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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
m
→Rebellion and Heresy
Baron '''[[Vardus Praal]]''', [[Planetary Governor|Imperial governor]] of the Isstvan system, eventually rose in revolt against the Imperium, purging Imperial elements for as long as six years before word of the rebellion reached the [[Council of Terra]].{{Fn|5b}} The [[Emperor of Mankind]] and the Council, 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.{{citethis}}
The planned first wave, all suspected loyalists, deployed by [[Drop pods]] upon the [[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 the massive [[Virus bombs|virus bombardment]]. Captain [[Saul Tarvitz]] of the Emperor's Children, working on a hunch, had managed to remain in the fleet, where he discovered the planned bombardment and commandeered a [[Thunderhawk]] to save his betrayed brethren. Thanks to Tarvitz's warning, a few hundred loyal Space Marines managed to survive inside airtight bunkers and bomb shelters. As the putrid gases resulting from the rapidly decaying organic matter filled the atmosphere, Horus ignited a firestorm on the planet which melted the hives and razed the citiesacross the world. The psychic death scream of the twelve billion is said to have been louder than the [[Astronomican]]{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|3}}.
Despite this, many loyalists of the four Legions managed to survive, and an enraged Angron, acting against Horus's 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 crushed, in part to [[Lucius (Emperor's Children)|Lucius's]] 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. While the battle raged upon the planet, a handful of loyalists led by Captain [[Nathaniel Garro]] of the Death Guard managed to commandeer the frigate ''[[Eisenstein]]'' and fled to warn the [[Emperor]] of Horus's betrayal.
===Post-Heresy===
