Artemis Prima, Primarch of the XI Legion
“The Universe orchestrates so many lovely symphonies. My Father and my Brothers are just mere maestros in the cacophony. I dance to the Great Music, but I listen to my own symphony.”
Artemis Prima, also known more simply as the Dancing One, the Golden Queen, the Great Lioness, the Oracle and the Mystic, is one of the 20 genetically-engineered Space Marine Primarchs created by the Emperor of Mankind from the foundation of his own DNA before the start of the Great Crusade to lead the armies of the newborn Imperium of Man. She was the Primarch of the Twilight Repentia Legion of Space Marines (an attempt at a primarily female legion), one of the missing Primarches and ultimately one of the greatest weapons against Chaos Undivided.
All documents on Artemis Prima are heavily censored and guarded by the Inquisition. What is known is that Artemis was created as a genetically-engineered organism by the Emperor in the Imperial gene-laboratories under the Himalayan Mountains on Terra in the late 30th Millennium, Artemis, along with his brother Primarchs, were scattered across the Milky Way Galaxy through the Warp by the machinations of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. Unlike her gene-brothers, Artemis’s capsule came to rest on the Eldar Craftworld of Tir-Xala, during a meeting the Craftworld’s Aspect Warriors. At first, the Eldar did not know what to make of the sudden appearance of a human infant. Most of the Aspect Warriors wanted to have her slain to preserve the secrets of the Eldar while the Farseer could not foretell the future of Artemis. Her fate came to a stalemate until the Harlequin representative offered a solution. If the toddler could match his Troup in a dance, step for step than she would be allowed to live as one of them.
The troupe put on a magnificent display which amused the young Artemis so much that she joined in as well. Just from the brief observation, Artemis was able to match the senior Harlequin in this dance. It impressed the troupe's leader and the rest of the council and secured Artemis’s place in the Craftworld. From there she studied and learned different aspects of Eldar warfare, able to comprehend and master each one at a faster rate than even the most determined aspirant. She was also trained in the ways of statehood and how to develop her psychic abilities by the Farseer and her Warlock Council. By the time she was a full grown woman, Artemis was a well-respected individual in Tir-Xala society. However, even with many accolades, Artemis knew that she never belonged with the Eldar. Due to her human nature, she sought to find a group like her to call a family, but to no avail.
Artemis had visions of a man in golden armor leading vast armies throughout the galaxy. Fascinated by these vision, Artemis took the Oath of the Outcast and left the Craftworld to find the man she would call Father. Whether it was known to the Emperor or not, Artemis had begun following him on through the majority of the Grand Crusade, only appearing in the corners of his conciseness. She observed the fight with Ferrus Manus, the reunion with Magnus the Red, and the pacification of Conrad Kurze. Artemis found him amusing but nothing more, that was until she received a vision of great turmoil and a galaxy at war. With this newfound knowledge, Artemis found that it was time to reveal herself to her Father while telling Tir-Xala to flee to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Artemis made her presence to her father on the Agri-World of Hope’s Landing. She appeared before her Father as a mask of the Harlequin and began to question him. Satisfied with the answers, Artemis took off her mask and chameleon cloak, knelt and swore fealty to the Emperor.
Following her discovery, Artimus was taken back to the epicenter of the ever-expanding Imperium and reunited with her own kind. There was the usual rejoicing, pomp, and circumstance, but records on Terra suggest that the Emperor had an unusual tension and protectiveness around his only daughter, while Artemis was stated to have a subtle confusion for the human homeworld with an inhuman grace and fluidity to her moments. Artemis was given command of the XIth Legion, which she renamed the Twilight Repentia. It only consisted of the only ten female Astartes – who referred to as Valkyries – survived the transformation, the rest of the Legion was comprised of regular male Astartes. She made the ten her personal bodyguards, with Lieutenant Electra becoming the Legion’s Chapter Master. Artemis then addressed her Legion that it mattered little what they were born as and instead focus on what they can become.
