Editing Mastodontii (section)

==History of the Mastodontii==

It is easy, in hindsight, to see the seeds of the Eighth Legion's downfall.  But to look back at history and ask how the leaders of the Imperium could have been so foolish as to rely on the Mastodontii is the greatest of follies.  Only those anxious to repeat the mistakes of the past declare that their forebearers are their inferiors in reason or perception.  What seems obvious to those who know how the story plays out was once nothing but a suspicion and had to be weighed against repeated demonstrations of faithful service.

===Beginnings===

Among the [[Sacred Band]] of [[Hektor Cincinnatus]], the Eighth Squad were ten brave soldiers among a brotherhood of two hundred heroes.  They served well enough in the Dust Bowl Clash, where Space Marines boarded and seized the war-trakks of the Merican steppe.  They shed their blood at Junkers to stop a mad plan to open up the magma locks and turn geothermal power into searing death to warrior and civilian alike.  But the half-dozen Eighth Squad warriors who survived the blooding of the Band received no special commendation and their part in the creation of the great Eighth Legion is largely obscure.

Similarly, the Eighth did not play a leading role in the Imperium's initial expansion from Terra in the early days of the [[Great Crusade (Hektor Heresy)|Great Crusade]].  A rare exception to their anonymity came at the Battle of Five Legions.  Decimus Vax led their contingent under the command of the great [[Roman Albrecht]] and gave his life to assure the Imperial victory on that famous day.

===Rolling onwards===

All of the Space Marine Legions were greatly affected by the rediscovery of their Primarchs.  The Legion's sire was a source of fresh genetic material that improved their gene-seed and invariably was a mighty warrior and formidable leader.  In the case of Tollund Ötztal, who led more by example than by command, he was not merely a tremendous asset to the Eighth Legion but a beloved father-figure to his men.  The Primarch rarely sent orders of the day, preferring to express himself in personal missives.  He was especially known for the messages of condolence and encouragement he sent to commands that had suffered casualties.

Even the renaming of the Legion to the Mastodontii did not come about through Tollund Ötztal's direct command.  The Primarch saw the Legion's transports, especially the Rhino, as particularly important to his way of war.  He also identified them with his spirit guide, the Mastodon Sabaka, and explained to his TechMarines that inscribing the Rhino vehicles with the likeness of Sabaka would please the spirits.  Although these scions of Mars were not well-accustomed to taking advice on pleasing the Machine Spirits, they were also the sons of Ötztal and followed his instructions.  It is unknown whether the images of Sabaka or the skill of Eighth Legion TechMarines was more responsible for the excellent operating qualities of their Rhino park, but other warriors certainly took notice.  As was so often the case in the [[Great Crusade]], a chance remark by [[Hektor Cincinnatus]] that the Eighth's Rhinos seemed so much better than those of other Legions that it would be better to call them Mastodontii dictated fashion, and the Eighth Legion soon became synonymous with their trademark vehicle.

Among the warriors of the Imperium, the Mastodontii were generally well-regarded for passing lightly over the worlds they conquered.  They became bitter rivals of the [[Stone Men]] in part due to opposing philosphies, but also due to the personal enmity felt between [[Onyx the Indestructible]] and Tollund Ötztal.  The Eighth were also drawn into politics, against their natural inclination, by the atrocities carried out by their brother Legions.  Tollund Ötztal intervened at the Council of Nikaea and instigated the Ussur Tribunal in an attempt to protect the people of the Galaxy from the worst excesses of the Great Crusade.  In hindsight, he need not have worried.  The Crusade was soon to end in slaughter and unimaginable horror.

===The Heresy===
[[File:Mastodontii_Post-Heresy.jpg|thumb|200px]]

The fall of the Mastodontii did not come because they were eager to join Hektor's revolt.  On the contrary, Tollund Ötztal's first order on hearing of the civil war was to forbid his men from taking sides.  Forces that were not already refitting at Tisenjoch were commanded to return home to prevent them from being drawn into the fray.  Unfortunately, Ötztal's good intentions were not enough to keep his Legion out of the war.  Tisenjoch's strategic location within the Loyalist cordon about Terra made its stated neutrality a matter of great concern to [[Alexandri of Rosskar]] and as the [[Silver Cataphracts]] Primarch was at full stretch overseeing the construction of defences, he asked [[Onyx the Indestructible]] to call on the Mastodontii to aid the Loyalists or - if necessary - eliminate the threat they posed.

It has often been speculated that Alexandri believed the latter possibility to be the most likely.  Certainly, sending Onyx to negotiate with Ötztal was a curious decision given the bad blood between the two if the Lord of Rosskar truly felt that the Mastodontii were a possible asset.  On the other hand, Alexandri may have simply felt that the Stone Men were too squeamish about the ruthless measures he was imposing in order to prepare his defence and just wanted them out of the way.  Regardless, Onyx's demands were not met to his satisfaction and the Stone Men began to attack Tisenjoch.

Initially, the Mastodontii were paralysed by indecision, especially at the highest levels.  Tollund Ötztal himself remained sequestered for some time, before meeting with his commanders and giving a short, chilling speech in which he declared that he was ready to take his brother's blood but that the Mastodontii would have to pay the price.  Though the Primarch's advisors were deeply unsettled by their lord's change in attitude, they could not deny that the time had come for decisive action or that the situation called for blood.  By using the most vicious tactics, the Mastodontii dispirited Onyx's men and saw them from the soil of Tisenjoch.  Once the defence was won, Tollund set to rebuilding his Legion, culling those who had hesitated to carry out his sadistic orders and forming the remainder into "hunting groups".  The new Mastodontii's first task was to exterminate the population of Tisenjoch and they excelled in this terrible duty.