Survival

存活

Under the unheeded gaze of the vigilant Raven Guard, the Traitors' intent unfurled. Ultra-heavy transport barques descended from the still-churning skies upon columns of fire, disrupting the wounded atmosphere still further. The heaviest were large enough to embark the mighty Traitor Titans, while hundreds more would ferry the bulk of the Traitor Legions' line units into orbit and away to the next phase of the Warmaster's betrayal. Far-ranging Raven Guard reconnaissance squads spied upon the vast, extinct volcanoes to the west and north of the Warmaster's fortress that were now transformed into landing zones, hundreds of?thousands of Legionaries and their serfs winding across the depression to embark. Corax demanded an accounting of their numbers and the recon units reported back that the bulk of each turncoat Legion was departing, but that each appeared to be leaving behind it a core of warriors, to what ends they could not determine. The only Legion not taking its leave was the World Eaters, who ranged the hills and the wastes beyond, ever seeking to run more survivors to ground and to add more flensed skulls to the growing ossuarycairns. Angron, it seemed, would not depart Isstvan V until the slaughter was complete.

在警惕的暗鴉守衛(wèi)們未被注意到的注視下，叛徒的意圖顯露出來(lái)了。超重型運(yùn)輸船的降落引擎噴著火柱，從仍在翻騰著的天空上降落下來(lái)，進(jìn)一步破壞著受損的大氣層。其中最為最為沉重的那些體積龐大到足以裝運(yùn)巨大的叛軍泰坦，而更多的運(yùn)輸艦則是將把叛徒軍團(tuán)的大部分前線單位運(yùn)送到軌道上，他們前去參加戰(zhàn)帥背叛戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的下一階段。遠(yuǎn)處的暗鴉守衛(wèi)偵查小隊(duì)監(jiān)視著現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)被轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榈顷憟?chǎng)的戰(zhàn)帥要塞西側(cè)與北側(cè)的死火山，（他們看到）數(shù)十萬(wàn)軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士和他們的仆役穿過(guò)洼地來(lái)登上飛船。克拉克斯命令暗鴉守衛(wèi)去了解叛軍的人數(shù)，偵查部隊(duì)報(bào)告稱(chēng)：每個(gè)叛變軍團(tuán)的大部分部隊(duì)都在離開(kāi)，但每個(gè)軍團(tuán)似乎也都留下了一群戰(zhàn)士，暗鴉守衛(wèi)們無(wú)法確定其目的。唯一尚未動(dòng)身離開(kāi)的軍團(tuán)是吞世者，他們徘徊在外地外側(cè)的山丘與廢土中——吞世者們?cè)谠噲D追捕到更多的幸存者，并為自己那增高中的顱骨京觀增加更多被剝了皮的顱骨。看來(lái)，直到這場(chǎng)屠殺完結(jié)時(shí)，安格隆才會(huì)離開(kāi)伊斯特萬(wàn)五號(hào)。

Ruinous Venerations

毀滅崇敬

Confronted with the stark reality of the strategic situation, the Raven Guard fell back upon battle doctrines and field craft instilled within them by their Primarch during the years preceding the Lycaean Uprising. Traitor death squads, in particular those of the World Eaters, scoured the hills and the wastes in increasing numbers in their hunt for survivors of the Dropsite Massacre. In response, Corax instigated a cunningly conceived series of diversionary attacks that drew Traitor hunters away from the gorges of the Illium Rifts in which the Raven Guard had taken refuge and led them away into the mountains and deserts to the north and south of the Urgall Depression. Raven Guard squads ranged far and wide in the course of these actions, sometimes returning with more survivors, more often with fresh wounds and fell accounts of the sights they had seen. The Traitor death squads were hunting down survivors as if engaging in sport, and enacting unspeakable tortures upon the bodies of those they ran to ground.

