1: Phymilus Campaign

The Ultramarines look for parlay with the Salamanders, Death Guard and Iron Warriors to uncover the truth of the tales of betrayal spoken by the Salamanders. The fighting is fierce as the Salamander charge forth full of hate. Despite recognising the corruption within the Death Guard, the Ultramarines hesitate on firing on their brothers. This hesitation dooms themselves and their allies. It seems they have picked their side.

The Iron Warriors pursue the remnants of the Ultramarine army, forcing them to fight several rearguard actions. With the IW limiting communication off-world, the Ultramarines desperately try and set up a base of operations while they weather the IW storm

Despite being on the same side of the Heresy, the Iron Warriors and Death Guard squabble among themselves for the right to control Dothak and it's valuable complexes.

Ultramarines and Blood Angel allies strike a telling blow at the Iron Warriors as they attempt to spread the Iron Warriors out and buy time for their beleagured forces on Omervior to retreat.

The Invictus Suzerain strike hard and fast for the centre of the Iron Warrior army, as the Blood Angels harry them with cutting strikes.

The Ultramarine fleet, unable to break the blockade on Omervior attempt to draw the Iron Warriors away to the outer planet of Sablis, there they hope to buy time for their beleagured troops on Omervior to recoup and prepare for extraction. The gambit pays off, but the forces on Sablis pay a heavy toll.

The bait in the trap is an elite force of veterans from the Ultramarines and Blood Angels, and Centurion Falernus falls.

The Ultramarines strike out on Omervior as they capitalise on a stretched foe. They suffer significant losses but buy enough time to withdraw off-planet.
Despite being bloodied, the Ultramarines are now reunited with their fleet and are free to strike at will.

Working their way through the old undergroud complexes on Dothak, the Iron Warriors are suddenly set upon by Word Bearer legionaries.

The Iron Warrior guns and armour are too much for the crazed warriors of the 17th Legion, and they maintain control of the complex. The Word Bearers need to find subtler ways to reunite with the old cults of Phymilus

The Salamanders Legion had been devastated by the events of the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V. Their Primarch, Vulkan, had disappeared, and many of their brothers had fallen in battle. But the Salamanders were a proud Legion, and they would not let their losses go unanswered. They were determined to seek vengeance against those who had wronged them, and the Word Bearers were their target.

The Salamanders arrived on the planet Sablis, where the Word Bearers had established a base. They caught the Word Bearers off-guard and began their assault. The Word Bearers were pinned against the rocky outcrops of the planet, unable to move or respond effectively. The Salamanders advanced quickly, punishing the Word Bearers with close-range fire.

But the Word Bearers were not without their own formidable warriors. The Gal Vorbak and Praetor Zar Askaneq fought back fiercely, their dark masters empowering them to resist the Salamanders' assault. But despite their efforts, it was futile. The Salamanders were relentless, and their determination to avenge their fallen brothers made them unstoppable.

As the battle raged on, it became clear that the Word Bearers were losing. Their masters had turned their attention elsewhere, and they had abandoned their warriors on Sablis. The Salamanders took advantage of this and pressed their advantage, pushing the Word Bearers back further and further.

In the end, the Salamanders emerged victorious. They had avenged their fallen brothers and dealt a devastating blow to the Word Bearers. Though they had suffered greatly at Istvaan V, they had proven that they were still a force to be reckoned with. And though their Primarch remained missing, the Salamanders knew that they would continue to fight in his honor, for the glory of the Imperium.

The air on Dothak was thick with the stench of death and decay. The Word Bearers and Death Guard had been locked in a brutal battle for hours, each side refusing to give an inch of ground. The Gal Vorbak of the Word Bearers had been pushing hard, determined to break the enemy's lines.

As they approached the bottleneck in the center of the battlefield, they met the Deathshroud Terminators. The two forces clashed, their weapons ringing out in a cacophony of noise. The Gal Vorbak fought with the fury of the warp coursing through their veins, their twisted bodies pulsing with unholy power.

Despite the fierce resistance of the Deathshroud, the Gal Vorbak eventually overcame them, their power swords and axes cleaving through the Terminators' armor. With a final roar of triumph, they pushed through the bottleneck and into the rear of the Death Guard lines.

But the battle was far from over. The Grave Warden Terminators of the Death Guard hunkered down in the ruins, pouring fire onto the Word Bearer backline. The despoilers of the Word Bearers engaged the Death Guard dreadnought on the eastern flank, their warp-tainted weapons proving deadly against the enemy's armor.

