Clocktower Echos

"Wolf business", "Respect your alpha"

Sigma Marines? The hot new thing.

"It is better to grind for the Emperor than it is for yourself."

The title of "Primarch" is exactly that, a title. For as a Man of Gold, the Emperor never sired any children, nor did he ever seek to create more progeny. Instead, individuals of exceptional skill, talent, or circumstance were granted the title along with a legion of Astartes. Their title is as much an honor and a blessing as it is a heavy burden of responsibility.

Just like with the Reunification of High Terra, the Great Crusade of this AU was more than just military subjugation of interstellar manifest destiny. It was a reunification of the Greater Human Dominion of old. By the Emperor's decree, it involved a great deal of diplomatic warfare and cultural influencing to sway the Survivor Civilization who survived the horrors of the Long Night to join and become Survivor States. Some willingly and eagerly joined, others took significant bargaining, and others still demanded outright bloodshed. War was not the preferred option, but there were no cowards in the Emperor's armies. Despite the longer time required, it ultimately resulted in a more stable Imperium in the long run.

With a great deal less superhuman egos running around and the Emperor actually informing the Primarchs and humanity as a whole of the dangers of Chaos, the entire Hersey was avoided. But this is a galaxy that does not reward peace. And dark gods beyond the veil demanded slaughter nonetheless. Even if they could not provoke it from within, they would stir it from without in the form of the War of the Beast. Also known as the Green Crusade.

Even during the Long Night, the Sol System was not merely empty space. The void was filled with ancient orbitals, ruined arcologies, settled stations, and battle-hardened warships with crews who lived nomadic in space. Of the pirate fleets that prowled and battled amongst the ruins of Humanity's interstellar cradle, Horus Lupercal was the greatest among them. The Pirate Prince of Luna had been to every corner of the Sol System and even dared to venture beyond. When he first heard news of how an upstart "Emperor" reunified Terra, he was unimpressed and decided to test their mettle himself.

The raid turned into a battle fought from the ground, all the way up to one of Terra's ancient space elevators. Only after he was cornered in an airlock and wounded from battle did the Pirate Prince relent, expecting either to be embraced by the airless abyss or by the sting of steel. However, the Emperor was in need of experienced voidsmen as he lacked such knowledge himself. Thus he offered the Starry Sea Wolf a chance of redemption, to atone for his pirating by joining in the great reunification of humanity.

The Emperor's words stirred something in the man's heart, and he bent the knee. Rising as the first Primarch, Horus Lupercal was granted the Lunar Wolves legion and a new title: High Lord Admiral. Horus proved to be charismatic and brilliant during the reunification of the Sol System, his naval tactics becoming the foundation for the future Imperial Navy's doctrines. As the first Primarch, he was the closest thing the Emperor Aurelian had to a son.

Ferrus Manus, the Iron Father, the Magos of Mars, Emissary of the Omnissiah

Red Mars had long kept a watch over Terra via both orbital satellites and its Antarctic Outpost. They saw the rise of the Emperor as yet another techno-barbarian trying to carve a piece of Humanity's fallen homeworld for himself. What they didn't expect was the speed at which this "man", more than capable with wit as he was with weapons, actually unified Terra, beat and then converted a powerful pirate fleet to his cause, and then showed up in Martian orbit with said fleet and an invasion force ready to deploy.

It had all happened so quick that the Mechanicus had yet to stamp out its own issues and fully control Mars before the arrival of the Emperor. However, the guns were just a security measure, the Emperor had no intention of using them first. Negotiations were started but were slow at first until the Emperor gambled and revealed his true nature as an uncorrupted Man of Gold. This instantly changed the dynamic and many tech priests were eager to study such a wonderous creation. A bio-engineering and psycho-engineering masterpiece that was the human form all but perfected, a peerless combination of flesh and metal, just as they wished.

So with the promise of being allowed to examine his construction, and access to some of the lost technology and ancient STCs scraps found on Terra, the Emperor Aurelian was declared the Omnissiah, the living avatar of the Machine God and the Mechanicum, the single most powerful Survivor Civilization thus encountered, became the most powerful Survivor State within the Imperium. In exchange, the Mechanicum swore their production capacity, military forces, and stellar navigational charts to the Emperor, but there was another clause in the Treaty of Olympus Mons: they demanded a Primarch of their own.

Fearful that without such a powerful individual, they would lack a voice by the Emperor's ear, they raised Mago Ferrus Manus as a candidate. Ferrus was a man of resolute determination and a desire for machine-like perfection as was demanded by the Machine God. Yet he did not forget his humanity, courting the support of the Biologis with his insistence on augmetics that would only enhance his impressive physical form and mental capacity. The Emperor agreed and Ferrus was granted a Legion on top of his existing Skitarri cohorts. After speaking with the Emperor, he became a true believer in the Imperial cause. So strong was his belief that when the traitorous Fabricator-General Kelbor-Hal mistakenly believed Ferrus would side with him during the Schism of Mars, half of the entire Iron Hands Legion and Ferrus Mannus himself would arrive to disprove his beliefs.