面對(duì)嚴(yán)峻的戰(zhàn)略形勢(shì)，暗鴉守衛(wèi)們依照原體在Lycaean起義之前的歲月中灌輸給他們的戰(zhàn)斗信條和戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)技能進(jìn)行了撤退。叛軍的處刑小隊(duì)——尤其是來(lái)自吞世者軍團(tuán)的那些在搜索山丘與廢土荒原，他們是在獵捕登陸點(diǎn)大屠殺的幸存者，而且參與進(jìn)來(lái)的人數(shù)還在增加。作為回應(yīng)，科拉克斯巧妙地策劃了一系列轉(zhuǎn)移敵軍注意力的攻擊，把叛軍獵殺部隊(duì)（的注意力）從暗鴉守衛(wèi)們避難的Illium裂谷引開(kāi)，并把叛軍們引到Urgall洼地北部和南部的山區(qū)與沙漠中。在這些行動(dòng)中，暗鴉守衛(wèi)的小隊(duì)們?cè)谶b遠(yuǎn)且廣闊的區(qū)域內(nèi)進(jìn)行活動(dòng)，他們偶爾會(huì)帶回更多的幸存者，但更多的時(shí)候則是帶著新的傷口回來(lái)敘述他們所見(jiàn)到的場(chǎng)景。叛軍們就像在進(jìn)行運(yùn)動(dòng)項(xiàng)目一樣獵殺著幸存者們，并且對(duì)追捕到的獵物的尸體進(jìn)行著不可言說(shuō)的折磨。

The return of one particular force brought with it dark tidings indeed. Having ambushed and destroyed a Sons of Horus death squad, the party came upon the Traitors' prey, a trio of Legionaries from the Raven Guard's 12th Battalion. Yet the occasion was no cause for celebration, for the erstwhile prey turned upon their would-be rescuers with unreasoning savagery. Corax's sons were taken by surprise by their brothers' act and one was slain in the ensuing confrontation. At length, the maddened Legionaries were subdued, though not without both sides suffering still more grievous wounds. Even when restrained, the maddened Legionaries strained against their bonds and spat bitter curses at their rescuers, their black eyes pits of inexplicable fury.

一支特殊部隊(duì)的回歸確實(shí)帶來(lái)了不祥的消息。在伏擊并摧毀了一支荷魯斯之子的處刑小隊(duì)后，暗鴉守衛(wèi)們發(fā)現(xiàn)了這群叛徒的獵物：三名來(lái)自暗鴉守衛(wèi)第12戰(zhàn)斗營(yíng)們的軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士。然而，這并不值得慶祝，因?yàn)檫@些曾經(jīng)的獵物們以失去理智的野蠻攻擊了他們的救命恩人?？评怂沟淖铀脗儽蛔约盒值軅兊男袨樗痼@，其中一人死于隨后的沖突。發(fā)狂的軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士最終被制服了，但沖突雙方都遭受了更嚴(yán)重的創(chuàng)傷。即使在受到控制的情況下，這些瘋狂的軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士們也竭力掙脫束縛，對(duì)救援者發(fā)出刺耳的咒罵，他們黑色的雙眼中充滿了無(wú)法被解釋的憤怒。

Soon enough, the phenomenon was repeated. A number of Legionaries who had once served in the Librarius but upon the proclamation of the Edict of Nikaea had renounced their roles as warrior-psykers and joined the line companies, approached their Primarch with their suspicions. Even without consciously engaging their psychic skills, each had detected a slow but inexorable build-up of psionic pressure. At first, they had taken the effect for a manifestation of so much violent choler unleashed in such a concentrated period and location during the Dropsite Massacre. Yet, as the days wore on, it had become increasingly apparent that something far darker and contrary to reason was occurring. The Primarch, however, was already aware of the phenomenon, though he kept his own counsel as to the true extent of his knowledge. It was the work of the World Eaters, and represented yet another sign of just how far the Traitors had fallen.

