial Annihilator, seeking to understand this bizarre force so they can harness it.

The Nikaea Schism

After years of open hostility between Magnus, Mortarion, the Khan and Russ, the Emperor calls a trial to discuss the use of Psykers within the Legions. Mortarion makes an impassioned speech about the dangers of the Librarian cult and the troubling rituals that the Khan and Magnus have engaged in. Magnus responds with his own belief that humanity must be ascended to survive some unkown horror that he perceives in the future. The Khan and Russ trade insults for a while before the Emperor makes his judgment known. The Librarian cults will be permitted to continue and will be implimented within all legions, to hasten the ascension of the Legions. Mortarion leaves the conclave, completely disillusioned with the Imperium. He seeks out his like minded brothers to discuss a response to this betrayal. Meanwhile Magnus, overjoyed by the Emperor's wisdom, commits his legion to the Crusade with new vigour.

The Fault In The Stars

On Davin, Horus is seduced to Chaos by his brother Lorgar. Magnus is never made aware of the peril his brother faces as he is away from Prospero. The Alpha Legion arrive soon thereafter, already twisted to the Malign will of Tzeentch by their quest to understand Chaos. Together, four Primarchs plot their Heresy.

Magnus joins Ferrus Manus and Fulgrim in a joint crusade to crush an Eldar Craftworld. While there, Magnus discovers that Fulgrim has been tainted by the malign influence of a daemon-blade. He informs Manus and together they help stop the insidious creep of Chaotic influence over the 3rd legion. Magnus explains what has happened to his deeply concerned brothers and explains how he has saved Fulgrim from possession. Fulgrim devotes himself to Magnus' cause. Ferrus Manus takes more convincing but ultimately agrees that psykers are more powerful and so must be made superior. Together, they plot a new future.

Mortarion meets with Perturabo and Angron. The Iron Warrior is attempting to rid the Red Angel of his Butcher's nails using a bizarre new invention of his. Mortarion and Perturabo are overjoyed by the apparent success of the procedure, but it isn't long before Mortarion begins discussing the results of the Nikaea conference. Perturabo is dumbfounded by this revelation. Together, the three Primarchs agree that they must save Humanity from the madness of Magnus the Red and the Emperor. But first, Perturabo wishes to Seek out the mad Primarch Curze, and cure his insanity

In the deep, Russ and Lion El Johnson battle over past wrongs and minor slights. Both of them are driven by a sense of betrayal. the Lion is furious that Horus Lupercal, not he, was made Warmaster. The Wolf refuses to allow Maleficarum to take hold of his legion. Both Legions throw off the shackles of imperial law to impose their own.

Jaghatai Khan strives for perfection and speed. His White Scars engage in shamanistic ritual sacrifice and indulgence in order to gain the blessings of the various spirits. When Horus calls on his brother to join him, the Khan is already well and truly damned.

The Isstvan War

Magnus is summoned to Isstvan by his brother Mortarion. The Death Lord wishes to mend old wounds and hear more of Magnus' plans. Happy to hear that his brother has seen the light, Magnus sets out, with his two likeminded brothers, to bring the Death Guard into the fold.

When they arrive, the Ascenionist fleet finds not one, but three legions arrayed before them. The Death Guard, Iron Warriors and World Eater fleets wait patiently over Isstvan 3. Mortarion greets the Ascensionists and invites them to the capital city of Isstvan 3, to meet with their brother. Weary, but ambitious, Magnus accepts and leads his three legions to the surface.

He talks with Mortarion at length about the threat of Chaos and the the neccessity of knowledge. Perturabo seems the most receptive to Magnus's arguments and they discuss, at length the ascenionist plan. Suddenly, without warning, Mortarion's forces open fire on the Ascencionists. Magnus barely escapes the clutches of Perturabo. His own son, Ahriman, sacrifices himself for the Thousand Sons to escape the planet.

Battered and shocked, Magnus leads the Ascenionist fleet away from Isstvan 3 at best possible speed. As they reach Systems edge, an astropathic message is recieved. Prospero has been destroyed by the Space Wolves. Chemos and Medusa have been purged by the Night Lords.

Blinded by rage and grief, Ferrus Manus and Fulgrim turn their forces back toward their would be assassins. Magnus has no choice but to join his brothers or see them destroyed. What follows is a chaotic, violent maelstrom of void combat and planetary bombardment.

When word reaches the rest of the Imperium that 6 legions have turned on one another in the Isstvan system, the warmaster declares all of them traitors and rallies a force to cleanse them. The Sons of Horus, the Word Bearers, the Alpha Legion, The White Scars, The Raven Guard, The Salamanders and the Blood Angels. Seven legions to destroy six.

The Warmaster's fleet arrives to find both enemy fleets scattered, Isstvan 3 a lifeless husk and a brutal ground war underway on the barren world of isstvan 5. Horus orders Sanguinius to lead Corax and Vulkan to the ground on Isstvan 5 immediately. The Blood Angel gladly complies and deploys 3 assault legions to strike for the heart of the melee, where Magnus and Mortarion are locked in duel.

Nine legions, locked in a battle of cyclopean scale, await the second wave of loyalists. Instead, they are all of them betrayed. Horus begins an orbital bombardment of the battlefield, slaying Ascensionists, Loyalists and Free Legion forces alike. The Warmaster makes an announcement to the beleaguered forces below. They may join him in his new dark crusade to claim Terra, or they may die in the sand. All nine Primarchs spite the name of Horus. Amused but unsurprised, Horus prepares to destroy Isstvan 5.

