Purging of Cortonis

The Purging of Cortonis was a compliance during the Great Crusade between the Imperium of Man and the Pantaratine of Cortonis. The campaign marked one of the few joint campaigns between Theoderaf and Morrigar, and was noted for the savagery of the Imperial forces in putting down the xenos threat.

Events
In the year 935.M30, the 11th Expeditionary Fleet of the Red Eyes discovered the developing hive world of Cortonis deep within Segmentum Ultima, the human civilisation there having survived the Age of Strife. As the fleet approached the word, sending out transmissions of negotiations, strange ships rose to meet them, though indicated that they were open to talks. The two delegations met in the hangar of The Emperor’s Oblivion, where Theoderaf was met with a mixed delegation of xenos and mutated humans. In disgust, Theoderaf cut off all negotiations and proceeded to begin an immediate propaganda campaign. From their studying of the world, they discovered that the humans were ruled over by a caste of xenos, called the Pantaratine. In order to keep the humans in line, they had bred an army of abhumans totally bonded to the will of the xenos. Theoderaf determined that the xenos and abhumans would have to be purged for the human population to have any chance of joining the Imperium. He also determined that his current forces would be insufficient to cull the xenos, with their army numbering in the millions.

Sensing an opportunity to campaign with one of the brothers he respected, Theoderaf requested that Morrigar and the Riven come and aid in the compliance, and in the meantime the Red Eyes continued their propaganda campaign. They conducted a few small raids on the world, taking both xenos and abhumans to examine them for their physical prowess and mental fortitude. The Red Eyes organised an uprising by the human population, but it failed to gain enough momentum due to the swift crackdown and direct control over the humans that the xenos had. By the time the Riven arrived, Theoderaf had decided that a direct assault was the best course of action.

The Riven, led by their Primarch Morrigar, arrived and immediately got done to business, with little of the fanfare that other legions would display. Theoderaf and Morrigar clasped arms, having rarely had the chance to operate together, and they headed straight to the war council. Both legions prepared for an extremely gruelling upcoming battle.

The Riven and a small portion of the Red Eyes launched their assault on the outer defences of the Pantaratine’s forces, with an armoured assault breaking through their line and the destructive power of the Riven’s psychic powers carving a bloody path into the enemy. The targeting of the enemy leadership by the Red Eyes crippled the coordination of the enemy’s forces, with the abhumans holding their positions to the last and being stuck in their fortifications. Morrigar led the assault into the capital city, with the Riven brutally clearing building after building of both combatants and non-combatants. The Pantaratine, scrambling to counter these moves, brought all their troops up to meet them, with hordes of abhumans running blindingly down streets and buildings being rigged with explosives to take out Astartes. With the Pantaratine throwing everything at The Riven, Theoderaf and the bulk of the Red Eyes arrived, teleporting and arriving by drop pod on top of the enemies to shatter the centre of their encirclement. The sudden blow immobilised the Pantaratine, with several of the xenos commanders being killed by the Red Eyes and the rest fleeing back to their government building, named the Ottruath by the xenos. Morrigar and Theoderaf annihilated the rest of the troops and then regrouped to march on the government. Overcoming the token resistance, the Primarchs walked straight in and killed all the xenos in the Ottruath. The forces of the Imperium formed up outside the Ottruath and Theoderaf spoke to the populace of the city through their propaganda speakers, calling on the humans to rise to their true place as rulers of the world and to join with the Imperium as true family.

The humans poured out of their buildings, but were in a maddened rage and swarmed towards the legions. The Riven and Red Eyes mowed them down, the humans having no armour and very few weapons, some with improvised clubs and blades, some with nothing but their hands. By the end of the slaughter, the city square where Theoderaf had given his speech was running red with the blood, with the bodies forming huge piles that clogged all of the roads and streets. Theoderaf, disappointed and considering the mission a failure, coordinated with Morrigar to systematically purge all traces of resistance on the world. Every settlement they visited, the populace rose up in a similar way, and in every one a bloody purge was carried out. Though a small fraction of the populace was found to not rise up, by the end of the campaign the population of the world had been culled by nearly 90%. The campaign was concluded, victory was declared, and the Imperial forces left after the Red Eyes had helped establish a new government from the survivors and doing their best to heal the psychological wounds of the humans.