Harrowing

The Harrowing was a Chaos Space Marine warband in the early years of M33. It was led by the warlord Gzrel and a coterie of sorcerors - Maroth, Xiatsis, Cottadaron and one called Horkos, the apparently weakest and most subservient to Gzrel and Maroth. The warband had over a hundred Astartes members, as well as mutants and slaves. It controlled in those years the ailing hunter ship, the ''Blood Crescent. However on the edges of the Eye it encountered a rogue Mechanicus vessel, the Titan Child'', commanded by the tech-priest Carmenta. Thirty Harrowing boarded the Titan Child and encountered four Astartes - Thidius, Cadar, Kadin and their leader, a Librarian called Astraos. Cadar was near-killed, and would be turned into a daemonhost by Maroth. The other three were incapicitated and Maroth would from each take an eye. The superior Titan Child was to become Gzrel's flagship and a throne room was inserted in on the ship, as well as slaves sacrificed and other changes made.

Shortly after capturing the Titan Child, however, a warship of unknown provenance approached. From it came a sorcerer, Tolbek, exiled from the Thousand Sons and two Rubricae. He claimed he sought the former First Captain and Librarian of the Legion, Ahzek Ahriman, whom he believed was with the Harrowing. In Gzrel's throne room he looked at each sorceror and realised that the beak-helmed Horkos was Ahriman, and immediately attacked. In the ensuing battle Tolbek, Gzrel, Xiatsis and Cottadaron were killed, and Maroth's mind shattered. Immediately Ahriman realised he must seize the ship, kill the Harrowing and flee Tolbek's superior warship. He immediately sought out Carmenta, mistress of the Titan Child and freed her. He also freed Astraos and his two living brothers, earning their fealty. Together the five killed the hundred Harrowing on the Titan Child and caused a fight between Tolbek's unassuming vessel and the Blood Crescent, damaging both vessels and allowing the freed Titan Child to escape. The remaining Harrowing presumably died on the listing Blood Crescent.