Arkio Insurrection
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| Date | ~900s.M41 | |
| Location | Shenlong/Sabien | |
| Outcome | Loyalist victory | |
| | ||
| Loyal Blood Angels[2c] | Rebel Blood Angels[2c] | Chaos |
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| Chief Librarian Mephiston[2c] Sergeant Rafen[1a] |
Arkio (KIA)[2c] | Warmaster Garand Dark Apostle Iskavan (KIA)[2e] Lord of Change Malfallax (Banished)[2e] Inquisitor Ramius Stele (KIA) |
| | ||
| Blood Angels elements[2c] Battle Barge Europae |
Small number of Blood Angels Thousands of Humans and Aspirants[2h] Battle Barge Bellus |
Host of Word Bearers[2d] Cruiser Misericorde |
| | ||
| Unknown | All Killed or Surrendered[2e] | All killed or fled |
The Arkio Insurrection or Arkio Heresy was a civil war of the Blood Angels in late M41.[1a]
History
Prelude
The Insurrection had its roots when the corrupted Blood Angels Honour Guard Arkio, wielder of the Spear of Telesto, was corrupted while fighting the Word Bearers on Shenlong.[1a] As part of the plan of the Word Bearer Garand, Lord of Change Malfallax, and heretical Inquisitor Ramius Stele, Arkio was planted with a Daemonic seed by the Chaos Space Marines, he was unaware of his own corruption and began to act erratically, even growing wings from his back.[1b]
Now believing himself to be Sanguinius reborn, Arkio took over governorship of Shenglong, and began to raise a thousands-strong army (called the "Warriors of the Reborn") from the Shenglongi people to begin his Blood Crusade, which would unite all Blood Angels under his banner and take stewardship of the Chapter for himself. Meanwhile, Chapter Master Dante, having received the secret transmission made by Arkio's loyal brother Rafen through the deceased Sergeant Koris's vox links, asked Chief Librarian Mephiston to send Epistolary Vode and Captain Gallio to judge Arkio. Upon meeting Arkio, Vode sensed the evil with him, and was further enraged that he would usurp Sanguinius' name, and attacked him with his Force Axe. Vode and Gallio were both killed, and Arkio ordered the Bellus to fire upon Gallio's Strike Cruiser Amareo, destroying it. Sachiel then sent a message to Dante, requesting his personal audience on the Shrine World Sabien in nine solar days on behalf of Arkio. This time, Mephiston went himself, along with his honour guard, aboard the battle-barge Europae.[2a]
The Battle of Sabien
Arkio's corruption was nearly revealed for all to see when he spent too much time in the chapel in the presence of the Spear of Telesto, which somehow triggered rampant mutation all over his body and then rejected him. During this time, Arkio suffered a prophetic vision of his brother plunging the Spear into his heart. The mutations were barely stopped by Inquisitor Stele's psyker powers, who convinced Arkio that the vision was from Sanguinius and that it was what would transpire if they failed him.[2a][2c]
Mephiston soon arrived aboard the battle barge Europae to judge Arkio, and turned his witch-sight upon him. He saw the carefully-hidden seed of Chaos that Stele had planted inside Arkio, and was surprised when Arkio was able to hold the Spear of Telesto, but remained unconvinced and denounced Arkio as being false and Stele as a heretic. Mephiston challenged Arkio to a duel, for it was written in the Book of the Lords that the Pure One would be the match of any warrior that lived. The duel was about to begin when Rafen turned up, having survived the Warriors of the Reborn's attempts on his life, and Mephiston allowed him to take his place. Although Arkio had the inhuman strength that his mutations granted him, Rafen had more experience. During the resultant fight, Arkio attempted to use the Spear's power against Rafen as he did the Word Bearers, but it refused to harm one who carried Sanguinius' gene-code, and Rafen was able to cut a wound into Arkio's wings. Shocked, Arkio fled the field as his warriors and Mephiston's turned on each other (triggered when Stele psychically killed Sachiel and blamed Mephiston). When the Word Bearers suddenly arrived on the field, Mephiston revealed that he had ordered the Europae to destroy Sabien with cyclonic torpedoes if they failed to stop Arkio's followers; but Rafen insisted that he could stop his brother, and was given a jump pack so he could fight him on even terms.[2c]
Rafen caught up with Arkio atop a ruined cathedral and the two fought. During the fight, Arkio's mutations resurfaced, fueled by his hate for Rafen, and the Spear of Telesto rejected him, burning white-hot in his hand until it melted the master-crafted gauntlets and he was forced to drop it. Enraged, Arkio's visage turned into the likeness of a vampire, and he tried to kill Rafen with teeth and claws alone, but Rafen knocked him aside with his combat knife. As Arkio fell, the Spear of Telesto sensed him coming and shifted to meet him head-on, impaling him upon its teardrop blade.[2d]
As Rafen reached his brother's side, he saw that although the mutations remained, his delusion had cleared and he finally realized the full horror of what he had done. Knowing that he was dying, he accepted that he was damned forever in the eyes of the chapter and the Emperor, but begged for his brother's forgiveness, which Rafen granted him. After Arkio died, Rafen cast his corpse into the midst of the rebellious Blood Angels, showing them once and for all that their messiah had been a Chaos puppet. Sickened at the sight, the rebels renounced their oaths to Arkio and joined Mephiston's forces in attacking the Chaos forces present in the System led by the Word Bearers Warmaster Garand.[2d][2e] The Chaos Cruiser Misericorde was forced to withdraw after a three-way duel between the Bellus and Europae.[2f]
After the death of Arkio the true master of the entire affair, the Lord of Change Malfallax, revealed itself. Possessing the heretical Inquisitor Ramius Stele, Malfallax revealed his plan to convert the Blood Angels through Arkio, and then unleashed a spell that caused all of the Blood Angels in the area to suffer from the Black Rage. Rafen was able to banish Malfallax with the Spear of Telesto, but the Black Rage persisted over the rest of the Blood Angels. Rafen was only able to break the curse by using the Spear on Mephiston, who was able to use his psychic abilities to calm the others.[2e]
Arkio's remains were burned upon a pyre out of respect while Rafen was granted an audience with Dante and hailed as the saviour of the Chapter.[2f]
