Editing Cromwald Walgrun (section)

===The Great Crusade===

Cromwald Walgrun, Lion of Prathia and Field Marshal of the armies of Sommesgard was the final primarch to be discovered during the Great Crusade. The reunion between Emperor and primarch was a joyous one, for there was much work still to be done, even after so many long years of warfare on a galactic scale. For his part, Cromwald viewed the Emperor's charge of conquest as a brilliant new means to explore and adventure beyond the domains of his homeworld; his acceptance of his role in the Crusade was wholly without reservation. In celebration, master artisans among the remembrancer order were commissioned to restore the glories of Berau, which would become the new seat of Legion IX's administration. Alongside the reconstruction of the devastated city came a symbolic gesture from the Mechanicum. Gifted to Cromwald was a bionic arm crafted by the greatest tech adepts the expeditionary fleet possessed. The new limb was peerless in design and shone with a magnificent platinum luster that could not be dulled. Leaving behind his crude graft as a trophy of victory, the Lion of Prathia ascended to meet his gene-children whole once more.

The reunion between Primarch and legion would be met with far less adulation and praise. The Highland Raiders were a dirty, inglorious rabble, wholly unlike the noble ideal of Astartes Cromwald had envisioned. Their assembled strength consisted of a somber, joyless lot shod in dull grey. No heraldry or banners depicted honors or glory in their ranks. To a celebrated conqueror such as Cromwald, it was an insult to his genetic legacy that his men be so utterly without pride in themselves or their accomplishments.

Five years were spent restructuring his legion and injecting fresh blood into their ranks. The nature of the newly christened Lions would swiftly change to reflect the dynamic leadership of their primarch, but such would not end his woes. By the time Cromwald had been reunited with his legion, the crusade was well underway for over a century. He was the last primarch to be discovered, and his brethren all by then had a list of accolades and honors that left him faced with personal inadequacy. His legion's reputation would take time and effort to salvage, for even after they had been reforged many voices would still jeer at the Emperor's dogs, ill fit for the glories other, more capable legions garnered. Cromwald seethed quietly for his damaged pride, as each slight against his gene-sons was an insult to his daring leadership and peerless abilities. In this respect, he became a driven man; his honor demanded that the Lions earn their place as heroes of the Crusade. No number of victories would satisfy his need to prove his worth, nor would any accolade ease his need to be the greatest among his brethren.

Naked ambition would serve to sour relations between Cromwald and several of his brothers. He would cross words with his more refined kin with some regularity, as his differing worldview and brazen attitude to life matched poorly with more reserved or jaded primarchs. Similarly, his pride in his pedigree would alienate others further; he viewed the less refined of his kinsmen as a tragic waste of potential. Such an attitude, matched by patronizing words left Cromwald with cold relations to several brothers.

Only in the company of other gentlemen did his sometimes abrasive demeanor ease. Above all others, Roman Albrecht could instill humility and fraternity in Cromwald. In each other's company pride became a matter of sport, and consequently camaraderie grew between the Steel Marshals and the Lions Rampant to reflect the close knit friendship of their masters. The even temperament of the noble Albrecht for a time would bring peace to Cromwald, tempering his ambition with a degree of patience he would otherwise have lacked.