Legio Excruciatus

Legio Excruciatus
Warcry/Motto	Unknown
Founding	Pre-Heresy (Suspected)
Homeworld	Unknown
Allegiance	Chaos; Chaos Undivided
Colours	Red and Gold

The Legio Excruciatus is a Traitor Titan Legion of the Dark Mechanicus in the service of Chaos. The Legio Excruciatus was once a Loyalist Titan Legion of the Collegia Titanica, but it shamefully betrayed the Imperium of Man and repudiated its oaths to the Emperor to serve the Ruinous Powers, joining the ranks of the infamous Traitor Titan Legions. There is very little information in Imperial records about this Titan Legion, including when it was founded and what Forge World they originally hailed from, though it is presumed to have been founded before the Horus Heresy. It is assumed it resides within the Eye of Terror along with the majority of the Forces of Chaos. Its current whereabouts are unknown.

Legion History

Legio Excruciatus Colour Scheme

Legio Excruciatus alternative banner

The Legio Excruciatus is known to have supported an effort made by the Word Bearers splinter warband, the Foresworn, led by the Daemon Prince Kor Megron, to topple the Shrine World of Eydolim. During the days of the Great Crusade, a company of the Word Bearers Legion under the command of Kor Megron was stationed on Eydolim to assist human colonists in settling the planet. As was customary for them, the Word Bearers spread amongst the populace the belief that the Emperor of Mankind was a God incarnate -- a creed directly conflicting with the atheistic Imperial Truth, which was the official doctrine of the Imperium in that era. When the company turned to the worship of Chaos alongside its Legion, Kor Megron and his followers swore that their great work would not be complete until every last icon of the False Emperor was cast down and the Imperium itself no more than a distant memory. Each sealed this pact with blood and they anointed themselves as the Foresworn.

They continued on this quest throughout the millenia after the end of the Horus Heresy, though their greatest goal had always eluded them -- the undoing of the magnificent works they had done on Eydolim in their former veneration of the Emperor.

To this end, in 946.M41 the Foresworn assembled a force of several Chaos Space Marine warbands -- the Red Corsairs, splinter warbands from the Black Legion, the Iron Warriors, the Night Lords and the World Eaters Legions, and secured the support of Dark Mechanicus Traitor Titans. The Iron Warriors and Red Corsairs forces struck at Lector's Lowell, a Forge World located in the same star system as Eydolim, hoping to plunder the vast resources of the world's weaponariums for which the planet was rightly famed. The Forgemasters of Lector's Lowell were aware of the incoming assault, and rallied their Skitarii regiments to defend the world. Soon after the Chaos Space Marines made planetfall, however, it became apparent that the Forge World stood little chance, as the Heretics were supported by the Traitor Titans of the Legio Interfector, a force which the Skitarii could not hope to counter. Lector's Lowell was in dire straits.

In response to attacks carried out throughout the system, a sizable portion of Crusade Group Black Gate was diverted from its original assignment to support Imperial efforts in the Damocles Gulf to defend the world of Eydolim. Units of the contingent, including nine regiments of Cadian Shock Troops as well as smaller dispositions of other Imperial Guard regiments, bolstered the undermanned Planetary Defence Force, and its grateful marshal offered overall command to the far more experienced Cadian commanding officer, who accepted the commission with humility. Eventually, the Chaos Space Marines made planetfall, and steadily pushed Imperial forces back, overcoming all resistance, until they finally reached the capital city of the world. Outmatched at every turn, the defenders looked to the heavens in desperation -- and beheld a miracle. The Scions of Ultramar had arrived.

