Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-7699236-20130626164907/@comment-6078851-20140221044543

i used to entertain a theory that the legion of the damned were eldar astartes, unfortunately my theory was made redundant a looong time ago when it was revealed that they were once the fire hawks (fire lords? can't remember) chapter. but my theory was this...

in the future beyond the 41st millenium when the eldar were almost completely gone, as in one craftworld left, and they came to the painful realisation that the galaxy's best hope for survival, against chaos and necrons, lay with the imperium. but at this point the imperium was in no condition to save itself, let alone the galaxy, so something had to be done in the past.

by this time the few surviving eldar had garnered, or pilfered, an almost complete understanding of the astartes genome whereupon they create the last great accomplishment of their race before their extinction - eldar astartes, who would be superior to astartes in every way. these eldar astartes were then sent back in time, again with garnered or pilfered technology.

outfitted with post m41 teleportation tech, and an exhaustive database on the imperium's pivotal losses, they were tasked with intervening in those losses to make them pivotal victories (but no-one from the 'past' would be aware of their pivotal nature until much later). anyone who witnessed them simply saw power armour and would assume they were astartes, but the ultra-xenophobic imperium would be secretly guided to galactic rule by the eldar.

i don't like the official story for the legion of the damned's past because i had this theory which, to be frank, i still think sounds better :P