Eternal Zealots

"In the name of the Gods! Before all species, go forth and enlighten! Let none be spared the truth of the Primordial!"

Aubrey, speaking out to his Legion moments before descending on Terra.

Eternal Zealots
Battle Cry	"Lazarus Lives!" "For the Dark Gods!"
Number	XVI
Founding	First Founding
Primarch	Aubrey Vokrii-Kendov
Homeworld	Lazarus(Purged)
Strength	120,000
Specialty	Close Combat, Chaos Undivided
Allegiance	Chaos Undivided
Colours	Grey and Green.

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

Summary of Legion XVI

Numeration: The XVIth Legion

Primogenator: Aubrey the Grey (also known as "The Surgeon")

Cognomen (Prior): The Emerald Doom

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Close Combat, Strategic Strikes, Tactical Decapitation, Planetary Pacification.

Noteworthy Domains: The Lazarus System (Primary), Campeche, Tithe Rights to five systems in tributary fiefdom.

Alliegence: Traitoris Maximus

"We are the scalpel, the weapon to remove the cancer. Let us be the cure that brings life anew, to remove the corrupted head."

Legion Grand Mentor Zachery Irisus, M.30

The passionate and righteous Eternal Zealots fought at the forefront of the Great Crusade, the embodiment of the Emperor’s dream for a liberated humanity united by scientific truth. Through the dedication of their compassionate gene-father, the Eternal Zealots were more than a conquering army, they were also the builders of a new future for humanity. However, the tolerance and understanding embodied by the legion would prove to be their ultimate downfall. In trying to bridge the gap between man and xenos, the Eternal Zealots drew further away from humanity and further into the clutches of the Ruinous Powers. Aubrey the Grey, their genefather himself tried to compromise and find peace between mankind and the dark gods, but fell to the corruption of the Primordial Truth. Now fully aware of the cancerous blight that humanity had become, the Eternal Zealots would turn their fervour into reshaping the galaxy into the glorious future Aubrey once dreamed of.

History of the Eternal Zealots

The Sixteenth Squad of the Sacred Band

Under the command of Hektor Cincinnatus, the Sixteen Squad of the Sacred Band took part in the Pacification of the Merican Hives, leading the assault on Hive Flariad. Hive Flariad owed much of its defensibility to the surrounding wetlands, an artificial swamp that would deter any attempts to set up a protracted siege or mechanised assault. Aerial attacks were also ruled out due to the fearsome anti-aircraft defence matrix employed by the forces of Hive Flariad, resulting in the destruction of any aircraft within range. Imperial tacticians dubbed the swamp as the “Doomglade”, as any offensive that passed through the location was doomed to failure.

The warriors of the Sixteenth Squad pressed on despite the misgivings of their allies. They modified their armour, adding primitive jump packs that would allow them to dive and assault the hive from beyond the range of its anti-aircraft systems. Led by Varus Tithonus, these brave warriors plunged headfirst into battle, trusting in their manoeuvrability to dodge the flak that filled the skies. Upon breaching the outer levels of the hive, the warriors shredded the defences with astonishing ferocity, fuelled by excessive adrenaline that sent them into a state of battle-rage.

While the skies filled with Imperial aircraft that would form the brunt of the assault, the marines of the Sixteenth would continue to battle their way through the hive with reckless abandon. Carefully planned tactics and strategies were discarded in the heat of battle and soon the Sixteenth found themselves caught in ambushes and corralled into death zones. Casualties began to mount and soon the last five members of the Sixteenth Squad found themselves facing what was almost the entirety of the hive’s remaining defence forces, deep within the depths of the hive and separated from their Imperial allies.

It was Galle Nacht who first noticed the corrupted lightning bolt borne by the defenders of Hive Flariad. Hateful of the Emperor and fearful of his wrath, they had adopted twisted versions of his own icons as mockery, including a massive mural depicting the Emperor hanging from a noose. Enraged by the debasement of the enemy they faced, the Sixteenth Squad fought with unparalleled viciousness and frenzy. By the time Imperial forces reached the scene of the battle, it was thought that there were no survivors, such was the destruction wrought by the Sixteenth.

Five corpses were retrieved from the charnel house that was once Subsection 4A of Hive Flariad, space marines in shattered armour, their flesh almost turned to pulp from the sheer extent of injuries suffered. While preparations were being made to inform Hektor Cincinnatus of the total loss of the Sixteenth Squad, one of the “corpses” twitched. Slowly, double hearts began to beat and lungs took in fresh air. Against all the odds, the Sixteenth Squad was healing from the brink of death. Of the five who fell in Subsection 4A, Varus Tithonus, Galle Nacht and Fenrich Veiss were successfully resuscitated and another member of the Sixteenth, Ernst Gerd was later found to have also survived his injuries though left for dead in a prior ambush.

The Emerald Doom

The Sixteenth Legion had a task set unto it by the Emperor himself: to destroy all idols and houses of false faith, to be the sharp edge that would wipe out all opposition to the Imperial Truth. Through their zeal the Sixteenth would eliminate all superstition and ignorance, bringing about rationality and enlightenment instead.