By the time the Oracle took command of her Legion, the Great Crusade was over a century old and believed to be ending soon. Artemis was quick to impose the styles of war she had perfected on Tir-Xala over that which had come to define the XIIth Legion, mixing different combat facets, unique fighting techniques, weapons and abilities that were not practiced during the Crusades. Although its history as an active Legion is a shorter one compared to many – at least under its own name – the Twilight Repentia proved quickly determined to match any of its brethren in glory – or perhaps more accurately prove itself superior to them – and its tally of victories mounted with an unheard of speed. The Twilight Repentia’s combat doctrine stated to end conflicts quickly and with little danger to Astartes life. This was achieved by having special skilled specialist for specific battlefield roles. The XIth Legion had the least amount of casualties when compared to the other Legions, and were able to make normally hostile human worlds complacent and loyal to the Emperor. However, she found that the young Imperium was different from the oligarchal society of the Eldar. No matter how many heroic deeds she performed, Artemis would always be overlooked by her brother Primarchs. This lead to a growing jealousy and anger towards the family she had always wanted.
Though they were hesitant at first, many of her Primarchs grew to respect their only sister. She managed to have a healthy relationship with Sanguinius, Magnus the Red, Leman Russ, Jaghatai Khan, Roubutte Gulliman and Kenshin Watanabe for they were the first to respect her as a Primarch first, and a woman as a far second. Artemis had to earn the respect of Vulkan and Ferrus Manus by proving herself in the forge. Fulgrim viewed her as a rival to his beauty, which Artemis gave him the nickname of “the fop”. Other Primarchs showed a wariness around Artemis, while others - such as Kurze and Perturabo - openly mocked her. Horus Lupercal stated that she might be the one to unify the different personalities of each with each Primarch, but Artemis was reported of being wary around the Emperor’s favored son.
Artemis was not present at Ullanor, instead, she was assisting the IInd Legion who were engaged with the forces of WAAAGH! Gorzkull da Face-Rippa who had planned on joining the Ork Warlord, Urrlak Urruk. The might of two legions clashed with a WAAAGH! that was used to fighting Astartes, and both sides suffered. Chapter Master Electra had to be medically evacuated and a large number of the Crimson Dragons lay dead. It ended when Kenshin and Artemis decapitated the Ork Warlord and routed the rest of the WAAAGH! Afterward, Artemis gave Kenshin a crystal which she stated was a sign of their friendship. When the news finally reached them that Horus was proclaimed Warmaster, Kenshin immediately swore his allegiance while Artemis was slower to respond and seemed to avoid confrontation. Afterward, Artemis sent her Legion into unknown space, searching for Craftworld Tir-Xala.
Artemis received orders from the Warmaster to reclaim the Garden Worlds of the Eden sector. What Artemis and the Twilight Repentia did not know was that Horus had sent her there to be corrupted by a Slaneeshi daemon known as Temptation. Upon arriving in the Sector, the Twilight Repentia witnessed strange phenomena occurring on the planets below. Large temples had been constructed in odd, and often lewd designs that stretched into the atmosphere. On Eden Superior, Artemis was drawn to the largest temples belonging to the once Xenos empire that had laid claim to the system. Alone in the Temple of Temptation, Artemis began to meditate. There she had a vision of her on the Golden Throne of Terra, the Galaxy worshipping her as the Empress of Mankind with all of her brothers bowing and paying homage to her. Though the feeling of elation was like nothing Artemis had felt before the Primarch soon became weary of this new reality. Soon her vision turned into the Galaxy further at war, Primarch versus Primarch, and Kenshin’s fall to Chaos. Foreseeing Kenshin being slain by Leman Russ and becoming a Deamon Prince, Artemis awoke from her trance - the grief and trauma of two of her favored brothers being too great to help. However, when she was awoken, she for the Greater Deamon Temptation was on top of her feeding her false visions.
The battle with the daemon required every bit of strength, insight, and training that she had received from her years spent with the Eldar and fighting in her Father’s wars. But even with the strength of a Primarch, Temptation managed to better Artemis by feeding her different visions, making her question her own existence and reality. When Temptation showed a vision of Artemis, in daemon form, next to Fulgrim she released a psychic blast so powerful that it tore apart half of the temple and could be seen from orbit. Though this did wound the daemon greatly and called the attention of the Electra and the elite first company who rushed to assist her, the massive psychic trauma knocked Artemis into unconsciousness.
