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'''Isstvan III''' was a [[Hive World]]. Its destruction and the surrounding circumstances was the first overt sign of [[Warmaster]] [[Horus]]' turn to the forces of [[Chaos]], and the first [[Battle of Isstvan III|battle ]] of the [[Horus Heresy]].
==Planetary Summary==
==History==
Baron '''Vardus Praal''', Imperial governor of the Isstvan system, had risen in revolt against the Imperium. The [[Emperor of Mankind]] and the [[High Lords of Terra|Senate of the High Lords Council of Terra]], ignorant of the change in Horus, charged the Warmaster with crushing this rebellion. Under his command were four [[Space Marine Legion]]s; his own [[Sons of Horus]], the [[Emperor's Children]] of [[Fulgrim]], [[Mortarion]] and his [[Death Guard]], and the [[World Eaters]] led by [[Angron]]. Horus and these Primarchs had fallen to Chaos and took this opportunity to purge all suspected Loyalists from their Legions.
All suspected Loyalists were deployed with [[Drop pods]] upon '''Choral City''', the capital of the planet. Not using the traditional [[Stormbird]]s, and cutting their communication lines to the fleet, Horus tried to ensure that none of them would survive.
Despite this, many Loyalists of the four Legions managed to survive, and an enraged Angron, acting against Horus' orders, led his Legion to the surface to slaughter the survivors. Horus, trying to salvage the situation, sent detachments of all his Legions to slay the Loyalists.
The Loyalists, fighting tenaciously, turned the planned slaughter into a full-scale battle. Under the command of Captains [[Garviel Loken]] and [[Tarik Torgaddon]] of the Sons of Horus(redubbed the Luna Wolves), Saul Tarvitz of the Emperor's Children, and [[Ehrlen]] of the World Eaters, the Loyalists were able to mount a surprising defence in the ruins of the capital city.
Ultimately, the Loyalists were completely crushed, in part to [[Lucius (Emperor's Children)|Lucius']] betrayal and the orbital bombardment of the Choral City, but made Horus pay dearly. The battle lasted for three months and inflicted huge losses upon the Traitors. It was a Pyrrhic Victory at best.