They took to this task with a zealousness that unnerved their friends and terrified their foes, being called barbarians and madmen. Driven ever further by their flawed gene-seed, the Astartes of the Sixteenth plunged deep into the enemy, neutralising heavy defences and enemy leadership in spite of the heavy casualties they suffered.

Time and again they struck like a furious wind, seeking out the people, places and items which spoke of the power of sorcery, false gods and the irrational and destroying them. While the other squads of the Scared Bands fought their fights to defeat foes and take ground, the Sixteenth Squad fought to destroy false belief and usher in the light of the Emperor’s truth, the only truth. It was they who demolished the mighty heads of the ancient God-Kings of Merica from the Black Mountains of Merica, they who destroyed the House of the Wind Talkers and who burned the fanes of the Emperyite, every time showing the inhabitants what it meant to oppose the new truth the Emperor was determined to bring forth.

It was during the earliest conquests beyond Sol in those stars whose light could be clearly seen from the skies of Terra that the Legion earned its first name. The Sixteenth, at the time barely three thousand Astartes strong, was unleashed upon the Theocrats of Campeche. The Astartes lacked the numbers to make a full-scale assault upon all the temple-cities, and so they painted their armour green to better blend into the dense jungles, and struck at temple after temple, burning each to ashes and slaughtering the guards before fading back into the foliage.

The terrified locals began to refer to them as ‘the Emerald Doom’, after an ancient myth of their world, and the Legion soon took to referring themselves as such during their increasingly bloody assaults as they slowly tightened the noose.

After six months, the largest Temple City was stormed and sacked and the planet was finally pacified, The Legion departed, but kept the name they had earned on that world, and from then on they were known as the Emerald Doom. The Legion was granted a right of tithe for Campeche and many thousands of Campechians would end up serving within the Legion in the years to come.

The Legion moved from conquest to conquest, primarily engaged in the destruction of religiously motivated human empires, though countless Xenos races were also ground under by their fury.

Though they were never close to their brother legions or highly respected by them, their task was a vital one and they gained numerous battle honours the equal of any other front-line Legion. The Emperor Himself commanded them on several occasions against foes that He decreed were deserving of destruction, and they were closely aligned with the Emperor and his own views on the future of the Imperium.

As brother Legion after brother Legion were reunited with their Primarchs, some wondered if the Primarch of the Emerald Doom had been lost, for they remained fatherless long after almost all their fellows had found their gene-sires. The Legion did not seem to take notice. They had a task appointed unto them by the hand of the Emperor, and Primarch or not they would fulfill it.

Equally of concern to the Legion was the degradation of their genetic legacy. The enhanced healing factors of the Sixteenth allowed them to survive their suicidal assaults, but brought unintentional side-effects. Battle-brothers who relied heavily on their healing abilities found themselves afflicted with crippling tumours, a cancer within that was impossible to remove. Within the Progenoid Glands of the Sixteenth, over half were riddled with cysts and growths, crippling the legion’s ability to replace their heavy losses. Even the famed commanders of the Sixteenth, surviving members of the Sacred Band were forced to withdraw from active duty, their malignant cancers forcing them into stasis until a cure could be found.

The Legion’s aggressive drive against the foes of the Emperor was dooming them, and fears were voiced that the Legion would meet its end. Even the efforts of the famed Pallas Eugenesis amounted to little in the efforts to repair the geneseed of the Sixteenth. However, as the Legions reached the most distant shores of the Galaxy, on a lone world near the very edge of known space, a discovery was made that would change everything. It would save the Legion but ultimately spell the doom of the Emperor’s dream, the dream the Emerald Doom had fought so long for.

Their doctor had been found.

Notable Campaigns

• Battle of the Black Mountains. The Sixteenth spearheaded the assault against the religious fanatics who worshipped the ancient God-Kings of Merica.

The Healer of Lazarus

The Standard of Aubrey, original Eternal Zealots emblem

Far from the reach of Imperial space, the world of Lazarus stood as the nexus of a fledgling interstellar empire. Its residents had begun delving into the intricacies of faster-than-light travel and colonisation efforts were being started on surrounding worlds. However, there was one major difference between Lazarus and the Imperium.

Lazarus did not belong to man.

The Tarellians of Lazarus were a reptilian species of xenos, a race that was rapidly advancing in technology and societal progress. In the century following the Sixth Lazaran War, the Tarellians had united as a species and set their sights on expanding their empire through the vastness of space. Though limited by their primitive warp drive technology, trade had begun with other xenos and colonisation missions had spread beyond the Lazarus System itself.

It was at the boundary of Tarellian territory, on the world of Hyue, in the year 901.M30, that the young Tarellian Empire would meet the overwhelming force of humanity’s Great Crusade. In less than a day, the entire Tarellian colony on Hyue was dead, destroyed from orbit by the virus bombs of the 241st Expedition Fleet. Following Imperial protocol, the fleet prepared to continue with the purging of the xenos scourge from any and all occupied worlds, however the Tarellian counterattack would catch them by surprise.

