Great Secession

"And in that time the Great Beasts shall walk the earth, beneath their tread shall cities become as dust by their burning breath shall civilisations be as ash. So the End of Days is begun."

- The Apocrypha Terra

The Great Secession, also known as the Great War, or simply the Secession, was an internecine conflict waged by the Imperium of Mankind during the early yars of the 31st Millennium, consuming the galaxy for five bitter years as brother turned upon brother and Civil War raged. It's outbreak marked the end of the Great Crusade, and the Emperor of Mankinds rulership over the galaxy, ushuring in a new age of peace overseen by the Primarch's of the legions who turned on their Tyrant Creator. The Great Secession is perhaps the defining moment of the Imperium, even moreso than the Great Crusade, seeing the star-spanning empire transition from what it was, to what it would stand as for ten thousand years.

The Civil War began even as the fires of the Rangdan War still cooled, bringing to a boiling point tensions that had in truth been rising for many years, all that was needed was a single spark that would set the galaxy ablaze once more. That spark was soon uncovered, the Umbral Blades on Terra discovering the Webway Project their father had been working upon in secret, as well as a woman named Erda who claimed to be part of the Primarch's own genetic heritage. Seeking to contain his secrets, the Emperor declared the Umbral Blades renegade, ordering them to be hunted down and imprisoned, an order too far for many of the legions. Open rebellion soon sprung up across the Imperium, legions fighting on their own terms, before finally, the Secession became unified at the so called Secessionist Conclave, the Emperor's final daming crime brought to light; the attempted murder of the Palatine Lions legion.

So unified, the Secessionists waged a unified war against the Emperor and those loyal to him, driving them back step by bloody step, the loyalist legions fighting tooth and nail, but ever outnumbered and ever forced backwards. Finally, as Terra itself was overun, the Emperor played his final hand, leading those still loyal to him into the Webway, the entry-way sealed behind him, though at the cost of Erda's life.

This brought the Great Secession to a close, and though there was still sporaic fighting for many decades to follow, loyalist holdouts and opportunistic xenos uprisings, the fighting was minimal at best. Soon, the entire Imperium knew peace, something few had ever believed possible, the Primarch's taking up positions as stewards of Mankind, leading the Imperium into ten millenia of peace and prosperity.

Secrets Uncovered
(The discoveries of the Webway and Erda, the Titans imprisoning the UB on Terra, the Emps ordering the legions censur, the UB rescue from Terra)

The Open Hand
(Detail the state of the Secessionist legions, emphasising the fact they are isolated and lack a single unifying cause or plan)

The Clenched Fist
(Detail the state of the Loyalist legions, emphasising that despite their smaller numbers, they are unified and also massivly re-equipped with new gear)

The Lion's Truth
(Ezani being found alive, and his percieved death during the Rangdan War)

The Bloody path
(The Iron Lords strike into the heart of Secessionist territory, allowing the Titans to withdraw from their empire before it falls)

The Push for Terra
(The secessonists start to push on Terra, detail who is where)

The Trail of Atrocities
(Detailing the war crimes and terror tactics used by the Secessionists/the Angelis Noctem, make it clear that no one side is perfect)

The Coronid Deeps
(The conflict in overview, show how it could have been turned into a full victory for the loyalists, but lack of supplies defeated what no military could)

The Gateways to Sol
(Talk about Beta-Garmon, Yarant and Proxima Centauri as the Gateways to Sol, all needing to be secured before an assault could begin)