While fighting the aliens of the Tau Empire, the Ultramarines 2nd Company and a force of 1st Company Veterans accompanying them received orders from their Chapter Master, Marneus Calgar, to relocate to Eydolim. Captain Cato Sicarius, with barely disguised enthusiasm, hastily diverted his force. Aboard the Strike Cruiser Valin's Revenge, the Ultramarines prepared to face their Traitor brethren. As the Heretics swarmed towards Eydol City, the Space Marines deployed their entire stength to support the Imperial Guard. First contact between the Ultramarines forces and the Traitors took place in the munitorum district outside Eydol City. A small task force led by Epistolary Casmus daringly assaulted the Chaos Titans of the Legio Interfector which brazenly strode into the urbanised area, and succeeded in destroying one of those towering machines, in addition to damaging several others. This Imperial task force retreated only when a unit of the Red Corsairs moved to clear them out.

The two forces proceeded to clash in the climactic engagement of the campaign, the Battle of Eagle Gate, in which the Legio Excruciatus is known to have taken part. Eagle Gate was the sentinel of the city of Eydol's east road, the central point of an imposing curtain wall. Reinforced with plascrete and bristling with automated turrets, it was a redoubt which no attacker had penetrated in the past, and yet during the Battle of Eagle Gate it was breached in several places -- long range bombardment tearing holes in its right flank, Titans of the Legio Interfector blasting great chunks from the walls on the left flank, and Khornate Space Marines supported by the Foresworn hurling the gates themselves open.

At the end, the wrath of the Foresworn and their allies was halted before the Gate of Martyrs -- the great eastern portal of Eydol City. There, the remnants of the Imperial forces made their last stand as Kor Megron hurled himself at the defenders, eager to slaughter them all. Cato Sicarius stood defiantly before him as the Daemon Prince brought his weapon down in foul sweeps, battering the Space Marine Captain with such ferocity that his knees buckled and his finely crafted Power Sword was notched and chipped. Kor Megron stomped Sicarius to the ground and raised his weapon triumphantly. The final blow never came, however, as a lone Imperial Guardsman, upon witnessing the dire straits the captain was in, hurled himself at the daemonic monstrosity, careless for his own safety, and pierced the Word Bearer's flesh with his bayonet. Kor Megron turned his attention to the brave soldier, and burned his body in a burst of Warpflame. This distraction allowed Sicarius to act, and he hastily thrust his sword upwards, piercing the Daemon Prince's breastplate and driving the blade into his corrupted heart. With a deafening scream, Kor Megron was banished to the Warp.

Disoriented by the loss of their leader, and worn to the breaking point by the Imperial defenders, the Chaos forces began to fall back. For the Imperium, a reprieve had been bought at great cost. For the Legions of Chaos, there would be another reckoning...

Notable Campaigns

• Iconoclasm of Eydolim (946.M41) - The Legio Excruciatus supported the Foresworn splinter warband of the Word Bearers Legion in their quest to raze the Shrine World of Eydolim, which they helped to create millenia ago, in the days of the Great Crusade. The Legio Excruciatus took part in a number engagements throughout the campaign, most notably in the final assault on Eydol City, the capital of Eydolim, as described above.

Notable Legion Titans

• Blasphemous Rex - Blasphemous Rex was a Warhound-class Titan of the Legio Excruciatus and part of Squadron Beta-II-XII, the so-called "Helldogs". This pack of Chaos Warhounds has a long and storied history, detailing ten thousand years of atrocities against the Imperium. The Helldogs took part in the final battle for Eydol City, the capital of Eydolim, where they supported the Forces of Chaos and threatened the Imperial defenders' flank. Blasphemous Rex was the first war engine of this squadron to fall in battle since they turned to the worship of Chaos.

Notable Legion Personnel

None listed in current Imperial records.

Legion Appearance

Legion Colours

The colours of the Legio Excruciatus are red with decorations in gold.

Legion Badge

The Legio Excruciatus' badge is a horned skull with its jaws wide open centred on a black, eight-pointed star of Chaos on a field of red. Alternatively, the Legion sometimes utilises a black banner displaying a black Eye of Horus over a red hexagon.

Sources

• Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook (6th Edition), pp. 384-393, 397, 399