A swarm of Tarellian ships emerged from the shadow of an asteroid field as the 241st prepared to conduct Exterminatus on the Tarellian world of Mucazar. Despite being outclassed in speed, weaponry and defences, the Tarellian destroyers moved with unerring precision, exploiting blind spots in Imperial firing positions and sacrificing hulls when exposed to Imperial counterattack. The Tarellian assault had only one purpose in mind, the disablement of the Imperial flagship Pionarium Imperialis.

Tarellian commandos braved the void to assault the bridge of the Pionarium Imperialis, swiftly disabling the command crew and taking control of the vessel. The human commanders of the 241st were shocked when the Tarellian leader removed his helmet and revealed himself to be a human, a tall warrior with an air of unstated nobility. With the appearance of Aubrey Vokrii-Kendov, the missing primarch of the Sixteenth legion, the 241st Expedition Fleet was forced into humiliating surrender.

The astropathic messages from the 241st sent Terra into a frenzy of activity. Hektor Cincinnatus himself made haste for the Lazaran system, arriving weeks later to find that Aubrey was already expecting him. Together with his Chrysaspides, Hektor boarded the Pionarium Imperialis, ready to confront his brother. What he found was beyond his expectations. In the weeks following the surrender of the 241st Expedition Fleet, Aubrey had been studying and learning, picking up the language of Gothic as well as understanding of the Imperial Truth. Hektor had expected to meet a feral brother, corrupted by Xenos but instead he found an equal, a true primarch with a mind as sharp as a razor. Hektor would soon come to find out that Aubrey rejected the idea that humanity alone would be dominant in the galaxy. He staunchly refused attempts to exterminate the Tarellians, arguing that they were his people as well. Unable to shake his brother’s conviction in a world where xenos and humans could co-exist, Hektor escorted Aubrey back to Terra to speak with their father, the Emperor of Mankind. Aubrey would grow close to Hektor on the journey back, impressed by the charisma and authority of the first primarch. Hektor would also come to respect Aubrey for his tactical acumen and unyielding conviction.

Aubrey’s reunion with the Emperor was a tense affair. While overjoyed at the return of yet another wayward son, the Emperor feared that his mind had been polluted by Xenos corruption. Standing his ground to the end, Aubrey would defend his belief in peaceful co-existence against the hardest psychic scouring of his father. After a full day of contemplation, the Emperor gave his final answer. The Tarrelians would be spared, but quarantined to the Lazarus System. Never would the Tarrelians get the opportunity to threaten the hegemony of human supremacy. The compromise was quietly accepted by Aubrey, however his heart continued to burn with the dream of a tolerant Imperium, where man and xenos could coexist in harmony.

A Legion Restored

Following his discovery, the Sixteenth Primarch would then turn his attention to the salvation of his gene-sons, the dying Emerald Doom. Through his genetic material, the gene-seed of the Sixteenth Legion could be repaired, saving them from certain destruction. However, even his pure genetic material was not enough. The rampant mutations within the genetic material of his gene-sons would not be so easily cured.

Aubrey spent years researching the failure in the genetic material of the Sixteenth Legion. Working on Luna, with the finest genewrights known to man, he painstakingly redeveloped his legion’s gene-seed, seeking to eliminate the cancerous flaw that was consuming his legion. In a final act of desperation, Aubrey reached out to his contacts within the Tarellian Empire, who told him of xenos traders that sold advanced gene-forging technology, technology that had the potential to exceed the limited human technology at work. For Aubrey, this was not a difficult decision. He would show that cooperation with Xenos could bring humanity to the next level.

At his private gene-lab on Lazarus, Aubrey refined the gene-forging process, restoring the Catalapsean Node and Omophagea of his legion. He would go on to develop advanced gene-therapy, intended to cure his existing sons of their scourge. Only when the process was perfected did Aubrey consent to see his gene-sons, the remaining five thousand Astartes of the Emerald Doom.

Aubrey wept upon seeing his afflicted legion, not a single Astartes was spared the ravages of their cancerous gene-seed. Still in their zeal they had continued fighting as true servants of the Emperor, dedicated to spreading his Imperial Truth. He would rename the legion into something more befitting of their righteous fury, the Sixteenth would become Eternal Zealots, surviving forever for the glory of the Emperor.

A legion of five thousand dying marines came to Lazarus in 908.M30. They left as renewed warriors, eternal zealots that would be at the forefront of mankind’s great crusade. Recruitment would begin in earnest, utilising the perfected gene-seed that Aubrey had toiled over. However, the compromises made by Aubrey to save his legion would come to haunt them down the line.