不久之后，這種現(xiàn)象再次出現(xiàn)。許多曾經(jīng)擔(dān)任過(guò)智庫(kù)的軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士向原體表達(dá)了疑慮——在尼凱亞敕令發(fā)布后，這些戰(zhàn)士們放棄了自己的戰(zhàn)斗靈能者職務(wù)并加入到前線連隊(duì)中。盡管并未有意識(shí)地運(yùn)用自己的靈能技藝，但他們每個(gè)人都探測(cè)到了靈能壓力在發(fā)生緩慢且不可阻擋的積聚。最初，在登陸點(diǎn)大屠殺時(shí)期，他們認(rèn)為這是軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士們?cè)跇O其集中的時(shí)間和地點(diǎn)發(fā)泄暴怒情緒的表現(xiàn)。然而隨著時(shí)間推移，他們?cè)絹?lái)越明顯地看出：某種遠(yuǎn)為黑暗且違背理智的事情正在發(fā)生。但原體已經(jīng)意識(shí)到了這種現(xiàn)象，不過(guò)他從未說(shuō)出自己對(duì)于此事真正的了解程度。這是吞世者的杰作，也是叛徒們墮落得極其嚴(yán)重的另一個(gè)標(biāo)志。

All across the Urgall Depression and beyond, the World Eaters were raising ever taller pyramids of flensed skulls. At first they appeared random in form and function, though redolent of the death-fanes and ossuary-temples cast down on the most savage of human worlds during the Great Crusade. The act of gathering the skulls of the fallen, flensing them and piling them into vast pyramids all across the Urgall Depression and ever further into the hills was revealed as some form of rite of victory. Somehow, this rite was proving to be the source of the madness that had afflicted the rescued Raven Guard and many others who tarried overlong in the shadow of the monuments. Some manner of psychic resonance was pulsing outwards from the vile monuments,?filling those it touched with anger and bloodlust.

在整個(gè)Urgall洼地內(nèi)外，吞世者們都在用剝了皮的顱骨堆起更為高大的金字塔。起初，它們的形式和功能都是隨意的，但還是讓人聯(lián)想到帝國(guó)于大遠(yuǎn)征期間在那些最為野蠻的人類(lèi)世界上推倒的死亡神廟和人骨圣堂。吞世者們收集死者頭顱，將之剝皮并在Urgall洼地各處乃至洼地外側(cè)的山丘間堆成巨大的金字塔的舉動(dòng)并顯示為某種勝利儀式。不知為何，這個(gè)儀式被證明是折磨著獲救的暗鴉守衛(wèi)和許多在這些紀(jì)念碑的陰影下停留了太久的人的瘋狂的根源。某種靈能共鳴正在從這些邪惡的紀(jì)念碑向外涌動(dòng)，令接觸到共鳴的人們心中充滿了憤怒和嗜血的殺戮欲。

Later on, Raven Guard reconnaissance squads would witness their erstwhile allies performing savage victory rituals about the monuments, confirming to many that the sons of Angron remained at heart no more than bloodthirsty primitives. Others saw in the rituals something far darker still, something spawned long ago in the darkness of Old Night.

之后，暗鴉守衛(wèi)偵察小隊(duì)會(huì)目睹他們?cè)?jīng)的盟友在紀(jì)念碑旁舉行野蠻的勝利儀式，這向很多人證明：安格隆的子嗣們?cè)趦?nèi)心深處仍然不過(guò)是一群嗜血的原始人罷了。其他人則在儀式中看到了某些更黑暗的事物，某些很久之前產(chǎn)生于舊夜黑暗中的事物。

It would be several years until the true nature of the phenomenon was revealed, their Primarch may have known more, the Raven Guard being blissfully ignorant of such things at that time, though even then it was obvious that some agency beyond the natural order of reality was abroad. Keeping his own counsel on the matter, the Primarch ordered a series of attacks against a small, select number of these vile structures, strike forces of chosen warriors planting melta bombs at their bases. The resulting detonations brought the targets crashing down in cleansing flames, the fell effect they exerted on the surrounding regions lessened, though it never entirely relented.

