The History of the Dark Angels: Part 2

 The History of the Dark Angels: Part 2

Hi guys welcome to Part 2 of the History of the Dark angels space marine chapter. if you missed part 1, you can find that here

Parft 2: The Horus Heresy and the Heresy-era Dark Angels

During the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels were far from Terra, campaigning on the shield worlds, and were unable to participate directly in the events taking place there. Warmaster Horus ordered the Night Lords to intercept them on the Eastern Fringe and prevent them from aiding the Emperor, but after ambushing and destroying much of the Night Lords fleet in the Thramas Crusade the Dark Angels were eventually able to set course for Terra. Their impending arrival, closely following that of the Ultramarines and Space Wolves legions, (who had overcome similar obstacles), forced Horus to gamble everything on a duel with the Emperor, his former master. Horus was defeated by the Emperor, although the Emperor himself was fatally wounded and therefore had to be entombed within the life-preserving mechanism of the Golden Throne. El'Jonson was stricken with grief over the fact that he had not been able to protect the Emperor against Horus.

After the Heresy, the Dark Angels helped restore order to the Imperium. However, during this time, the Dark Angels who had then been left behind on Caliban became agitated at being forced to essentially babysit a backwater planet. This led to the leader of the garrison, Luther, turning to the evil Gods of Chaos, who had just been defeated with the death of their champion Horus during the Heresy.

The Dark Angels returned to Caliban after the war, but they were fired upon by the planetary defences. They were forced to assault their own homeworld, where they found that their brethren had betrayed them. In a duel which mirrored that of the Emperor and Horus, Luther and Lion El'Jonson fought, resulting in Luther mortally wounding his former friend. Luther became insane upon realizing he had struck down his close friend and was captured. In a huge fit of rage at being defeated once again, the Chaos Gods opened a warp rift in the planet which scattered the traitorous "Fallen Angels" throughout the galaxy. One of the "Fallen Angels" who escaped is Cypher, who reportedly took with him the Lion Blade, the sword of El'Jonson, when he was sent through the warp.
The Betrayal on Caliban.

The Dark Angel space fleet also bombarded the planet mercilessly, and this caused the structure of the dying planet to collapse. The bombardment, combined with the newly formed warp rift, broke the planet up and it is now a huge asteroid field.

This betrayal has tainted their honour in the eyes of the Dark Angels themselves. Given that the event was purely within the Legion itself, and was on a world far from Terra, nobody outside of the Legion knows it occurred. Within the Dark Angels Chapters itself, only the elite veterans are permitted this knowledge - in the modern Dark Angels Chapter, only the Deathwing and senior officers know of this secret. The Chapter leadership will go to great lengths to ensure that this knowledge does not reach the Imperium at large, even at times going so far as to disobey direct orders from Inquisitors and cause overly curious individuals to "disappear".

Only the most senior members, known to the Dark Angels, as the Inner Circle, know the greatest secret - that Luther, the great traitor, is still alive and insane, living in a cell deep within the Rock. Lion El'Jonson's body was supposedly never found; Luther claims, in his near-senseless mutterings, that the Lion is very near and will return and forgive him. The Lion actually sleeps in the most secret chamber in the rock, his presence known only by the Watchers in the Dark and the Emperor himself, until the time he will awaken and lead his chapter on a new and even greater crusade. That day, so Luther said to current Supreme Grand Master Azrael, is almost at hand.
Horus Heresy Aftermath

Caliban was destroyed during the Betrayal, shattered by the warp rift and orbital bombardment. The remain of the planet now form a sizeable asteroid field. The largest piece, which survived due to the massive void shields in operation around the largest fortress-monastery, called the Tower of Angels, was hollowed out and became a gigantic spaceship/monastery which is now the home of the Dark Angels chapter. This ship is known simply as The Rock. Sometime after the Betrayal, the Dark Angels changed their primary heraldry colour from black to dark green.

This story of treachery and betrayal is the Dark Angels' secret shame. None know of it other than some of the Dark Angels, their Successor Chapters and, perhaps, the Emperor on his Golden Throne.(oh, and yourself!) Within the Chapter itself very few Brother-Marines know exactly what happened during those fateful days.

Stay tuned for part 3!