With the Primarch momentarily dealt with, the weakened Temptation turned it’s attention to the First Company rushing up the steps to slay it. Not wanting this to happen, Temptation started to feed off their own wants and desires while it healed and moved Artemis into the Warp. However, what it did not count on was the hysterical laughter or the dancing shapes forming around it. Temptation soon found itself fighting Harlequin troupes of the Laughing God, the same troupe that raised and trained Artemis. Unable to properly locate any of the dancing troupe, Temptation was unable to feed off the Twilight Repentai any further and soon found itself fighting nimble Harlequins, Aspect Warriors of Tir-Xala, and Cataphrax Astartes. Chapter Mast Electra was the one who slew Temptation and had it screaming back to the Warp, repaying the life debt she owned her Primarch.
When Temptation was deposed of an uneasy stalemate occurred between the Eldar and the First Company. Though Electra was grateful for their assistance, she demanded that the Eldar stood aside and allow the apothecaries to oversee Artemis’s healing. The Eldar refused by remaining silent. What first started as a possibility of miscommunication soon started to become hostile as the possibility of the Eldar allowing their Primarch to die became more present. In truth, the Eldar were allowing their own healers revive the Primarch. Before the battle could join, a still wary Artemis stopped her Astartes from attacking the Eldar. From there, she told her Legion of her upbringing and that there would be no hostility between the Twilight Repentia of the forces of Tir-Xala. When Battle Chaplin Jane Borella stated that this was against the Emperor’s Creed. Artemis responded by saying,
“The entire Galaxy goes against my Father’s Creed. Soon brother will turn against brother and this Imperium will be a shell of itself. As of now, we need all the help we can get.”
Not wanting to argue with their Primarch any further, the Twilight Repentai agreed to the alliance. The leader of the troupe presented Artemis with her former mask.
The Dragon, the Oracle, and the Wolf
Using a still functional Webway Gate, Artemis’s combined forces arrived on the world of Calliope V to find the Wolves of Fenris fighting the Crimson Dragons, with Kenshin and Russ at the middle. Artemis went to separate the two but found the normally calm Crimson Dragons possessed by an insatiable blood rage. Even with the help of the Space Wolves, the Crimson Dragon’s savagery kept Artemis from reaching the two Primarchs and she had to witness one killing the other. With the Crimson Dragon’s Primarch dead, the Crimson Dragon’s fell into complete madness while the veil of reality ripped and torn. Minors of Khorne poured forth to collect the body of Kenshin Watanabe, but Artemis managed to save the Soul Stone that she had given Kenshin. Russ retreated back to the Spear of Fenris, Artemis fled back to Webway with the Eldar contingency covering the retreat of the two Legions.
The Grand Performance of Terra
“The stage is set, let the performance commence.”
Artemis and her Legion fought her former allies on Terra, going through Chaos Daemons and fall Astartes like a scythe through wheat. She had her legion harass supply lines and assassinate major targets, while she stayed with her Father and brothers. When the Emperor left Terra to fight aboard the Vengeful Spirit, Artemis stayed to protect the Imperial Palace and defending Malcador while he sat on the Throne.
When the Emperor was placed on the Golden Throne, Artemis was distraught and enraged. She gathered her Valkyries and told them that the Legion would be placed in cryogenic sleep, and would awaken only if the Imperial Palace fell and the Throne was threatened. She would go into the warp and personally take the fight to Chaos, dawning her Harlequin mask once more and becoming a Solitaire.
Very little is known about Artemis Prima after her departure. Though being an unsung hero of the Imperium, her intimate connection with a Xenos race has deemed her Excommunicate Traitoris by the High Lords of Terra have had her stricken from the records and her naive blacked out.
Within the Warp and Webway, however, Harlequin and Daemons alike speak of a human woman who wears a mask of Cegorach. One rumor states that it was Artemis who was immune to The Masque of Slaanesh’s spell and was able to match her move for move for six days and nights until the Masque finally faulted and missed a step. Other reports come from mercenaries seeing her on Commorragh holding an audience with Asdrubael Vect and fighting in the Arenas of the Wych Cult. Artemis has also been rumored to venture out of the Warp on occasion. It is said that it was she who sabotaged Abaddon the Despoiler’s plans in twelve of his thirteen Black Crusades. Laughing all the while at the Warmaster’s complete incompetency.