這一現(xiàn)象的實(shí)質(zhì)直到多年之后才會(huì)被揭示出來(lái)，他們的原體可能知道得更多。當(dāng)時(shí)的暗鴉守衛(wèi)們幸福地對(duì)這此一無(wú)所知，但即便在那時(shí)，也很明顯是有某種超越了現(xiàn)實(shí)世界自然秩序的力量在外面活動(dòng)。原體在這件事上有自己的看法，他下令對(duì)這些邪惡的構(gòu)造物中被選定的一小部分進(jìn)行了一系列的進(jìn)攻，被挑選而出的戰(zhàn)士們所組成的打擊部隊(duì)在這些東西的底座上放置了熱熔炸彈。隨之而來(lái)的爆炸使目標(biāo)們?cè)谇鍧嵉幕鹧嬷械顾?，盡管從此之后這些構(gòu)造體對(duì)周邊地區(qū)的負(fù)面影響從未完全緩和，但影響程度還是降低了。

Consolidation

鞏固

As the battles wore on, the Primarch reorganised his Legion, forging it anew into something resembling less the brutalised victims of the Warmaster's betrayal and more a band of warriors determined to survive, or to sell their Lives dearly in the attempt. Raven Guard strike forces launched a series of cautious, yet bold attacks against Traitor death squads isolated from the greater mass of the enemy, winning numerous small but bitterly fought battles out in the wastes. Many of?these confrontations were fought with combat knives or improvised weapons; the objective to slay the foe and carry away what supplies could be scavenged from their bodies. In time, ammunition stocks were replenished to such a degree that more overt assaults could be launched, and it was as small groups of Raven Guard pushed ever deeper into the Traitor-haunted lands about the Urgall Depression that a grim discovery indeed was made.

隨著戰(zhàn)斗緩慢持續(xù)，原體對(duì)軍團(tuán)進(jìn)行了重組。在原體的重塑之下，暗鴉守衛(wèi)不再那么像因戰(zhàn)帥的背叛而變得殘忍的受害者，而是更像一群決心生存下去或?yàn)榇瞬幌奚膽?zhàn)士們。暗鴉守衛(wèi)打擊部隊(duì)對(duì)那些與大部隊(duì)分隔開(kāi)的叛軍處刑小隊(duì)發(fā)動(dòng)了一系列謹(jǐn)慎且也大膽的進(jìn)攻，他們?cè)趶U土荒原中贏得了無(wú)數(shù)小規(guī)模但卻艱苦的戰(zhàn)斗。在很多次對(duì)抗中，他們使用的都是戰(zhàn)斗刀或者簡(jiǎn)易武器；戰(zhàn)斗的目標(biāo)是殺死敵人并帶走敵人們身上所有能夠拾取的補(bǔ)給。隨著時(shí)間的推移，彈藥儲(chǔ)備被補(bǔ)充到了足以讓暗鴉守衛(wèi)們發(fā)動(dòng)更公開(kāi)攻擊的水平；一小群暗鴉守衛(wèi)不斷深入到叛軍們出沒(méi)的Urgall洼地區(qū)域，他們?cè)谶@里發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)可怕的事實(shí)。

From a distance it appeared as if a jagged forest had sprung up along the crest of the Urgall Hills. Upon closer inspection, hundreds, even thousands of iron spikes and columns were found, driven into the black volcanic ground. Atop each was mounted the body, or body part, of a Loyalist Space Marine. Most had been executed while others lived on still, the superhuman physiology of the Legiones Astartes holding death at bay despite being eviscerated, impaled, dismembered and exsanguinated or having a hundred other, equally cruel and darkly inventive injuries inflicted upon them. It was to the eyes of the Loyalist onlookers as if some plague of insanity had spread through their former brothers; that alongside treachery as terrible as it was, something of horror and madness unlooked for and inhuman had taken root. Here was the fate that the Traitors would inflict upon every Loyalist not slain in the cauldron of the Dropsite Massacre. Here, the Raven Guard recognised, was the fate the Warmaster would visit upon all those who refused to bow before him, even should every human world drown in blood.