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The Zealots and the Victory

The Eternal Zealots were on the road to recovery, but they were still a Legion in name only. They had barely enough numbers to prosecute a single campaign, let alone take their rightful place as one of the Emperor’s twenty in pushing the Imperium forwards. The Emperor, though busy with the bitter war with the Ruavu Grun, was still mindful enough to see that his newest-found son needed a steady hand to support him as he grew and ensure that he would be capable of taking full command of his Legion. The Emperor had just the one of the job: Gaspard Lumey, the highly successful Primarch of Winged Victory. Fresh of his conquest of a thousand sectors, Lumey’s reputation was great, and the Emperor could think of none more qualified to mentor Aubrey.

The meeting of brothers was not what Aubrey had been expecting. He was used to the friendly and charismatic presence of Hektor, and compared to that Lumey was cold, distant and unfriendly. His ‘teaching’ was in fact lecturing. Lumey was not kind to Aubrey and berated many of his tactical and strategic decisions, and questioned his ideas with regard to the reorganisation of the Legion, using his own Legion as the ‘ideal’ model. Aubrey endured in silence, though he began to resent his father for entrusting him to such an individual.

For over a decade the Eternal Zealots and Winged Victory fought side by side, though it was not a pleasant time. There was much friction between the Legions and their Primarchs. Aubrey was swift and intuitive, while Lumey was patient and considered. The Zealots were fiery and direct, while Winged Victory were cool and flexible. Their victories were swift, and yet Lumey found much to fault the Zealots over and their parts in the many victories. The final battle the two Legions fought together was on Vermillion II, which brought an entire sector into the Imperial fold, though there was a major argument between Aubrey and Lumey during the victory celebration. Afterwards, Aubrey took his Legion away. It now numbered 50,000 Marines, enough to constitute its own fighting force. Aubrey was determined to show Lumey that he could command and win on his own.

Notable Campaigns

• Vermillion II.
• The Fall of Valshada.

The Hidden Tumor

After the success of the Vermillion II campaign and with the Zealots now standing on their own two feet, the Emperor deemed the Legion large enough and proven enough to join in the Crusade as a fully-fledged fighting force. So he granted the 71st through 76th Expeditionary Fleets to the Eternal Zealots. Furthermore, he dispatched the sixty Knights of House Accolon’s primary household detachment led by their King herself to join Aubrey’s muster. Aubrey swiftly set to work, each fleet being rebuilt around a core of Eternal Zealots with the commanders both Astartes and human hand-chosen by him, with the 71st becoming his own fleet and under his own command. A vetting process of the Imperial Army forces and supporting Mechanicum detachments for these fleets was instituted, with those forces who failed the test detached for second line garrison duties. This all but gutted the Imperial Army forces supporting the Legion, but Aubrey was unrepentant. For a full six months Aubrey prepared the Expeditionary forces that would bear his forces and spread his word to the outer darkness.

Each fleet also received a single ship of decidedly non-human origin, and upon sighting them the reason for Aubrey’s secrecy and carefully selected commanders became clear. Each fleet would now have a corps of Lazarite Auxiliaries from Lazarus operating under the Legions direct command. They would use those who Aubrey had grown up with as an additional arm in their struggle against the heathens, the false superstitions and unclean truths of the void.

The Legion now drove forward with relentless momentum. Civilisations were either razed or forced to kneel, countless faiths and belief systems were uprooted and a trail of conquest and compliance spread out behind the fleets of the Legion as they pushed ever onwards, as if trying to outrun and outperform the fleets of larger and older Legions in their haste to spread the Emperor’s truth and grow the Imperium. The Legion lived up to its name in their zealotry in the Emperor’s name.

However numerous races, enclaves and even entire petty empires of Xenos were spared the Legion’s wrath. Unlike his brothers, Aubrey was diplomatic with those Xenos he encountered. He would spare those Xenos who would take up the olive branch rather than the firearm and sued for peace when his forces arrived, letting them live under the Emperor’s protection so long as they obeyed the Emperor’s laws, upheld the Imperial Truth and refrained from violence against Humans. So soon a growing number of Xeno Races were living within what was ostensibly Imperial Territory, cancers deep within the body of the Imperium.

Eventually the growing bureaucracy of the Imperium finally brought the Eternal Zealot’s wrongs to light, as the aexector tributi administrators sent out by Malcador to take census and determine tithe levels for the growing Imperium stumbled upon several of those Xenos races that Aubrey had let live. Violence swiftly flared up and several Expeditionary fleets had to be diverted to prosecute the enemies that lay deep within Imperial Territory, especially when one race, the Ayurath, began a series of counter raids on human-inhabited worlds which led to a general war which saw most of a sector fall to them before a Chapter of the Void Angels en-route to re-joining their parent Legion was diverted to destroy them. And the evidence was clear when captured Xenos were interrogated and stellar charts of conquest were consulted: all the Xeno races were in territories taken by the Eternal Zealots.

Once the truth was revealed, it was only a matter of time before the Emperor would be moved to censure the Eternal Zealots. They had endangered the very course of the Great Crusade by their actions, and they had to be brought to heel. However as the Emperor laid his plans and consulted with a chosen few of his sons, events on Aubrey’s home world of Lazarus took over and the Emperor’s hand was forced.