The dreadnought fought valiantly, its melta guns firing relentlessly, but in the end, the despoilers prevailed, bringing the machine down with their warp-infused weaponry. With the dreadnought destroyed, the despoilers turned their attention to the Death Guard tactical marines.

The battle raged on, the two sides locked in a brutal dance of death. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but in the end, it was the Death Guard who emerged victorious. Though their victory was a Pyrrhic one, they had held the line against the Word Bearers, ensuring that the Phymillus system remained under their control.

As the last of the Word Bearers were driven from the field, the Death Guard stood amidst the carnage, their armor stained with blood and their weapons smoking from the heat of battle. They knew that the war was far from over, but for now, they had emerged victorious, and that was all that mattered.

The battle in the Phymilus System reached its peak on the war-torn planet of Dothak. Amidst the smoldering ruins of a once-thriving manufactorium, the forces of the Horus Heresy clashed with unimaginable fury. The Traitors, once united under a common banner, now found themselves tearing each other apart.

The Iron Warriors, renowned for their siege expertise, had fortified the outskirts of the manufactorium with deadly traps. Rigged explosives lined the promethium pipes, waiting to unleash devastation upon anyone foolish enough to seek cover behind them. With heavy firepower in abundance, the Iron Warriors were prepared to unleash a storm of destruction upon their foes.

Opposing them stood a formidable alliance of Death Guard and Word Bearers. The Death Guard, resilient and unyielding, brought their elite warriors to the forefront. Their ranks included relentless Plague Marines and imposing Contemptor Dreadnoughts, ready to face the Iron Warriors head-on.

On the other flank, the Word Bearers, intoxicated by the power of the warp, unleashed their warp-crazed forces. They surged forward with twisted zeal, their dark prayers echoing through the chaos of battle. Their target was the Iron Warrior Dominators, stalwart and unyielding, who braced themselves to repel the onslaught.

The clash between the Death Guard and the Iron Warrior Contemptor Dreadnoughts was a sight to behold. Both sides unleashed a barrage of deadly fire, their weapons rending armor and flesh alike. The ground shook as the towering war machines exchanged blows, their metal frames groaning under the strain. Explosions erupted around them, casting plumes of smoke and debris into the air.

Meanwhile, the Word Bearers' Gal Vorbak, the blessed warriors of the dark gods, charged headlong into the Iron Warrior Dominators. Their crimson armor clashed with the unyielding iron, their twisted blades seeking to claim victory. But the Dominators held firm, their bolters spitting death at their assailants. The Gal Vorbak were driven back, their assault thwarted, but they would not yield easily.

Emboldened by the Gal Vorbak's valiant effort, the Word Bearers' Centurion Delegatus, Khoura Sor, led his Despoilers, a warband gifted with the favor of the dark gods, into the fray. Their weapons seethed with unholy energy as they charged into the Iron Warrior Terminators, aiming to deliver the final blow. The Terminators fought back fiercely, their indomitable resilience defying the wounds inflicted upon them. The battle hung in the balance.

Amidst the chaos, an Iron Warriors Herald stood resolute, a symbol of unwavering stubbornes. He rallied his brethren, urging them to hold the flank and repel the allied advance. His voice carried above the din of battle, instilling determination in his fellow warriors. Their resolve did not waver, and they fought with a grim determination that mirrored the unyielding strength of their Primarch, Perturabo.

As the battle raged on, the fate of the Phymilus System hung in the balance. The Traitors, once united in their treacherous cause, now tore each other apart. The Iron Warriors, their defenses fortified and their resolve unshakable, stood firm against the onslaught. Only time would reveal the outcome of this tumultuous conflict, as the fires of war continued to consume the planet of Dothak.

The Phymilus System, located in the Galactic North, within the Segentum Obscuria, was once brought to compliance by the Word Bearers during the early stages of the Great Crusade. However, years later, the system fell silent, and its importance diminished as the Warmaster Horus initiated his treacherous plans.

Following the massacre at Istvaan V, the Iron Warriors retreated to the Phymilus system to set up a fortress from which to launch attacks at any Loyalists, that come searching the Istvaan system for survivors. They brought with them Death Guard and Word Bearers, the former were forced here to investigate their own growing corruption, whilst the later to reunite with and foster the cults left behind. When Erebus brought the system to compliance he left small pockets of the original cults alive, and hoped they would slowly corrupt the system, rotting it from the core out. A small Salamanders force, with hatred and anger burning in their souls from the drop site massacre and loss of their primarch, chased the Traitors to the system.