從遠(yuǎn)處看，那場(chǎng)景仿佛是Urgall山丘們的山頂上出現(xiàn)了一片參差不齊的森林。但經(jīng)過(guò)更仔細(xì)的觀察，就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)了那是數(shù)百甚至數(shù)千根釘在黑色的火山地面上的鐵刺和鐵柱。每根柱狀物的頂端都釘著一名忠誠(chéng)派星際戰(zhàn)士的尸體或尸塊。其中大多數(shù)人都被處決了，而其他人還活著——盡管他們?cè)馐芰巳〕鰞?nèi)臟、刺穿和放血，或者其他上百種同樣黑暗且殘忍的新奇?zhèn)?，但阿斯塔特軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士的超人生理機(jī)能還是阻止了他們的死亡。在那些旁觀的忠誠(chéng)派眼中，這場(chǎng)面就如同是某種導(dǎo)致精神錯(cuò)亂的瘟疫在他們?cè)?jīng)的兄弟們之間蔓延開(kāi)來(lái)；除了可怕的背叛之外，還有某種令人意想不到的瘋狂、恐怖且非人的事物在這里扎了根。這就是叛軍們施加給那些未死于登陸點(diǎn)大屠殺混戰(zhàn)中的忠誠(chéng)派的命運(yùn)。身處此地，暗鴉守衛(wèi)們意識(shí)到：戰(zhàn)帥會(huì)將此等命運(yùn)施加給那些拒絕屈膝臣服于他的人們，哪怕是將整個(gè)人類(lèi)世界淹沒(méi)在鮮血之中。

In the east, a force of Raven Guard scouts came upon a vast and hidden underground complex akin to the alien ruins which the Traitors had used as their dread fastness. With this discovery the Raven Guard had their sanctuary, and operations to relocate began within hours. The move could not have been more propitiously timed, for as the last of the Raven Guard moved out, the night skies far to the west filled with the fires of massed retro jets. A vast flotilla of vessels was landing in the calderas of the extinct volcanoes over the western horizon, a flotilla belonging to the Warmaster's Traitor Mechanicum allies.

在東側(cè)，一支暗鴉守衛(wèi)偵查部隊(duì)發(fā)現(xiàn)了一座隱藏在地下的巨大綜合體設(shè)施，它類(lèi)似于那座被叛軍們用作可怕要塞的外星廢墟群。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)令暗鴉守衛(wèi)們得到了了自己的避難所，他們幾小時(shí)內(nèi)就開(kāi)始了重新安置行動(dòng)。此刻也是再合適不過(guò)的行動(dòng)，因?yàn)楫?dāng)最后一名暗鴉守衛(wèi)撤離時(shí)，遙遠(yuǎn)的西方夜空中充滿了大量制動(dòng)噴射引擎的火焰：一支龐大的艦隊(duì)降落到了死火山西側(cè)邊緣的火山口中，這是一支屬于戰(zhàn)帥的叛變機(jī)械神教盟友的艦隊(duì)。

Reclamation

回收

lf?the transport barques that had delivered the Traitors from the surface of Isstvan V in the aftermath of the Dropsite Massacre were epic in scale, the Mechanicum vessels now lowering themselves tortuously through the air were more vast still. From the cavernous holds of these gargantuan vessels marched a cohort of traitor Mechanicum tech-helots, and thousands upon thousands of servitors and tech-thralls were driven forth towards the wreckage-strewn Urgall Depression. The Warmaster's renegade Tech-Priests were beginning a reclamation operation of staggering scale, one that would grant the Warmaster an immediate advantage in supply and materiel. The entire depression was strewn with equipment of incredible military worth—even those vehicles and other items damaged beyond repair still of enormous value as salvage. The wrecks of hundreds of super-heavy tanks still smouldered there, while the toppled forms of once mighty Titans were testament to the sheer destruction unleashed in the few hours of the Dropsite Massacre. The ground was carpeted by the remains of hundreds of thousands of slain Space Marines, each of whom bore full Legiones Astartes battle plate and carried weapons and other items of equipment representing the very pinnacle of human technological achievement. Within hours, the flickering glow of plasma cutters was to be seen all across the depression as reclamation parties began their grim harvest.

