Discovery! A large expedition of the knightly order had set off on a deep expedition in to the jungle. This one was a specific mission intended to penetrate deeper in to the jungle wasteland than ever before. Danger lurked everywhere but the knights felt the feeling of safety around them as well. Occasionally chaotic beasts were sighted, but surprisingly no ambushes were encountered. At each step, where previously an ambush by such terrifying creatures would cost the expedition dearly in lives, now they were forewarned by natural phenomena. Sometimes the ambushing creatures gave themselves away by sudden movement, sometimes they were found dead. It was as if though there was a force protecting the expedition. In the end they had penetrated deeper than ever before, not losing a single knight and collecting the carcasses of many horrendous creatures. The fact that some of those creatures had been found dead puzzled the knights, but their minds were squarely on the task ahead. Just as they were about to make camp for the night, before turning back, they heard the sounds of a scuffle ahead. They charged their steeds ahead, thinking that perhaps two chaos beasts were fighting each other, which may give them the opportunity to kill both in one battle. As they neared the area of the scuffle, an unearthly scream was heard and the sounds of battle died down. The knights thundered on and were startled to hear an almighty bestial roar! It was a cry of victory but what stunned them was that it had a human quality to it. The massive warhorses, battle-hardened by many campaigns thundered on, fully trusting their riders instincts. They suddenly burst out in to a clearing and saw the carnage of a massive battle between two powerful beings. One was dead. It was definitely a chaos beast, with warped heads and taloned limbs. It's broken wings lay at an odd angle, almost comical in death. Its head had been smashed on the rock on which it lay dead. The warriors reared their horses as they assimilated the scene. Standing on the head of the beast was another bipedal beast. Blood and gore spattered its body. It's head covered in long blonde hair. As one, the knights raised their bolt pistol to rid this abomination from their beloved planet. Twenty bolt shells clicked in their chambers. The leader of the expedition, a master of the order and a veteran of many campaigns, was faster than the others. His bolt shell left the barrel at an unwitting speed. It should have removed the beast's head cleanly, but for the lightning reflexes it demonstrated. Certainly a hell-spawned creation the other knights contended and let loose a volley from their boltpistols. The beast twisted and turned, dived and rolled and evaded all the shots. All but one! A single bolt shell hit the beast in the shoulder and spun it around, throwing it to the ground. The knights stared in amazement as it slowly raised itself to its feet. Realising that this was no ordinary chaos beast, they chambered their pistols as one and raised their weapons. A single knight suddenly rode across their line of sight. Holstering his pistol he called out to his brothers to stay their hands. He had observed the creature keenly and realized that it was not attacking them and that there was something human in this creature. The knight then dismounted from his steed, sheathed his sword and slowly and courageously walked up to the creature, which stood still and met his gaze. Slowly sweeping the golden flock of hair that covered its face, they were shocked to see the noble and handsome features of a human being. They were yet more amazed to find that the wound caused by the bolt pistol had begun to heal. Realising that this was indeed a human in some form or the other and that he had in fact saved their lives by killing another warp creature, which was preparing to attack them in their camp they tended to its wounds and made their way back to their fortress monastery. Significantly, there was not a single encounter with the chaos beasts on their return voyage. Luthor would reminisce years later, that the sense of protection that they felt on their return journey was almost measurable. From that time onwards, the legend of the "Watchers in the Dark" found substance in Caliban society. They were said to be mystical beings that protected the weary traveler from harm. No proof was ever afforded to confirm such legend but for the personal experiences of many a battle weary knight. Perhaps the watchers had indeed watched over the young primarch. Word of the successful quest preceded the arrival of the warrior knights. A victorious quest was not an unusual occurrence within the ranks of the Order. But returning with nary an injury let alone a single casualty was extremely unusual. Tales of their successful quest, along with trophies of the heads of the felled beasts spread like wild fire. Most intriguing of all was the rumour that the group had captured a beast alive. The inquisitiveness and excitement of the crowds that thronged the settlements turned to amazement when they saw the so-called beast riding with Luthor on his warhorse. The knights passed through settlement after settlement, being feted as heroes until finally they reached the