The campaign began with the Ultramarine and Blood Angel forces becoming aware of the suspicious silence in the Phymilus System. The allies, led by Captain Mydas Numistro, 9th Company 4th Chapter of the Ultramarines legion, responded to early reports and arrived in the region unaware of the betrayal at Istvaan V. They attempted to communicate with the Iron Warriors and Death Guard, who they still believed loyal, but received no response. However, their communication with the Salamanders raised concerns. The Salamanders, severely weakened after the assault on Istvaan V and seeking vengeance, told the Ultramarines and Blood Angels tales of betrayal. The Ultramarines needed to uncover the truth and made their way to Omervior to parlay, while the Blood Angels stayed in orbit trying to communicate with the greater Imperium.

The first battle took place on Omervior, where the Ultramarines and Salamanders confronted the Iron Warriors and Death Guard. The battle was fierce, as the Salamanders' vengeance drove them deep into the Iron Warrior and Death Guard lines. The Ultramarines however hesitated to fire on their brothers, and it was this that caused the battle to swing in favour of the traitors. The battle ended with the Ultramarines and Salamanders retreating and the Iron Warriors fortifying the region. The Ultramarines were trapped on Omervior and sought to regain contact with their fleet and allies while they hastily developed an emergency battle plan. Meanwhile, a new Iron Warriors warlord, Praetor Grivlat, was promoted to fortify Omervior and establish a fortress city.

The campaign continued on Omervior, with the Ultramarines fighting to defend a powerful communications relay. The Iron Warriors, masters of siege warfare, besieged the Ultramarines while their tech adepts worked to establish contact with their fleet. The Ultramarines fought back fiercely but were eventually forced to retreat. They managed to establish contact with their fleet, but the mission to unite with the Blood Angels had fallen apart. The Ultramarines no longer doubted the tales of the Salamanders, and promised to fight to protect the ideals of the Imperium.

While battle raged on Omervior, further conflicts were taking place within the system. On Dothak the Iron Warriors were investigating the underground complexes and clashed with the Death Guard who had whipped up the native cultists. Despite the fierce battle, the Iron Warriors managed to push back the Death Guard and claim victory.

On Rethria, other parts of the Ultramarines and their Blood Angel fleet fought to establish a beachhead on the deadly jungle world. Despite their shaken resolve after learning of the fighting on Omervior, the Ultramarines were determined to fight their once brothers with all the tenacity they possessed. Strengthening relations between the Blood Angels and Ultramarines aided their joint effort to stretch out the Iron Warriors and relieve the beleaguered forces on Omervior.

In a further attempt to relieve the pressure on Omervior, the allies took the battle to the outer edges of the system and the ice world of Sablis. the Ultramarines lured the Iron Warriors to the desolate world, hoping to rescue their trapped forces on Omervior. The battle resulted in significant losses for the Loyalists, who used their toughest warriors as the bait in the trap. Meanwhile, the Word Bearers and Salamanders fought their own battle among the ice canyons, with the Salamanders successfully pressuring and silencing the Word Bearers before they could commune with the Warp.

With the pressure somewhat relieved on Omervior the Ultramarines went on the offensive as cover for their forces to withdraw to their fleet. Again, the losses were substantial, but the bulk of their forces were now free to regroup and strike back.

On Dothak, the Word Bearers were attempting to join up with the old cults that had gone to ground. They found that the Death Guard had already made contact with the cultists and needed to hide the secrets Erebus hid in the system. The pitched battle with the Death Guard was a tough and grueling battle that left both sides bloodied. While the Gal Vorbak carved a bloody ruin through the Death Guard, the implacable advance of the 14th Legion could not be halted, and the Word Bearers fell back. Not one to die to the last, terms were agreed to. They recognised the corruption in the Death Guard for what it was and realised these two were on the same side of this particular war, both following their own ideals of the Primordial Truth.

The Death Guard and Word Bearer alliance, despite being on the same side of the galactic war as the Iron Warriors, despised the agnostic beliefs of the 4th Legion and decided to strike a blow at their iron heart while they were engaged against the loyalists. However, the Iron Warriors' preparations and fortified positions proved formidable, and they managed to withstand the assault from their traitorous foes.

At this point, the Phymilus System remains within the firm grasp of the Iron Warriors. However, a coalition of Loyalist forces, the Ultramarines, Blood Angels, and Salamanders, are preparing for one last conflict. Meanwhile, the traitorous traitors still lurk in the shadows, poised to cause further mayhem.

The ultimate fate of the Phymilus System hangs in the balance.