The Cyfecti

It is at this point that History goes dark. What took place between the destruction of Lazarus and Aubrey re-joining the Great Crusade is unknown, though the blood-soaked legacy of those events is in no doubt. One of the last verifiable reports before these unknown events is from the Primarch Uriel Starikov, one of the last to see Aubrey before his 71st Fleet left for parts unknown. In his report to the War Council, he stated how Aubrey was in utter shock and denial, the pillars of his existence toppled by the Emperor’s actions. Uriel stated his concern, and suggested that a Mentor be tasked to shepherd Aubrey through this time. His recommendation was not carried through with, and one can only wonder if it would have spared the galaxy an eternity of slaughter.

The Emperor had left a personal detachment of Custodians to oversee the Legion for fifty years to ensure the Legion’s would not stray from the path now set before it. But before it could join the 71st Fleet it vanished into the dark. It was believed that Aubrey was doing some soul searching, trying to readjust himself in the new post-Lazarus world. When he returned after nearly a year he revealed that his fleet had been in the region around the great Warp Storm now called the Eye of Terror and had brought over a dozen new worlds into Compliance including one named Cadia which would be a site of dark renown in later millennia. After this he threw himself into the Great Crusade with the same vigour he had once held before the death of Lazarus. The Legion once more covered itself in glory, and the Emperor assumed his actions had worked, that the Legion was now remade. He was mistaken.

It is believed that it was through a Xeno Race called the Cyfecti, who Aubrey encountered some time after his vanishing, that he became aware of the Gods of Chaos. They offered him a purpose, revenge, and the fulfilment of his dream of an Imperium of both Humans and Xenos. He accepted it, and when his Legion re-joined the Crusade it no longer served the Emperor. For fifty years the Legion sowed dark creeds, gathered strength and made ready for a great war against the Imperium, until after Hektor had become Warmaster, when the Zealots brought Hektor to Cadia and thus brought about the near-destruction of the Imperium at his hands.

The Triumph of Chaos

Hektor was dead, and those Legion loyal to him were now withdrawing away towards the safety of the Eye of Terror.

Culture

The Emerald Doom were fanatical believers in the Imperial Truth, and took it upon themselves to destroy all other false truths so they could bestow upon all the Imperial Truth, considered the Emperor's greatest gift. Aubrey the Grey would prove to be the most fanatical convert to this truth, Hektor selling it to Aubrey in full. Aubrey saw the Imperial Truth as a gift that all of man should benefit from, but he disagreed with how the Emerald Doom had spread it, purely with force. Force was vital, but it needed to be balanced by a carrot to ensure the population would willingly remain under compliance. The Zealots would become the keepers and prophets of the Imperial Truth, as opposed to its wildly shaking fist.

On those human worlds they came to conquer the Eternal Zealots would briefly oversee the first few months of compliance operations, supporting the Iterators in teaching science, medicine, and repairing the damage they had caused. Avoiding overt collatoral damage beyond the destruction of fanes of false faith was also made into part of the Legion's doctrine.

Notable Domains

• Lazarus. Lazarus was a warm world of great deserts, sweltering jungles and open savannahs lapped by sun-kissed seas. The Lazarite Civilization had emerged there five thousand years previously and had spread across the planet, before breaking its bounds and spreading out across the system. Lazarus had several moons, though only two of those were natural satellites, the rest being merely captured Asteriods from the Asteroid Belt that separated Lazarus from the outer Gas Giants. Surrounding Lazarus was a thin planetary ring, the remnant of several ancient moons colliding together in the distant past. It was often used as cover by raiders approaching the planet, and later several star-forts of the Legion were secreted within the Ring to defend the planet, though they would be of little use when the doom came to Lazarus. Lazarus was home to many serpents, ranging from small wormlike beasts that hunted in the soil to massive, near-mythical monsters dozens of feet long that could devour a Lazarite in a single gulp that were said to live for hundreds of years. Serpents were highly important to Lazarite beliefs, considered symbols of immortality and warrior prowess. The greatest Lazarite commanders hunted the great Snakes to prove their prowess, and those that killed one would wear its skin as a cloak as a symbol of their skill and authority.

• Campeche. A lush, jungle world on the outer borders of the Sol Segmentum, Campeche became one of the most important of the Emerald Doom's conquests, and would eventually supply over 20% of the Legion's numbers by the beginning of the Rebellion.

• Agqumare. A planet entirely underwater where great ship-cities sailed the eternal seas, harvesting food from the depths.

Notable Members

Zachery Irisus "Emerald Storm, The Doombringer" was one of the very first Terrans inducted into the Legion after the Sacred Band, and was a proven and fearless commander who was always at the very point of the spear, wielding a massive two-handed Chainsword. Though he was a proven commander, he shunned high command and resisted promotion, so when the Primarch was found he was merely a line-captain. The Primarch could see much potential in him and inducted him into the ranks of the Mentors, the new breed of inspiring officers who would act as his will amongst the Legion. Irisus would end up rising to the rank of Legion Grand Mentor, one of the Primarch's inner circle along with the Praetor of the First Chapter and the Primarch's equerry. However Irisus was a child of Terra, and he was distrustful of the Cyfectii. He would end up refusing to obey his Primarch's commands, and in a ritual duel died at his Primarch's hand.