Leman Russ, the Wolf Lord, the High King of Fenris, the Winter Wrath

With his two Primarchs, the Great Crusade set off into the stars, integrating some worlds or conquering others. Every so often they would encounter other space-faring empires that would prove to be a more drawn-out process than simply landing on whatever feudal or early industrial world with a display of force or pageantry. The Interex would be identified by the Mechanicum's star charts and would be the largest of the empires the early crusade encountered. They would prove influential as with them, the Emperor saw a vision of his own Imperium, a Greater Human Dominion made stronger by the skills and knowledge of allied xenos. Diplomatic channels were set up and the Emperor personally took a leading part in discussions. During these talks, the Interex revealed they had launched several scanner probes and track information on the worlds it passed. Many were dead worlds, others were home to fractured splinters of civilization, yet one was different: Fenris.

From a distance, Fenris appeared to be an inhospitable Death World, yet somehow not only did it house a Human population, but also had a greater degree of planetary unification than much more advanced planets nearby. Intrigued, the Emperor disguised himself as a one-eyed old man and sought an audience with the "Wolf Lord of Fenris", High King Leman Thengirson of the Russ. More commonly known as Leman Russ, he soon saw through the Emperor's disguise and challenged the mysterious stranger to three contests of strength. To which the unveiled Emperor agreed, saying that if he won, the High King would have to hear his request.

So the two competed in a contest of feasting, drinking, and fighting. Leman Russ had an impressive stomach, but even he couldn't compete with a Man of Steel. Despite not requiring food and drink to sustain himself, the Emperor could consume a seemingly infinite amount and bested Leman in feasting and drinking. However, the wolf bore its claws at their duel, unleashing a savage fury against the Emperor, frozen axes clashing against a flaming sword. The Emperor put all his energy into defensive maneuvers, baiting and taunting the Wolf King. With every parry, the Emperor told him of a thousand worlds with endless glories that could await him. With every feint, the Emperor asked if Leman wanted to fight and die like a warrior or feast himself fat.

It was a perfectly balanced act of poking at Leman's weak points while offering him a solution to the anger he felt inside. In the end, Leman called the duel to a stop and declared a draw, but still interested in hearing the Emperor. A moot was called where the High King and his Jarls would hear out this starborn Emperor. The Emperor revealed all the Leman and his jarls, how he too united a world with blade and charm. Leman then revealed how he was abandoned as a child, left to die in the winter's wrath before being claimed by a petty king with barely a village to his name before leading a great host to conquer Fenris. The two formed a sense of kinship with one another and when Leman asked if there was really a hundred other worlds out there for him to do battle upon, the Emperor said no. There were a million.

Eldar who don't innately hate Humanity, but despise the institutions that made them this way.

Humans who still feel an innate goodness in beings unlike themselves.

Eldar who appreciate other cultures, for no currency is as valuable as new experiences.

Humans who reciprocate across a myriad of worlds with thousands of forms of art.

Their main achievement is the discovery of a certain monomer used in industrial tyres, as well as rad-coats of certain imperial guard regiments and skitarii legions. Most of their production and a good portion of their legions are sent directly as reinforcements to Agrippinaa, to whom they serve as almost a vassal. In return they are left pretty much to their own devices and if they need political favours, Agrippinaa often backs them up.

The planet surface is stacked with a few large factory shrines, which are just mainly giant biochemical plants for generating the polymer in different types, as well as several products using said polymer.

However, the main point of interest lies beneath the surface of Cavum Centus, which is a giant complex cavernous systems reaching many kilometres, filled with thermoactive vents, a complex biosphere, different Mechanicus research stations, and ancient ruins of a dark age of technology civilization of mankind.

It is in these caves that they've already found a few STCs including the one of the monomer, and the techpriests speak of evidence of more tech to be found. There are however outsiders believing the old civilisation was actually heretekal in nature and that the inventions found were littered with Xenos influences, though no hard proof has been found.

For this reason some, more staunch believers do speak of xenarite cults leading the forgeworld, but again, little evidence was found. It also doesn't help that they are valuable allies of Agrippinaa, who are therefore more than willing to back up the good claims of Cavum Centus, making large-scale scouring of the planet impossible due to their influence and size.

So, I feel like the obvious extrapolation is a situation where Roboute and Yvraine hear about the rumors that they're dating, and how its passing a lot of people off. Because they think its funny and also put of spite, they decide to lean into it. But they're not really dating.

Wacky romcom scenarios where they keep getting put into romantic situations before developing feelings or keeping how they are right now

Goes down in history books as something Imperial and Eldar historians argue about endlessly, over-analyzing every tiny written record