The Order of the Broken Sword

The Story of the Downfall of the Knights of the Blade is True. The Order’s Home Planet was attacked by Eldar, they were wiped out and the Mechanicus took over from there.

But the Notion that the Eldar attacked the Chapter because of Spirit Stones is a lie perpetuated by the Mechanicus Forces.

The Amplification Hood Given to Chapter Master Villnis didn’t just amplify his ability to communicate with the physical realm. It utilised the Warp to broadcast far further than any conventional Vox, the Hood was permanently fixed to his brain and the line was permanently open. After several years Dark things began to Whisper to the Chapter Master.

Hundreds of Years Earlier the Mechnicus of Galland had turned their back on the Imperium and secretly began to look for new masters to serve, second to the Omnissiah. While excavating a Battlefield of the Horus Heresy they found what they had been searching for.

Chaos corrupted them over the course of decades, time being but a trivial thing for the Sons of Mars. In return for their worship of these Dark Powers they were given unnatural knowledge and all limitations on the research vanished.

On the Battlefield they discovered two Companies worth of Mk.III Suits of Power Armour filled with what remained of the bones of Astartes. During the fighting the ground the Astartes stood upon gave way and crushed them all to death, the armour, weapons and artifacts lay dormant for Millennia.

The Weapons and Armour were given as gifts to the Knights of the Blade who took them with great thanks and issued them to their Battle Brothers never knowing the Dark pact they had just sealed with Chaos.

The Armour all belonged to members of the Death Guard and carried the taint of Grandfather Nurgle’s Gift. Slowly Nurgle and his followers whispered to those men who wore the Heresy Armour, tempting them with visions of Power and Invincibility.

Once the Corruption of the Chapter Master was complete he set his Dark plans in Motion.

With the Corruption of the Chapter Complete Villnis planned his secession.

All Company besides the First would be sent from the Planet to various places in the nearby system in staggered intervals. Chapter Master Villnis would then take those men loyal to himself and Nurgle and position them on the Moon.

The Dark Mechanicus Forces would then attack the First Company, the power of Nurgle would disturb their calls for help and the information of the Mechanicus’ betrayal. As the Companies returned Chapter Master Villnis would use his Hood to demand they immediately engage the enemy on the Planet, himself claiming to be in the thick of the desperate fighting all the while he lurked on the Moon with his followers.

Then once all the Kngihts of the Blade had been Slaughtered the Civilians of Galland that operated the Mining Equipment would be sacrificed to Nurgle and Villnis would ascend to Daemonhood.

The Knights of the Blade would be slaughtered, the Dark Mechanicus would continue to be seen as loyal followers of the Imperium and Villnis would take his place among Nurgle’s Champions.

Partially seeing the events unfolding the Eldar made haste to Galland.

In their Visions they Marines of the Knights of the Blade ravaging their Nearby Craftworlds, shattering their Spirit Stones and bringing unholy decay to their homes. They saw the Forces of Mankind descending on their beloved Craftworlds in pursuit of their wayward sons. A Son of the Emperor himself would lead them in a crusade of Fire and Blood that would extinguish the light of Millions of Eldar. They saw the Emperor’s Son himself pierce the Heart of the Daemon Prince, banishing him to the Warp. The Imperium of Man then left the Craftworlds, shattered and corrupted, and the Eldar would slave for Millennia to make them whole again.

The Farseer saw this and could not let it come to pass. If the Imperium would not put down it’s Rabid Offspring then the Eldar would.

Seeking to stop their Perception of the Future before it began the Eldar launched their attack the day before Villnis planned his own. The Eldar knew to strike at this moment because the felt a great disturbance in the Warp caused by Villnis’ Hood and had picked up fragments of his messages to the Dark Mechanicum Warriors naming this date as their “Time of Assention”.

Striking early and hoping to disrupt their plans the Eldar made an enourmous blunder and sealed their fate.

Rather than the Dark Mechanicum launching the attack Villnis simply held them all back with his own men and allowed the Eldar to slaughter the drip fed reinforcements.

When the last of the Astartes had fallen, Vandels lying mortally wounded, only then did Villnis strike. His men descended on the Eldar, Nurgle’s Warp presence blinding their Farseers to their imminent arrival until it was upon them.

The Eldar that did not escape were butchered and their souls given as gifts to Slaneesh, their Skulls to Khorne, their failed plans to Tzeench and their putrefying corpses to their patron Nurgle. However Nurgle was displeased that Galland itself would not be sacrificed to him, the cover of the traitors still intact they were reluctant to blow it with a sacrifice.

Instead Nurgle Demanded the Sacrifice of Seven Hundred and Seventy-Seven Worlds for his boon to be granted to the failed Villnis who took up the challenge with relish.

Reluctant to attack the Worlds of Man and so expose his allegiance he set his sights on those of the Eldar.

The Eldar had acted rashly, foolishly and arrogantly. They saw in the future was what would happen if they did not act but did not stop to think what would come to pass if they did act. Villnis would betray the Imperium alongside the Mechanicum, he would sacrifice Galland V to Nurgle and ascend to Daemonhood.

If they did not act then Villnis would be exposed and hunted by Guilliman himself upon his return but since he was not exposed Villnis was free to ravage and destroy all the nearby Craftworlds, condemning Billions to Oblivion. Without the Forces of Mankind to deffeat him he only grew stronger and the Eldar could not contain him. He would only be destroyed when he ventured into Imperial Space and met his match but the extermination of the Eldar in this part of the Galaxy would be complete.

Villnis upon discovering his old First Captain still lived he had the idea of interring him in a Dreadnought and forcing him to see the lies of his Corpse Emperor for all eternity, deliberatley inserting Documents like the Imperial Truth, Lecticio Devinitatus and Primordial Truth into his required materials. Those recruits sent to the newly founded Order of the Broken Sword found to be susceptible to the whispers of Chaos would be sent to Villnis’ Warband and ensure a steady stream of recruits.

That was until the arrival of Guilliman and the Awakening of Vandels.