Sons of Magnus

The Sons of Magnus
A DiY Chapter of CSM by Elchimpster, edited by Viscount Vash

Founded M29 as the XV Legion or better known as The Thousand Sons, referring to the original 1000 Astartes who were implanted with the gene-seed of Magnus the Red.

During the Horus Heresy, the XV Legion was employed on several worlds as a part of the Great Crusade. Several Battle Companies were utilized to bring lost worlds in to compliance and a number of those companies did not take part in the defense of Prospero when the vile Leman Russ and his Space Wolves Legion burned Tizca, City of Light to the ground.

For nearly 32 years the 5th, 6th, 7th and 13th Companies fought their way back to rejoin their Legion.

During this period, Odunn, Captain of the First Company, along with the Captains of several other companies met in secret warrior lodges. The main focus of concern was the division within the legion between Ahriman and his librarian elite and the common Astartes warriors and their diminishing importance. The binding factor of the legion had always been their love for their Primarch Magnus, but Ahriman was very persuasive…and Magnus was becoming more and more distant ever since the Emperor’s betrayal and Leman Russ’ assault.

Later, word of Ahriman’s plans for the legion leaked and some of the Battle Captains were wary of the concept of Ahriman’s “Rubric”. Within the confines of the Warrior Lodge, First Captain Odunn and his most trusted Captains set in motion a plan to usurp Ahriman and his Cabal of Librarians. With the assistance of some of the more junior Codiciers, Odunn assembled a force of nearly five companies of Thousand Sons and embarked on a quest to locate an Eldar maiden world and specifically a Warpgate in order to infiltrate the Black Library and capture its contents intact.

This plan of course was found out by Ahriman, and he was enraged at the plot. Odunn confronted Ahriman and threatened to petition Magnus himself, but Ahriman only laughed in scorn. Magnus had his own concerns and would not be disturbed by such petty squabbles amongst his warriors while Ahriman was working on such far-reaching plans to save the whole of the XV Legion from Damnation and most importantly…mutation

Odunn and the Warrior Lodge attempted and failed to warn Magnus twice; thwarted by Ahriman’s Cabal as well as Magnus’ own blind trust in his most powerful children, Ahriman and his Librarium.

In the face of the conflict, avoiding a civil war, the First Captain Odunn and a cadre of three battle companies, with limited librarian support embarked on a dire mission to save the XV Legion before Ahriman in his arrogance did something that would destroy the independance of thought in the less powerful psykers and non-psykers of the legion, reducing them to mindless slaves of his own will.

Arriving months later on Salishan IX, Odunn and his cadre located the Eldar Warpgate and through the aid of his trusted Librarians, they were able to enter the Eldar Webway.

Odunn’s efforts were too late, for while in the Webway, Ahriman with the aid of his cabal of elite librarians cast what would be later called The Rubric Of Ahriman. Within the Webway, the members of Odunn’s cadre were protected from the power of the Rubric, but not from the onslaught of the Eldar. Locked in battle for an untold amount of time, the Thousand Sons Marines fought their way clear of the Webway to a strange foreign planet. Falling back from the continued assault, the Thousand Sons destroyed the Webway Portal and slaughtered the few Eldar who were stranded. Losses among the XV Legion were heavy.

Stranded on this lost world, they named it Gnosis, and set about trying to regain contact with the outside world. Soon they were contacted by a rogue trader and through subterfuge and later an overwhelming assault they commandeered the vessel Herculean Effort and began re-establishing themselves.

Years passed, and the lost Thousand Sons expanded across the sub-sector, engaging in piracy and starting a program to re-grow their ranks. Word of the Rubric spread to the ears of these lost Thousand Sons and the news was hard to take. After a council was held on Gnosis, their new “Home world” the Sons of Magnus were born.

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*Sons of Magnus are a CSM "legion/ warband".
*Chaos Undivided, often with ties to Tzeentch.
*There are no Cults of Khorne and those who might naturally be inclined towards the God of Slaughter almost always become Chaos Spawn or Possessed.
*Librarians (Sorcerers) are still considered an HQ choice but can never be the force commander.
*No Obliterators and Raptors.
*Over the centuries some smaller cults have appeared, Slaanesh and Nurgle specifically, on planets that have been conquered, though Tzeentch is by far predominant.
*Mutations are mostly common in the cult followers or would be cultists, and are viewed as weaknesses of the psyche and flesh. Mutants are chained, and expended in war as rapidly as possible.
*Aspiring Champions and those who are deemed a threat are often used as hosts for the summoning of Daemons.

The effect of First Captain Odunn’s exodus was the salvation of a fraction of the warrior core of the Thousand Sons Legion, as well as a number of Librarians. The main difference is that the Sons of Magnus no longer have the high proportion of psykers that the parent Legion had. Subsequently, they also don’t have the high mutation rate either.[Originally the Thousand Sons were prone to mutations due to the high proportion of psykers in their genetic makeup, and also later due to being within the Eye of Terror. The Sons of Magnus have neither of these issues; they have far fewer psykers in their “genepool” and their homeworld isn’t within the Eye of Terror but simply on the far reaches of Imperial Space.]

The climate within the Sons of Magnus is that of mixed bravado and distrust. Leaders who are destined for becoming Captains often are adherents to Chaos Undivided, while those who are destined for lower rank often take on Marks of Tzeentch in order to excel and surpass their betters…and in doing so make themselves a target of distrust and often suicide missions or having a daemon bound within him. Warriors rule the Sons of Magnus, and are seen as the last vestiges of the glories of their former Legion. Blame for the Fall of the Thousand Sons Legion is placed firmly upon Ahriman who is universally hated by all members of the Sons of Magnus. Magnus is seen as betrayed as is the entirety of the Legion by the accursed Rubric and Ahriman’s hubris. Loathed even more than Ahriman are the Space Wolves.
The Sons of Magnus are organized along typical Space Marine lines for the most part. Captains command companies Sergeants command squads. Terminators typically form the elite of the force. The small cadre of original Thousand Sons is now very few, comprising the loyal bodyguard (chosen) of Odunn, called the Blood of Odunn while Odunn himself is simply styled as Master or Lord of the Sons of Magnus.

The Librarium remains, though it is kept as “The Black Council” and council for their Lord Odunn, to whom they are wholly subservient to.

Notes:
0- HQ with Mark of Slaanesh, Nurgle or Khorne.
0-2 HQ with Mark of Chaos Glory
0- Khorne Berserkers
0- Obliterators
0-1 Chaos Sorcerer as HQ
0-1 Raptors
0-3 Thousand Sons
0-1 Plague Marines
0-1 Noise Marines
All else as normal per Codex: Chaos Space Marines

Battlecry:
"For Magnus, Prospero and The Lost!"
and
"Remember Prospero"