Varus Tithonus "Lance of the Primarch" Varus (Lazarus) Tithonus was another one of the initial Terran recruits and was one of the two highest-ranking commanders of the Emerald Doom during the few decades of decline before they were saved by the Primarch. Though he was bold, always seizing the initative and forcing his foes to react to his moves, he was also hot-blooded and harsh in the punishment of rebels and those who failed his command, which led to several Imperial Army formations requesting to leave his command after public and highly humiliating rebukes from him. Praetor of the Second Chapter, he preferred not to rise further, and turned down the chance to become First Chapter Master several times. He was instrumental in the destruction of Valshada, slaying their Farseer Ylima in single combat. A fanatical servant of his Primarch, he willingly followed him into damnation. However after the Rebellion's failure and the Legion's retreat into the Eye, Varus came to be disillusioned with the sorry state of the Legion and the fact that the war with the Imperium appeared to have been forgotten. He abandoned the Legion (losing an arm in the process) and went on to found the Warp Riders Warband that continues to plague the Imperium to this day.

Azra Zachariah "Shepherd of the Damned, First of Khorne, The Blood Priest" Born into the Gladiator Pits of Kustrinda, Zachariah grew up as a warrior, a master of single combat. His Homeworld resisted the coming of the Zealots, but were swiftly brought to heel with much of the planet left in ruins. An orphan of war, Zachariah was considered a perfect candidate for the Legion due to his youth and combat skills. He saw the Legion as his new home and Aubrey as a willing master to serve. Always self-conscious of his position as an outsider and a recruit from a bitter enemy, he demanded much respect within the Legion even if he had to fight for it in the gladiatorial arena, much like his youth. This combination of martial skill and earned respect would see him placed into the Mentors, though it was rumoured that was a deliberate ploy to remove him from the normal chain of command. As a Mentor, Zachariah preached the wisdom of his adoptive father, often adding a more grounded, realistic and cynical touch. Though not as gifted an orator as Siyuren Sil, his skill on the battlefield was worth a dozen speeches, and could reach the twin hearts of many legionaries to such a degree that he needn't utter a word on the battlefield.

Xan Khorsah "Thunderfist, the Infernal Reaver" One of the initiates from Campeche, Khorsah was fanatically loyal to the Legion which had pacified his homeworld and a proud student of Zachariah. Promoted to Praetor of the Third Chapter of the Zealots, he would willingly follow his Primarch down the road to damnation and carve out a brutal reputation for himself during the Battle of Dolsene and the Burning Crusade.

Galle Nacht "Hell's Apothecary" Squad Sergeant of the Sixteenth Sacred Band and a recruit from Albia, Galle Nacht was a brave and resourceful officer who was tipped for higher command but chose to become an Apothecary, and was one of the very first batch who trained under Lyster Larrey. He would be personally affected by the Gene-Seed crisis and go to extreme lengths to try and stabilize and secure the Gene-Seed of his Legion.

Siyuren Sil "Voice of the Damned, The Butcher of Cattegirn" recruited from the ocean world of Agqumare just as the Legion was being rebuilt under Aubrey, Sil was a highly charismatic leader and a master orator who was swiftly inducted into the ranks of the Mentors, where he excelled. His pre-battle speeches became legend, as did his courage under fire and his willingness to risk himself to inspire his men. He took the destruction of Lazarus hard and was briefly removed from Legion service. When he returned, he was a fanatical convert to Aubrey's new way and with his oratory helped spread it throughout the Legion. His loyal service continued throughout the Rebellion and even beyond as he became one of the highest ranking members of the Zealot's inner circle. He often was attached to Legion Warbands under direct orders from the Primarch, and he was part of the massive Legion assault force that brought fire and death to the famous Knight World of Cattegirn in M37.

Organisation and Doctrine

The organisation of the Legions as laid down in the Principa Belicosa remained the principal organisation basics for the Eternal Zealots throughout their History up until after the Rebellion. The loss of most of the Sacred Band in the early battles of the Crusade due to the aggressive zeal of the Legion and its habit of commanders always leading from the front meant that it became unusually common for a Commander to take commander of multiple Chapters. Upon taking command, Aubrey had the Legion's organisation modified to better his fit surgeon philosophy of combat: the aggressive and swift advance of warriors in force to decapitate the enemy and then pull apart and destroy the leaderless enemy armies swiftly and completely.

Aggressive tactics were reflected in how the Legion was organised. The Battalion became the chief building block of a tactical force, each Battalion comprising specialized companies designated as assault companies, line breaker companies, heavy support companies and so on, with the overall goal of making each battalion able to take on any foe in any condition. When a Chapter was deployed to a planet, each Battalion was assigned a specific target and all would act simultaneously to crush resistance with a single, combined and well-executed blow.

