The Sundering of Gordium

This article is about a battle in the /tg/ Heresy project, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40k universe.

The Sundering of Gordium
Date	M35
Scale	Planetary
Theatre	Gordium
Status	Draw
Belligerents
Death Smiths	Shrine World Gordium
Commanders and Leaders
Ilmari Wieland	Cardinal Franciscus Raabe
Strength
Death Smiths	Order of the Sacred Scapular Order of the Crown of Thorns Gordian Temple Guard Imperial Zoo
Losses
Half of the First Forge lost Second, Fourth and Fifth Forges heavily damaged Third, Sixth and Seventh Forges nearly wiped out	Order of the Sacred Scapular wiped out Order of the Crown of Thorns heavily damaged Several regiments of the Gordian Temple Guard wiped out
Outcome
Gordium's largest continent rendered uninhabitable Reality Ripper lost in the Warp

The most potent weapon ever created on Adranum, the infamous Reality Ripper took Wieland an entire century to forge. Made from a composite alloy of tens of impossible metals plundered from the Galaxy's darkest corners and infused with several Daemon Princes, this sword was without a doubt the greatest masterpiece the Hammerfist had ever wrought. Such was its power that even its creator did not realise its full extent. Therefore, he decided to put it to test against worthy opponents to see how mighty his creation really was. He chose the heavily fortified Shrine World of Gordium as a testing site for the Reality Ripper and embarked on a raid against it, planning to gauge how much destruction he could cause with the sword before his warband is inevitably pushed back.

A place of final rest for several Imperial Saints, Gordium was one of the best-defended planets of Segmentum Pacificus. In addition to two minor Orders Militant of Adepta Sororitas, it boasted several Imperial Guard regiments, collectively known as the Gordian Temple Guard, and the Imperial Zoo - a wholly unique unit created by the local Techpriests and consisting of heavily armed combat servitors made from exotic wild animals. Only a large host composed of several warbands stood a chance against the combined military might of this planet, yet victory was not Wieland's goal - he simply needed as many diverse enemy forces to test the Reality Ripper on as possible, and Gordium had them in spades. In a display of their complete disregard for danger, the Death Smiths made a landfall directly in the cloister of one of the planet's largest cathedrals, essentially a mountain the entire surface of which was carved into Gothic spires and buttresses. Using the surprise advantage, they managed to slaughter the cathedral's defenders and barricade themselves inside, waiting for the main enemy forces to arrive. It didn't take long for formidable Imperial forces to gather around the great temple and begin a siege. Though the Death Smiths were outnumbered hundred to one and sustaining heavy losses, Wieland hesitated using the Reality Ripper, waiting for a perfect opportunity to test the weapon. It was only when the barricades were breached and Imperial soldiers started pouring into the cathedral that he reluctantly took the sword out of the scabbard and swung it in the direction of the enemy.

Whatever he expected to happen, the reality far surpassed his wildest conjectures. The tsunami of profane energy created by the sword's swing was so powerful that it tore down the cathedral's facade and crushed hundreds of Imperial soldiers and Death Smiths alike into fine dust. Yet this was barely the beginning of the destruction the sword has wrecked - unbelievably, it even managed to damage the planet's crust! An enormous gaping rift steaming with heat and lava opened in the ground in front of the temple, consuming Imperials by the hundreds as it widened. As the tectonic disturbances triggered by the damage to the crust grew in magnitude, the surrounding area was torn apart by earthquakes, making buildings of ceramite and plasteel crumble like match towers and mountains convulse in roaring avalanches. As the mighty cathedral itself began to collapse around him, the Hammerfist realised that lingering any longer in this doomed place was tantamount to death. With what little remained of his initial force, he retreated back to their transports and swiftly left the the planet as the cathedral was being consumed by a hungry sea of magma pouring up from the rifts in the ground. But even from the orbit he could clearly see the traces of destruction he had unleashed upon the planet.

A first-hand witness to its unbelievable power, Wieland was convinced that it was too risky to allow the Reality Ripper to exist. He understood that if it ever ended up in the wrong hands, the results would be calamitous for the Imperium and the Forces of Chaos alike. Not trusting even himself to keep this accursed artefact safe, the Hammerfist saw the only option was to destroy it before any power-hungry madman got to it. It was with a heavy heart that he ordered his greatest creation to be put into a space shuttle and steered into Gordium system's sun. And yet, the greatest weapon ever forged was not destined to perish on that day. Driven utterly insane by the apocalyptic destruction he witnessed on Gordium, a low-ranking Death Smith whose name the chronicles have not preserved became obsessed with the sword that caused it. Convinced that Wieland had no right to destroy a relic of such awesome power, he managed to secretly sneak onto the shuttle, take over its controls and activate its Warp drive before it was vaporised by the sun. Thus the Reality Ripper was lost in the Immaterium, and may the Emperor protect us all if it ever finds its way back to the physical world again.