Corax
From Warhammer 40k
| Corax | |
| Race | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Homeworld | Deliverance |
| Allegiance | Imperium of Man |
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Corax is the missing Primarch of the Raven Guard.
[edit] The Horus Heresy
During the Horus Heresy the Drop Site Massacre occurred on the planet Istvaan V.
The Iron Hands, Salamanders and Raven Guard were deployed in the first wave of the assault. After they secured the drop site, they were to have been followed by the other four legions. The first wave secured the drop site at heavy cost.
Horus ordered his front line troops to fall back, tempting Ferrus Manus to overstretch his already thin lines. Against the advice of Corax and Vulkan, Manus led his veterans against the fleeing Chaos troops unsupported. Manus brought Fulgrim to combat.
As the two Primarchs drew their weapons, the Raven Guard and Salamanders fell back to regroup and allow the second wave legions to advance and earn glory. However, as they returned they were mowed down by the four legions that landed to support them. Horus then pressed his attack and sandwiched the loyalists, killing most of them. Several determined groups managed to break out of the trap and escape to the few remaining drop ships.
With his legion depleted from the destruction of Istvaan V and the Imperium teetering on the brink of destruction, a critically wounded Corax was brought to Terra in a Stasis tube.
[edit] Corax's Act of Desperation
In order to rebuild the strength of his sons, Corax knew he must take extreme action. Once healed, Primarch Corax ordered the chapter Apothecaries to use forbidden zygote acceleration and cloning processes to replenish the Chapter's numbers. Methods used are lost to history, but the process allowed the creation of new Marines at the cost of the purity of the chapter's gene-seed.
The process suffered high failure rates causing many to become hulking monsters. The results were not always successful. Ninety percent of the recruits were unable to hold a Bolter let alone fire it. Of 100 recruits, perhaps one would have a genome stable enough to become a Space Marine. Despite the inefficiency of the method, the Raven Guard was able to become combat worthy enough to reenter the war, despite fielding a much smaller force.
[edit] Post Horus Heresy
After the Horus Heresy, Corax gave the Emperor's Peace to every surviving monster that resulted from the hastened Marine development. Corax supported Roboute Guilliman's plan for the Second Founding. This saw the remaining Loyalist Space Marine Legions broken up into smaller, more flexible 1000-man units known as Chapters. Never again would one man wield the power of an entire Space Marine Legion.
[edit] Corax's Last Days
Corax's end was tainted by guilt and shame. Riddled with guilt over what he had done, Corax locked himself away within his sanctum, the Raven's Tower, for a year. On the anniversary date of his self-imposed exile, he left his tower, haggard and gaunt, and took a small shuttle-craft. It was last monitored as setting a course for the Eye of Terror, the realm of the Chaos gods. He left, leaving only a single word as his valediction: "Nevermore".
[edit] Trivia
- Corax's last word, "Nevermore" is a reference to the well-known Edgar Allen Poe poem, "The Raven", of which the last line is "'Quoth the Raven, nevermore'".
- "Corax" translates to "Raven" in ancient Greek .
