The Fourth Legion -

"Record this," Valerius told his sergeant. "Bastion 4-Alpha fell in four days. The Fists are efficient, but the Iron Warriors are inevitable."

When Valerius finally stepped into the command center of the fortress, he did not find a desperate garrison. He found a masterpiece of engineering, now ruined by his own superior engineering.

The planet of Tallarn was already a ruined landscape, but the city of still held, defended by the loyalist Imperial Fists. To the Iron Warriors, the IVth Legion, this wasn't just a tactical goal; it was a personal insult. The Fourth Legion

The story reflects their portrayal in Storm of Iron and Angel Exterminatus as rationalists trapped in a war of attrition.* If you would like to continue this story, I can: Describe the Battle of the Desirian Forests Focus on the rivalry with the Imperial Fists (Rogal Dorn) Add another character (such as a Traitor Librarian)

"Iron Without!" roared his Legionaries as they advanced, not running, but walking in a relentless, iron wall. The Imperial Fists fired from the breaches, but the IVth Legion simply ignored the casualties. They were used to taking suicide missions, forced by their primarch, Perturabo, to excel in hopeless situations. "Record this," Valerius told his sergeant

On the fourth day, the firing ceased. The silence was heavier than the noise. Then, Valerius gave the order. "Iron Within."

"Then it will make a louder sound when it falls," Valerius replied, his voice grating like grinding stone. He found a masterpiece of engineering, now ruined

"They have had eighteen months to fortify this position," whispered his second-in-command, Berossus, over the vox-channel.