登陸點(diǎn)大屠殺之后將叛軍們運(yùn)離伊斯特萬(wàn)五號(hào)地表的運(yùn)輸巨艦們的體積是史詩(shī)級(jí)別的，但那些正在從空中盤(pán)旋下降的機(jī)械神教飛船則更為龐大。一群叛徒機(jī)械神教的技術(shù)奴隸從巨型飛船那如同洞窟般的巨大船艙中走出，另有成千上萬(wàn)的機(jī)仆和技術(shù)契奴被趕向了遍地殘骸的Urgall洼地。戰(zhàn)帥派系的變節(jié)技術(shù)神甫們正在開(kāi)始一場(chǎng)規(guī)模驚人的回收行動(dòng)，這次行動(dòng)將使戰(zhàn)帥在補(bǔ)給和軍需物資方面獲得直接優(yōu)勢(shì)。整個(gè)洼地區(qū)域中到處都是具有驚人軍事價(jià)值的裝備，即使是那些損壞到無(wú)法修復(fù)的載具和其他物品，作為打回收物也仍有巨大的價(jià)值。數(shù)百輛超重型坦克的殘骸仍在那里悶燒，曾經(jīng)強(qiáng)大的泰坦們現(xiàn)在也成了倒在地上的殘骸，它們證明了登陸點(diǎn)大屠殺在幾個(gè)小時(shí)內(nèi)所帶來(lái)的徹底破壞。數(shù)十萬(wàn)具星際戰(zhàn)士的遺骸鋪滿了該區(qū)域的地面，每具尸體身上都穿戴著全套的阿斯塔特軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士動(dòng)力甲，攜帶著代表人類(lèi)科技成就頂峰的武器和其他裝備。在幾個(gè)小時(shí)之內(nèi)，洼地各處便都能見(jiàn)到電漿切割機(jī)閃爍的光芒，回收部隊(duì)開(kāi)始了他們的冷酷收獲。

The operation would continue for many weeks, pushing outwards across the depression until, at length, only the worthless detritus of war remained. Even weeks after the Dropsite Massacre, still-living bodies would be discovered in amongst the thousands of dead, the gene-enhanced physiology of the Legiones Astartes able to enter a state of suspended animation in which the body might heal from the most horrendous of wounds in time. Some Traitors, most notably elements of the Word Bearers and Emperor's Children —in whom it seemed the dark madness of nightmare had truly awakened, but whose true cause was not yet suspected by outsiders— took cruel delight when these were discovered; sometimes administering alchemical preparations to awaken them, only to torture and execute the unfortunate victims, exacting upon them what amounted to a second death. The sons of the Raven did what they could to disrupt the work of these reclamation parties, even while seeking to avoid their own capture and tortuous end. Dozens of Tech-Priest overseers fell; victim to the silenced sniper rounds of Legion Seekers determined to exact vengeance for the dark crimes witnessed through their targeting scopes, or found explosives booby-trapped to their would-be prizes of salvage. But ultimately, such counter-attacks were mere pin pricks to the vast scavenging effort the Traitors had undertaken.