Assault companies were the most common, with every Chapter having at least one. They were the spearhead of most assaults against the enemy. Only veteran Marines were assigned to them, for the mortality rate of Marines in assault companies was inevitably high. Newly initiated Marines were most commonly deployed to the heavy support companies and as they progressed they moved closer and closer to the front lines and the brutality of close-quarters fighting.

The prevalence for close combat was shown in the tactical makeup of squads. Despoiler Squads with Bolt Pistols and Chainswords were often deployed on a one to one ratio with bolter armed squads, advancing under the cover of their ranged brothers to deliver a final and brutal killing blow. The sheer shock and bloody nature of close combat sent a clear message, especially to those foes who were adverse to hand to hand combat, that to resist meant death.

The headhunting tactics of the Legion were reflected in their use of Bikes, Jetbikes and jump-pack assault squads to slip around the enemy flanks and strike at their command centres, lines of communication and supply and especially their tactical and strategic leaders. The most skilled of these became members of the ‘Decapitators’, an elite force of Assault Marines drawn from the most hardened veterans of the Legion.

Commanders were kept in check by their Mentors, who would take the burden of frontline command upon themselves to prevent the breakdowns of command that had existed within the Legion before the coming of Aubrey. The Mentors would ensure that Captains and Praetors would not unduly risk their lives, and could better focus on directing the flow of battle.

Specialist Troops

Decapitators The Decapitators were a special formation of Assault Troops trained in taking out enemy leaders, diving onto them from above and cutting them and their bodyguards down before disengaging and speeding away before retribution could come. Armed with envenomed blades that would debilitate a commander if they didn't kill him outright and sirens that gave out an unearthly scream in the seconds before landing, few who ever heard that sound survived to tell the tale.

Eunectes Terminators Brutal and sinister, the Eunectes were the heavy destroyers of the Legion, taken from the most veteran Destroyer Marines who had survived the longest. Teleporting into the middle of enemy Temples, Fanes, Libraries and command centres, they would proceed to unleash a storm of fire from their deadly Chem-Flamer weapons, reducing everything to smoking ash while their heavy armour kept the flames from them. For those targets too hardened for normal fire, they also carried the lethal Phosphex for absolute destruction of the foe.

Aphizft Abominations Once the Zealots had turned to the Primordial Truth, they were instructed by the Cyfecti in how to fuse Daemons with mortals, and began to create a cadre of men who had willingly agreed to fuse themselves with one of the Daemons of the Warp. Though very few survived, those that did became deadly monsters, fast and lethal with unnatural speed and ferocity and blessed with wings of varying type so they could swoop and dive into the ranks of the enemy. Called the Aphizft, after a Snake-Demon myth of dead Lazarus, they were hidden from the Imperium until the outbreak of the Rebellion, where they were first revealed in all their dark glory so bring carnage to the Emperor's loyal warriors.

Support Formations

The support formations of the Eternal Zealots differed considerably from those of their fellow Legions, in large part due to the differing mindset of the Legion. Aubrey's own reluctance to rely on humans unless absolutely necessary saw the Legion have one of the smallest contingents of serfs of any Legion.

Mentors

When Aubrey took command of his Legion, one of his first acts was to create a new corps of officers that would act as his eyes and ears within the Legion. Not tied to any company or Chapter, they would be inspiring leaders and directors who would advise the commanding officers and help them to direct their men to best effect. They would also spread the Imperial Truth on those planets they conquered, showing the masses the importance of science and shirking the binds that superstition and deities cause upon society. Inside and outside of combat the Mentors were charged with the training and leading of the Legion's new recruits, showing them how the Imperial Truth should be spread to the ignorant and how to become a true Astartes in the art of war.

The Mentors were a rank apart, answering only to the Grand Mentor and beyond him to the Primarch. They would remove an officer, even a Praetor from command if they believed it necessary. They inspired their men both by their deeds, and by the knowledge that they were watching and judging their fellow Zealots. The Mentors had a grim reputation, and were both loved and feared in equal measure.

Mentors were recognizable by the black and green gilded robes they wore to signify their position. In the higher ranking Mentors, that robe was often made out of Snakeskin harvested from the many serpents of Lazarus. These robes were commonly considered to give the Mentors an almost priestly appearance, something that never ceased to amuse the supposed "Priests of the Imperial Truth."

When the word of the Gods came from the mouth of their Primarch, the Mentors were the most resistant to the touch of Chaos. Grand Mentor Zachery Irisus even tried to fight the Primarch, though Aubrey cut him down with ease. However as the Cyfecti began to display the true blessings of the Gods and summoned Daemons to speak with the Mentors, most became intoxicated at the thought of actual gods, rather than the false promises they had faced before. The "Priests of the Imperial Truth" give themselves over to the true power of the gods, their rage at the Imperium and the shattering of their long-held belief that there were no gods blinding them to the corruption that their Cyfecti allies brought with them. The newly crowned Dark Mentors became the focal points for Chaos worship and took upon themselves the duty to spread the word of Chaos, as well as to defile and besmirch any place of worship, of any deity, that would dare claim themselves above the gods of Chaos.

