Editing Slaugth (Hektor Heresy) (section)

===The Wrath of Khaine===

Although this notion may seem absurd in the 41st millennium, Khaine had once been strictly banned from the Eldar pantheon. There was no place for the bloody-handed god of murder in the decorous temples of the ancient Eldar, and the only prayers meant for his ears were pattered in hushed voices over lifeless corpses of fallen enemies. Considered inappropriate for an upstanding Eldar, his worship was reserved for madmen and outcasts. And yet, in spite of all of the attempts by the Senate to fight the worship of Khaine, his underground cult lived on. No race can escape its primeval violent urges, no matter how hard it tries to seclude itself in the ivory tower of civilisation. The more a society praises restraint and moderation during the day, the darker things happen during the night.

The scarred fleet officer who addressed Aenarion revealed himself as a secret Khaine worshipper, drawing the ire of many Eldar present on the command bridge. But, lost in the gloomy depths of despair, the Autarch agreed to hear him out. The scarred Eldar explained that Khaine was not the monster most priests made him out to be. He was certainly extremely violent and bloodthirsty, a patron of murder and warfare, but the truth was that sometimes violence was necessary. Not every enemy could be dealt or bargained with, some of them simply needed to be killed before they could kill you. The bloody-handed god's cult flourished during the War in Heavens, and it was about time to revive it for a new Galactic war, one that would eclipse the previous conflict in both scope and scale. 

Aenarion promised to personally see to it that the cult of Khaine is restored if the god of murder could help him defeat the Slaugth and their pawns in the Senate. With a cold smile on his thin lips, the scarred officer began telling the story of the Widowmaker, the cursed sword of Khaine. It all started back during the War in Heavens, when Khaine fought side by side with the Eldar, shattering the C'tan with his mighty sword while the common soldiers fought their soulless minions. One warrior in particular drew the furious god's attention with his peerless prowess at arms. That was Eldanesh, the greatest champion of the Eldar of all times, blessed personally by Asuryan and destined for great deeds. Impressed by the warrior's mastery of the blade, Khaine assumed the form of an Eldar noble and approached him. After commending Eldanesh for his great skill, the god offered him a challenge: whoever would slay less Necrons in an hour would have to surrender his sword to the victor. Always eager to prove his skill, the hero agreed, and the challenge began. 

Of course, this contest was merely an amusing diversion for the capricious god: he never even considered the possibility of losing to a mere mortal, and so he didn't bother fighting at full power. Eldanesh, on the other hand, fought like a lion, destroying several cursed machines with every strike. So, when an hour passed, Khaine found out that he was bested by a mortal warrior. With a smile on his face, Eldanesh reached out his hand to take his trophy, the fabled Widowmaker. But the furious god refused to admit his humbling defeat: instead of honouring his part of the deal, he angrily accused Eldanesh of cheating and drove his sword through the hero's heart. Unfortunately for him, Asuryan himself was watching over this contest, and he decided to punish the murderous god for breaking his word. First of all, he made Khaine's hands drip eternally with the blood of Eldanesh to remind him forever of his perfidy. Then he cursed the god's sword, making it burn Khaine's hands like if it was scorching hot. Asuryan judged that since the god of murder lost the right to the sword in a fair contest, he should never be able to wield it again. Cursing the creator god, Khaine thrust his sword into a large mountain with such fury that the planet's continents broke apart like thin ice, its mountains turned into volcanoes and its cities were levelled by earthquakes. 

Looking over the destruction he had caused, Khaine swore an oath to throw the Galaxy at the feet of any mortal champion who would agree to wield the cursed sword in his stead. He then set up a number of challenges on the way to the relic to make sure that only the worthy could reach the sword's pedestal and left the planet forever. It's been known as the Blighted Planet ever since, and most Eldar believed it to be a legend, an allegorical tale of how anger can give great strength to those who can keep it under control. And yet, the scarred officer belonged to an ancient clan of Khaine devotees who not only knew that the planet was real, but could also point it on the map of the Galaxy. The khainite offered Aenarion to try and win Khaine's favour by pulling the sword out of the mountain. This plan was met with much resistance, especially from the Seer council of Aenarion's fleet. His trusted Farseer pointed out that Khaine was a bloodthirsty and murderous god who was well known for breaking his promises, so nothing good could come from striking deals with him. But at this point Aenarion was ready to swear fealty even to the C'tan if it allowed him to purge his race from traitors. And so the great expedition to the Blighted Planet began.