On the ground, a truce is formed. The nine legions, battered and bloodied, forestall their current conflict in the name of survival. The ships of all nine legions focus their attention on the Warmasters fleet in the hopes of gaining enough time to evacuate the armies on the ground.

The fighting is intense, and Horus is forced to surrender his position above Isstvan 5 to the overwhelming firepower of his foes.The Free Legions, Aided by the sudden appearance of the Nightlords, inflict heavy casualties on the Traitors before fleeing the system.

Sanguinius and the Loyalists save the few remaining Ascensionists and flee towards Terra. Magnus repays the mercy of the Blood Angels by stealing several of their ships to carry his remaining followers towards some unknown goal on the edge of the Imperium.

Horus rallies his armies, declares a victory for Chaos and prepares to set his brothers to the task of carving up the Imperium.

The Civil War

The Warmaster strikes across the Imperium, claiming world after world for chaos. His ultimate goal is to take Terra and become the Emperor.

Battered and severely diminished, the loyalists turn to the Imperial Fists to lead the defence of Terra and the Counter Attack to reclaim the Imperium.

Roboute Guilliman, at a loss as the the sheer scale of this betrayal, fortifies the worlds of Ultramar into a second Imperium. There are rumours that the Dark Angels, dissapeared for decades, have been sighted near Ultramar, making their way towards the system of Calth.

Magnus, with a meagre host of survivors, makes his way towards a strange, dead world world near the edge of the Galaxy, where it is rumoured that a powerful psychic device is hidden. Magnus wishes to restore his forces to strength and save humanity. All the while, wolves nip at their heels.

Mortarion and the Free Legions move out of the way of the War, claiming large areas of the Imperium that were cut off from Terra as their own. He and His brothers set about remaking the imperium in their own image, all the while gathering allies and strength so that they can put an end to the madness of Horus and the Emperor

Ideas

Xenos Collaboration

Loyalists are slightly more open to xenos than the original Imperium of Man, primarily because they only had a few legions and lacked the numbers to truly defend their space without some negotiation with xenos. Their primary alliances are with the various factions of Craftworld Eldar, but as with the Imperium Secundus, conflict does erupt from time to time.

Chaos is pretty much chaos from our timeline. The exception being that the Dark Eldar never interact with them, as the legions are fully devoted to Chaos, lacking the renegades who just use chaos for their own means (Like Fabius Bile or the Night Lords.)

Free Legions generally view xenos as a stepping stone for their objectives. While they will not hesitate to exterminate races that are enslaving humans, they will gladly ally with minor xenos races if it means gaining an advantage.

The Ascensionists are more than willing to utilize xenos knowledge and technology, but tend to view xenos allies as a weakness that will lead to the collapse of the path. So some haemonculi might be tolerated to modify marines and the Iron Hands descendants might study Necron tech but you won't generally see PoA fighting alongside Necrons or Eldar.

Renegades vary. Space Wolves probably kill them all, Lion doesn't care as long as they kneel before him, Guilliman is more willing to utilize xenos as auxiliaries for his armies.

Aftermath

So what would be the overall fates of the major characters? My thoughts.

Dorn, Sanguinius, Corax, and Vulkan are all either dead or missing. The Emperor is left crippled on the Golden Throne or he finished the webway project but is completely dead.

Horus is dead as can be, Alpharius is somewhere maybe, Lorgar is praying, and Khan is a daemon prince launching massive wars against the Imperium every thousand years or so.

The Free Legion Primarchs are all still alive and doing their own thing, as the Imperium couldn't devote forces to them until Chaos was defeated.

Magnus is studying and meditating to become a more powerful psyker, as well as hoarding artifacts that improve psychic capabilities in the hopes of ascending as a psychic god. Ferrus is like Scoria on steroids, having begun to mechanically augment himself and studying dark technology to improve humanity through cybernetics, he may have found some working Men of Iron who he intends to fix and release onto the PoA. Fulgrim is the de facto ruler and administrator of the Path,, while still seeking perfection in all forms. While he still sometimes leads armies to battle, he primarily deals with running the path, organizing their armies, and carrying out ceremonial duties.

Lion is alive and ruling his empire

Guilleman has left running of his empire to a senate made up of planetary governors, he is Lord Commander of the Imperium Secondus, commander of all armies and fleets and an observer on the senate. Most recently he led a force of tens of thousands of marines, tens of millions of regular human soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of various xenos auxiliaries against the Tyranids

Leman Russ has gone missing after pursuing Alpha Legion near the Eye of Terror. He is currently presumed deceased by all except the Wolves who continue their war without their father.

I like that, yeah. I feel like each of the Free Legion Primarchs have probably drifted slightly from their original imperatives..

Mortarion rules the Free Realm as its eternal protector. His sons, under Nathaniel Garro, keep the realm untainted by chaos. They use a network of inquisitive people to keep their realm pure.

Perturabo has devoted himself to building technological wonders for the Realm, maintaining the technological superiority of the Free Legions.

Angron has abandoned any official role within the Free Realm and instead leads crusading armies to liberate systems from the opression of their brother-states.

Curze is the Justicar of the Free Realm. He polices the interior and keeps his legion on the prowl for any source of treachery.