Apothecarion

The Apothecarion of the Legion was given the greatest overhaul of any formation when Aubrey took command, becoming the second most powerful Apothecarion in all the Legions, only beat by that of the Life Bringers. The Gene-Seed crisis left a permanent mark on the Legion and the Apothecarion became the safeguard for the Legion. The number of Apothecaries in the Legion rose considerably, with Primus Medicae officers becoming equal with the Mentors as a powerful bloc within the Legion. Regular Squad Sergeants were given basic Medicae instruction and along with their other duties were tasked with making routine checks on their men to ensure that the Gene-Seed degradation was not returning. The Apothecarion Corps also created a mobile formation within their own ranks known as the Rhino Apothecarion, which comprised a number of Rhinos converted into mobile Ambulances and Healing Stations that would provide more advanced care then the regular Apothecaries on the field. It should be noted that during the Betrayal Aubrey the Grey was saved by the intervention of a Rhino Apothecarium crew, using the mobile operating room to stabilize him after he was struck by a Lazarite poison.

Armorium

The Legion had a relatively small number of Techmarines due to the Legion's reluctance to rely on the Lords of Mars, though thanks to the Lords of Jecreon and Massalia they did not lack for Mechanicum support to build and maintain their wargear.

Castra

Aubrey had never put his trust in Fortifications due to their lack of effectiveness in keeping raiders out during the years of war in the Lazarus system, but the new Imperial-made defences of Lazarus were entrusted to the Legion's Castra. However these new defences would not be enough to save Lazarus, and the Castra fell into disrepute afterwards and became effectively defunct.

Librarus

The Emerald Doom, having seen the power that Psykers could have on the weak-willed, were quick to adopt a Librarius for those who were Psychically talented. The Eternal Zealots maintained that Librarius, though it was a poor third to the Mentors and the Apothecarion.

Allies and Auxilia

Rarely among the Legions, the Eternal Zealots did not have a major human Auxilia force bonded to them. This was due to the fact that Aubrey was unwilling to put his trust in mere human Auxiliaries, who he felt could not be relied upon. Instead, that task was handed over to Lazarite Auxiliaries from his homeworld. The Lazarite Auxiliaries were fast and lethal and principally used as reconnaissance and sabotage troops, staking out enemy positions, eliminating key defensive structures and armoured support.

Aubrey did however have considerable support by non-Imperial Army formations. The Eternal Zealots were blessed with the attachment of a major Household Detachment of the The Knights of Accolon, seconded by their King after she left the Legion following a decade of mutual service after the Legion became independent. The Detachment - comprising nine Knights led by Thegn Maleagant - would remain under Aubrey's command for nearly fifty years until the fall of Lazarus, when they were ordered back by the Emperor. They would end up facing Aubrey during the Burning Crusade, when he would bring down Maleagant in single combat and wear his Knight's faceplate on his armour as a trophy.

Aubrey could also call on the Mechanicum to support his Legion. There were plenty within the Mechanicum who wished to study Xenotech in violation of standard Mechanicum Doctrine, and Aubrey co-opted many of them and brought them into his service in return for his patronage and protection. Most notable of all Aubrey's Mechanicum allies was the Forgeworld of Jecreon, a forge that due to their proximity to several petty Xenos empires developed a liberal approach to Xenotech. This made them a strong supporter of the Eternal Zealots, producing equipment not only for the Marines, but also for the Lazarites as well. Most of the Legion was equipped and supplied from Jecreon's forces, and the Jecreon Eviscerator, used by many within the Legion. Jecreon would be purged by the Fabricator General for Tech-Heresy just after the fall of Lazarus, a disaster which deprived the Zealots of much of their supply.

Aubrey also had supply agreements with the Forgeworld of Massalia, and could call on the Titans of the Legio Cauteris to act as his Sledgehammer.

Fleet

The Zealots were not well known for their Fleet. It was among the smaller fleets of all the Legions, with barely a hundred mainline warships to their name.

Gene-seed and Successors

The gene-seed of the Eternal Zealots was considered pure at its inception, but the sudden and unexpected degradation of it in the latter half of the first century of the Crusade threw this into doubt. It was only the discovery of Aubrey and his subsequent efforts that were able to correct and stabilize it. After that, it was considered to be pure and unusually stable, though the powerful Apothecarion of the Eternal Zealots were constantly monitoring the Gene-Seed in case of another disaster.

The gene-seed of the Zealots gave them a marked tendency towards a dangerous combination of absolute zeal in their beliefs and a furious aggression against those who did not share their beliefs. This made them supremely loyal soldiers and deadly against their foes, but when turned against the Imperium made them even more deadly foes.

Mutation is not common amoungst the Zealots, but for those who are marked by it, it is a blessing of Chaos and one which is held in high regard.