Changes

In the early stages of the Crusade, the Imperial forces were divided into three main thrusts, one commanded by [[Horus]], the other by [[Ferrus Manus]], and the last by the [[Emperor]] himself.{{Fn|8}} As each Primarch was discovered, he was given control of his own Legion of Space Marines. As more of the Empire was carved, the Emperor's forces were spread more and more thinly. Eventually the need for Space Marines was greater than the supply. As such, Accelerated Gene Culturing was necessary to provide sufficient legions. Unfortunately, this process was unstable and led to flaws in the gene seed of the legions. This would lead to such afflictions as the [[Red Thirst]] and various mutations in the [[Space Wolf]] gene seed.

Towards the Great Crusade's end came a period of political consolidation. The Legions were at this point dispersed across the galaxy, many acting as garrison forces rather than campaigning armies. The Legions had been battling constantly, especially the [[Iron Warriors]], struggling under the monotony of siege warfare and garrison duties. A large [[Administratum|bureaucracy]] overseen by [[Malcador (Character)|Malcador]] and the [[Council of Terra]] formed to manage the newly conquered territories. This bureaucracy often clashed with the Astartes military established, and tensions began to run high when it became apparent that the Emperor intended to have Malcador's Terran Council rule over the nascent Imperium and not the Legiones Astartes.{{Fn|5}}