She was not there to support the brave forces of Cadia against Abaddon’s unofficial Fouteenth Black Crusade, instead, she led a force of like-minded individuals on a raid against Fabius Biles’ laboratories in order to secure the Pure Clone of Ferrus Manus. Though the raid was successful, most of Artemis’ raider were slaughtered fighting against the horrors of the Primogenitor’s mind. Artemis, herself, managed to slice off the head of a Bile clone and destroying his facilities, but she fears that all she did was draw the ire of the true Bile and Fulgrim on her.
Artemis is currently on Macragge, with the now adolescent Manus, seeking to aid Guiliman in his fight against Chaos.
“You once asked me to whom do I fight for, brother. The answer is simple. I fight for the side who fights for the living.” - Artemis talking to Guiliman, M. 42.
Artemis Prima was known to have a light-hearted personality, mimicking the same jovial nature that the Harlequins are said to have. She would treat every encounter as if it was a part to play in some grand performance, and rarely allow her true self to be shown. This partly comes her her time living amongst the Eldar who shun openly expression, and from her own disconnection with her own species not knowing what it means to be human. She can be mystics and philosophers at times, possessing knowledge and wisdom not shared by her more practical subjects. This has changed with her emergence to the physical galaxy in M.42. She has become more cynical and calloused in nature, and opening questioning Guiliman’s motives and past discretions with the Ynnari.
When she received the Eleventh Legion, Artemis treated them with a protective nature and tried to take them from the worse of the fighting. However, as the battles of Great Crusade soon turned into the Heresy, Artemis had to trust the prowess of her warriors more. This soon turned into a stronger bond with her Legion, and she began to treat every member with the same amount of trust and respect regardless of their rank.
The records of Artemis Prima are limited. One source states that she was prettier than Fulgrim and Sanguinius, while another source states that her beauty was simply indescribable. Some deeply classified reports state that she would change her appearance if she needed too. Whether this is a mental or physical ability is unknown. What all the sources could agree on was that she had locks of curly black hair that was worn long and yellow golden skin that glowed like her Father’s.
The Wraith Plate - Artemus’s war panoply is of her own design, fusing Power Armour technology with her knowledge of Eldar Technology. It is designed not only to protect her in battle but augment her own range of motion It is studded with many gemstones and runes that enhance her own psychic abilities and protected her from harm.
Mask of Faces- Her masks come with various forms of auto-senses and respirators and is highly ornamented. Her allows her to mimic the features and attributes of others using sensory holo-field admitters.
Zaram-tir, the Sword of Oblivion - the final Cronesword of Morai-Heg, this sword absorbs that which makes it stronger. It was given to her by the Warlock Council of Craftworld Tir-Xala to aid her against the fight against Chaos. She has stated that the sword “has a temper,” and “plays favorites,” implyin that the blade is somewhat sentient and has grown attached to Artemis.
The Lady’s Sabre - The weapon of choice of Artemis during the Great Crusade and the Heresy Era. Made by her own hands, it was as long as a full grown man and perfectly balanced. It was rumored to ripple with a molecular realignment field that allowed Artemis to cleave through force fields and metaphysical wards with ease. It was destroyed when she dueled Leman Russ and the Soulless One. She keeps the pomel as a memento.
The Lady’s Breath - The Lady’s Breath is an elegantly designed razor-edged steel fan that is always seen on Artemis’s hip. It serves both as a shield and offensives last resort of needed. The two weapons are very deadly in her hands.
Quicksilver, the White Lion - A megestic beast that follows Artemis wherever she travels. He serves as a familiar to the Primarch, augmenting her psychic abilities and swerving as a faithful companion. The familiar manifests as a mighty beast that used to inhabit an old world that had long since been shattered. Using lethal predatory instinct, Quicksilver remains a loyal and vigilant companion that protects his master from any threat, ever vigilant should danger present itself.
Ok… I’m either going to get a lot of praise of flack for this, but this was an idea that was banging around in my head for a while. I know that the very idea of Female Astartes is a hot button issue in the fandom, seeing how it is going against the lore. Personally, I theorize that the Imperial Saints are actually the failed female candidates which the Emperor fixed in the Warp. Artemis was made because of a quip that Malcador made to the Emperor about a Sister Primarch. Though Big E brushed it off, I would not be shocked if he did it any because… why the hell not? And yes I did model the Twilight Repentia based off the non-canon Sisters of Purification. And since there is no lore on them you make it. @fuukonomiko for being one of my hardest and most insightful critics.
