Editing Loxodontii (section)

===The Great Crusade===
The Loxodontii were one of the slower legions to bring worlds to compliance, often dedicating their resources to a careful diplomatic approach instead of a decisive military strike. [[Ashur of Banipal|Ashur]] himself was the most hesitant when it came to bring arms, while his chapter commanders displayed less patience. Whenever combat was inevitable, the XIIIth would employ large numbers of transports to allow its infantry optimal mobility and protection, escorted by biker-squads to intercept possible counter attacks. While their goal was unmistakably to conquer the planet, outmost care was undertaken to leave its infrastructure and public service installations as unharmed as possible, as the Loxodontii believed it would allow the planet a much easier transition into becoming a functioning contributor to the Imperium's colossal economy. This, of course, left them vulnerable to stalemates as enemies would use these positions as cover for their own troops, forcing the legionnaires' hands.

One such instance was the campaign, labelled the "Baptism of Orm II", where an expedition fleet of the second chapter wasted Imperial standard years to bring a single planet to compliance through slow but dedicated oratory skills and diplomacy. This delivered a backlash on the Loxodontii as a whole, who had a reputation of dragging behind the Crusade already. Ashur reorganised the chapter's command and reprimanded them reluctantly, as he himself actually applauded their success and conviction in private.

Over the course of the [[Great Crusade]], one Stargazer by the name of Barabash slowly but steadily sowed the seeds of corruption among the chapters, founding warrior lodges that further strenghtened the bonds of brotherhood among the Astartes of the XIIIth. As the Loxodontii had become highly superstitious through their primarch's influence and the influx of Babylonian recruits, the belief in the ancient Babylonian gods and the Otherworld, which was now believed proven to be the Warp, became deeply rooted within the individual Astartes. This made them susceptible to the whispers of Chaos as translated by their very own Stargazers, whose psychic abilities were strongly enhanced by the Warp, further providing assumed evidence of the righteousness of their words.

These cannibal practices would have been nearly uncovered during the Sorvo campaign, where a first wave of Remembrancers would join the sixth chapter for their deployment in the sector. All Remembrancers would be slaughtered and all traces of their arrival deleted after a group of them accidentally happened upon a Loxodontii squad enacting their traditions. All accounts of them ever joining the expedition fleet would be denied.

Meanwhile, Ashur became increasingly disillusioned with the Great Crusade. The Emperor had promised him upon their first meeting that he would be instrumental to bringing humanity together as one glorious empire that would rule the galaxy as family, however as he encountered more and more planets who refused his offering and could only be brought to compliance through military action, he began to struggle with himself. On one hand, he wanted to be the dutiful son, making his father and his brothers proud, standing above his emotions, on the other hand, when he looked upon the ruin the brutal campaigns left behind, it made him weep inside and he knew all too well that many would still hate him as a malicious conqueror, and curse the Emperor as just another tyrant. His brother [[Rahman Keita'Mansa|Rahman]] often tried to give him comfort, opening a world of indulgence to Ashur into which he would escape more and more often.

While the 1st and 3rd chapter of the Loxodontii constantly accompanied their primarch on his expeditions, all the other chapters slowly but steadily declared for Barabash in secret. While they were still ordered to keep their intentions hidden, very soon they could not control their urges anymore, indulging into manhunting and cannibalism. Once these reports became too numerous and detailed to ignore, Ashur decided to make a stand and clean his chain of command. He ordered all chapters to rally in orbit over Babylon V, their homeworld, where he would execute all the traitors himself. However, Barabash could not have planned for a better opportunity to spring his trap. While the entire upper chain of command of the Legion was rallied in the launching bay of the ''Anu'', Ashur's flagship, they braced their weapons against the Astartes of the 1st and 3rd chapter, killing nearly all of them and wounding their primarch so much he had to submit. Yet, they could not bring themselves to kill him, however they did not need to do so, anymore. Barabash felt a darkness explode within Ashur's soul, a sense of grief, guilt, hate and despise, his disillusionment overwhelming the Lord of Bronze and Bone. He was broken, and ready to be filled with the Primordial Truth. As a safety measure, he was chained with an archeotech-collar which numbed his mind and made him docile enough to control.