Marnoc
Marnoc was a Princeps in the Legio Astorum Titan Legion, who took part in the Horus Heresy.[1a]
History
He hailed from one of Legio Astorum's Noble Houses and its family emblem was a silver, robotic fist. During the Horus Heresy, Marnoc was part of the Legio Astorum detachment that the Princeps Force Leader Kowley led in the Battle of Tallarn. However he was fresh from the Forge World Lucius' Clone Academy and had not yet taken command of an Imperial Titan. Marnoc's time would soon come though, after Princeps Silberman was slain by a Sniper, while he was outside of his Warlord Titan Fortunata Imperiatrix. The young Princeps was chosen to replace Silberman, but Marnoc had to fill the hole his beloved predecessor had left with the Fortunata Imperiatrix's Moderatus crew.[1a] The young Princeps would begin forming a bond with Toal, Hazan and Warden, as the Imperiatrix once more stood beside the other Legio Astorum Titans of Kowley's command.[1b]
As Legio Astorum's Titans aided in defending the Tallarn city of Rogsburg, though, Marnoc was disturbed at the thought of facing Warmaster Horus' forces. This was because it was impossible for the young Princeps to understand how they had been able to turn away from the Emperor and the Imperium. Moments later, disaster struck when thousands of the Traitors advanced upon the Imperials' position, including dozens of Chaos Titans. Marnoc knew they were doomed upon seeing this, but he ordered his Moderatus crew to open fire as their foes charged them.[1b] Unfortunately Marnoc was right and the Imperial forces defending Rogsburg were easily overrun by the Traitors. However, before the Fortunata Imperiatrix could be destroyed, the young Princeps retreated from the battle.[1c] The Imperiatrix was pursued afterwards, but it was able to mostly evade and hide from the Traitors. As Marnoc and his crew rested sometime afterwards, Imperial reinforcements broke through the Traitors' blockade of Tallarn and hundreds of Drop Pods began landing nearby the damaged Warlord Titan.[1d]
The Space Marines were from the from the Ultramarines Legion and they began securing a dropsite for additional Imperial forces to land upon. Once their deployment was complete, Marnoc was sure the reinforcements would be able to retake Rogsburg from the Traitors. But before the Ultramarines could even start, they were suddenly attacked by a group of Legio Mortis Chaos Titans, which included three Warlords. The firepower that they unleashed slew many of the Ultramarines and the Princeps knew he had to intervene in order to save Space Marines from being all killed. Though they faced certain death, the Fortunata Imperiatrix's Moderatus crew agreed with Marnoc and he gave the order to charge the Chaos Titans. Thanks to their efforts, the Ultramarines were saved and additional reinforcements aided in destroying the Traitors. However it came at a heavy cost, as the Imperiatrix was destroyed in the battle and only Marnoc managed to survived its death. As the Imperial forces then began to regroup afterwards, the Princeps was given a new Titan and Moderatus crew to command. However through it all, Marnoc cursed Warmaster Horus for starting his rebellion and the Princeps vowed to aid the Imperium in defeating the Traitors.[1d]
Marnoc survived the ending of the Horus Heresy and sometime later, he aided in the effort to reclaim a fallen Imperial world, from the Ork Warlord Nuzzgrond Nosebiter.[2]
Sources
- 1: Firepower Issue 1
- 2: Codex: Orks (2nd Edition), pg. 73