imposing fortress monastery of the Order. The band was greeted by the supreme grandmaster of the order himself, who met them at the entrance with his retinue. Although amazed by the exploits of the knights, their attention slowly turned to the issue of the handsome but wild figure riding with Luthor. The primarch looked like a fully-grown man, though the warrior knights had no inclination that he was but ten years old. There was a majesty about him that appealed to all who saw him. Even though he was technically a captive, Luthor presented him to the supreme grandmaster, offering to take on the role of friend and guide. A great feast was declared to celebrate the victorious knights and it was deemed that the newcomer would be given a name and ordained in to the order. To have single handedly and unarmed killed a chaos beast was a martial achievement never before heard of on Caliban. At the grand feast the young primarch, now clad in the exquisite clothing of the nobility and flanked by Luthor, made a grand entrance. As the festivities began the supreme grandmaster of the order turned to Luthor and offered him the honour of giving their new brother-in-arm his warrior name. Thinking for a moment, with a grand gesture so characteristic of him, Luthor named the primarch Lion El' Jonson. In the tongue of Caliban it meant son of the forest. Incidentally, in the language of ancient terra it also referred to a majestic warrior beast. An apt description of the young lion! In response this tall, handsome and majestic figure slowly rose and raised his arms asking for quiet. To the astonishment of all who had gathered there he then spoke his thanks fluently in their own tongue. The celebrations went on unabated for days after which the Lion and Luthor both returned to Luthor's home. The Lion Ascendent. The young primarch was still growing and Luthor was more than happy to be a guide as well as be guided. Their friendship was cemented as they grew, learning the skills and knowledge required of a warrior knight. The two men complimented each other perfectly. Where Jonson was temperamental and taciturn, Luther was charming and charismatic. Where Luther was rash and emotional, Jonson was a brilliant strategist and unstoppable once decided upon a course of action. Together they made some initial forays in to the surrounding jungles. In this time of familiarization the Lion realized that a greater effort was needed to rid the planet of chaos. Together with a band of knights they first toured the entire land mass of Caliban, personally reconnoitering and assessing the extent of the challenge while achieving many victorious exploits. Men from all over Caliban flocked to join the ranks of the Order. During this time, both him and Luthor rapidly rose through the ranks of the Caliban nobility, reaching the ranks of grandmaster. It was in this position the Lion had set in motion a long-term strategic plan. Old technology that had been abandoned was sought after and re-established. Simple space-faring craft were constructed to re-establish contact with closer systems. Many new fortress monasteries were built to accommodate the burgeoning ranks of the Order. The forges of the fortress monasteries rang with the sound of armament production. New warriors were inducted in to the ranks of the knights. Grandmasters of all the orders in Caliban were invited to join in the ultimate crusade and they flocked under the banner of the Lion. The massive crusade was finally put in to motion with the Lion and Luthor leading from the vanguard. Under his brilliant strategic foresight and tactical leadership, it took just over a decade to rid the jungles of Caliban of all chaos-infested life forms. Finally the blighted world of Caliban was free once again. A golden age dawned for the inhabitants of the once troubled planet. On his return the Lion was elevated to the position of Supreme Grandmaster of the Order and ruler of all Caliban. The society of Caliban began to prosper once again. Craftmanship and agriculture thrived. Science and technology were rejuvenated. Contact was established with the nearby star systems although warp travel was still beyond their grasp. While Jonson was conquering and clearing Caliban of evil the Emperor was waging his Great Crusade across the galaxy, reuniting humanity and purging entire star systems of their alien oppressors. As the Imperium's wave of conquest advanced across the galaxy, Imperial Scouts rediscovered the isolated world of Caliban. The emperor heard of the changes that had occurred in Caliban and sensing that his first born was the Lion decided to move directly to meet him in person. |
APOCRYPHA CALIBAN |
This entire section is one attempt to describe the long history of the Dark Angels in a linear form. Every known piece of history and event based on GW publications has been written in my own words and linked together in a reasonably plausible manner by additional fiction. This is in no way the official GW version nor is it in anyway an attempt to infringe on their IP. There are many versions of imperial history buried within the sands of time and this is but just one of them. Read on if you dare! |
CHAPTER II THE YOUNG LION Chronicled By ( Shadow Guard ) |
