Editing Nobledark Imperium Notes (section)

==Black Crusades==

Generally, in this timeline, Black Crusades (at least, the big ones that get numbers) occur when the three big warlords of Chaos (Lady Malys, Luther, and Be'lakor) along with the other big names of Chaos decide to temporarily put aside their differences and [[get shit done]]. Erebus is a big help in these matters, since he curries enough favor with all three warlords that they'll listen to him. Generally it's Malys who's the one who makes the official declaration of it being a Black Crusade, especially after she got Drach'nyen.

There are lesser Chaos crusades. Sometimes they're called by a Crone, sometimes by a Fallen. One time it was a Chaos Ork.

Malys rose to prominence during the First Black Crusade. She wasn't the Queen Bitch of Chaos during the War of the Beast, though she did participate in the Raid on Cthonia among other battles. At the start of the First Black Crusade Malys is seen as just some two-bit warlord who managed to get the various factions of Chaos to stop fighting for once, and her "let the galaxy burn" speech is seen as incredibly arrogant. Afterwards? It's clear that Malys is just as dangerous as she makes herself out to be.

Compared to canon, Malys is the Joker to [[Abbadon]]'s Bane. Abbadon plans Black Crusades with very specific goals in mind, which despite being very well planned out have the option of total failure because they are based around specific objectives. Malys makes plans but ultimately just wants to watch the world burn. Malys is terrifying because she is not only a schemer but she's also a complete lunatic at the same time. She can come up with devious plans, but they're often the kind of schemes that can only come from the kind of coked-up mind that is high on warp dust all the time. Malys' Black Crusades don't have specific objectives. They have a very broad "to do" list. Sure, it would be nice to burn down Prospero, but the Crusade isn't going to be a failure if it doesn't. The more things that can get done, the better. Basically, as long as the Black Crusade doesn't get blocked at Cadia and Imperials die it's chalked up as a success. There's also been the implication that Malys has a long-term slow burn plan to weaken and sap the Imperium, but it doesn't exactly have a strict timetable. Thirteenth Black Crusade would be a nice one to win because of the numerical significance, but then again, so would the [[Chaos|Eighth]].

Lady Malys goals in launching these Black Crusades is not to gain prizes and other glorious things that small-minded Abbadon would do. The wars are started to bring the Imperium to its knees with the sheer amount of anarchy or destruction wrought by the armies of Chaos. These crusades end not due to disintegration by the Fallen running back to the Eye of Terror or the Maelstrom with trophies in hand (though many of the warlords like Doombreed and Arrotyr end up running off). The wars end with Lady Malys ordering the full withdraw of all Chaos forces back home. Each and every Black Crusade grows in strength and number as the targets for them become more and more ambitious. 

The wars are where the Imperium always suffer more losses than Chaos then if the tide of the war changes against Chaos, Lady Malys already planned the inevitable fighting retreat or scorch-planet campaigns just to twist the knife in the Imperium's eyes. Even chasing after Chaos forces as they retreat should result in horrific losses for the Imperials even more so than the initial fighting. The scorch-planet campaigns would leave entire sub-sectors devoid of resources or infrastructure forcing the Imperium to rebuild in centuries long projects. To account for the Imperium being stronger, Chaos taint is left behind to ensure long-term instability along with sleeper cells or cults to bring ruin to the Imperium from within. The targets for the crusades are always almost irreplaceable things the Imperium hold such as STCs and Forge worlds while poisoning Argi-worlds then spreading separatist ideas.

Knowing a war of attrition could never be won against the Imperium, the Black Crusades are made to bleed the Imperium to death while minimizing losses for Chaos.

Basically the Black Crusades are like the Northern Crusades where Christian armies went around killing Pagans and spreading Christianity to permanently plant the religion in hostile territory. The withdrawal of Chaos is made to sound like the Germans retreating in the Battle of the Bulge, where the victors suffered horrific losses chasing after the outnumbered defeated Germans.

===Notable unsorted events during Black Crusades===

'''Destruction of Belis Corona''' - Belis Corona is one of the major Gate Worlds, and serves as an important base for the Imperial Navy in the Segmentum Obscurus, especially when it comes to arming fleets in a fight for the Gate Worlds in the middle of a Black Crusade. It was a habitable world, but at some point during the Black Crusades Malys got a hold of it and razed it to the ground. However, the Imperials are a stubborn lot, and simply rebuilt the shipyard facilities on the now atmosphere-free planet.