這場(chǎng)行動(dòng)將會(huì)持續(xù)數(shù)周，范圍向外推進(jìn)到整片洼地各處，直到最后只剩下無(wú)價(jià)值的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)殘?jiān)Ｄ呐率窃诘顷扅c(diǎn)大屠殺過(guò)去數(shù)周之后，人們?cè)跀?shù)千具死者遺體中仍能找到生者——阿斯塔特軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士們經(jīng)過(guò)基因強(qiáng)化的軀體能讓他們進(jìn)入假死狀態(tài)，在這種狀態(tài)下，他們的身體可能會(huì)及時(shí)愈合最可怕的傷口。當(dāng)發(fā)現(xiàn)這些幸存者時(shí)，某些叛軍會(huì)感受到殘忍的愉悅，其中最為明顯的就是懷言者們和帝皇之子們——他們身上似乎已經(jīng)被真正喚醒了某些夢(mèng)魘般的黑暗瘋狂，但他們的真正動(dòng)機(jī)還尚未被外人們所懷疑；叛軍偶爾會(huì)使用煉金制劑來(lái)喚醒這些幸存者，目的只是為了折磨并處決這些不幸的受害者，對(duì)他們施加相當(dāng)于第二次死亡的蹂躪。在試圖避免自己被抓到和折磨的同時(shí)，渡鴉之子們也用盡辦法去擾亂回收部隊(duì)的工作。數(shù)十名負(fù)責(zé)監(jiān)督工作的技術(shù)牧師死在了這一過(guò)程中；他們要么是死于那些在瞄準(zhǔn)鏡中目睹了他們黑暗罪行的軍團(tuán)尋路者為了復(fù)仇而決定射出的無(wú)聲狙擊彈，要么就是在奔向自己企圖回收的戰(zhàn)利品時(shí)遭遇了炸彈陷阱。但總的來(lái)說(shuō)，這些反擊對(duì)叛軍們進(jìn)行的大規(guī)?；厥招袆?dòng)的阻礙效果只是杯水車(chē)薪。

The Hunters

獵手

Around the twentieth day after the Dropsite Massacre, the Legions fight for survival entered a new and bitter phase. By this point, the Traitors were aware that a significant force of Loyalists survived yet and had made a number of attempts to bring them to battle. Lord Corax, however, was not to be drawn into an open confrontation his forces had no chance of winning. Instead, he executed a series of strikes designed to divert and disrupt the enemy's operations and challenge their domination of the wastes surrounding the Urgall Depression.

在登陸點(diǎn)大屠殺之后的第20天左右，軍團(tuán)間為生存而進(jìn)行的戰(zhàn)斗進(jìn)入了一個(gè)苦澀的新階段。從此刻開(kāi)始，叛軍們意識(shí)到忠誠(chéng)派的一支重要部隊(duì)還活著，并多次試圖將他們拖入戰(zhàn)斗。但克拉克斯不愿讓他的部隊(duì)被卷入一場(chǎng)毫無(wú)勝算的公開(kāi)對(duì)抗中。相反，他實(shí)施了一系列旨在轉(zhuǎn)移和擾亂敵人行動(dòng)（目標(biāo)）的襲擊，挑戰(zhàn)了叛軍對(duì)Urgall洼地周邊廢土荒原的統(tǒng)治。

The greater number of Traitors left behind to scour the world belonged to the World Eaters Legion, led by their savage Primarch Angron. Despite the Loyalists' actions, the World Eaters rarely split their forces, instead scouring the depression and the wastes beyond in a vast and ravaging mass, their war cries audible for many kilometres all about. The other, smaller, Traitor Legion contingents deployed differently, however, leading the Raven Guard to the conclusion that those left behind on Isstvan V were some sort of punishment detail or else represented elements of the Traitor Legion their Primarch had decided to keep apart from the bulk of their forces. This hypothesis was further evidenced as a number of these remaining Traitor contingents were revealed to be fractious and ill-disciplined, the glory and nobility of the Emperor’s Great Crusade apparently forgotten to them. The Sons of Horus were often encountered in small bands of hunters, most accompanied by cyber-mastiffs able to detect the proximity of even the stealthiest of Raven Guard warriors and to track them across many kilometres. The Word Bearers by comparison followed their own agenda, their actions driven by their own unknowable ritualistic dogma and often staying clear even of their own supposed allies—perhaps because these actions would have prompted too many questions they would prefer not to answer of their 'brothers-in-arms'. The Iron Warriors contingent, smaller but well provided for in terms of heavy vehicles and war machinery, scoured the wastes in compact armoured columns, the largest three of which presented Corax with the opportunity he had been seeking.

很多被留下來(lái)肅清這個(gè)世界的叛軍成員都屬于吞世者軍團(tuán)，率領(lǐng)他們的是那位野蠻的原體——安格隆。盡管忠誠(chéng)派采取了行動(dòng)，但吞世者幾乎沒(méi)有分散自己的部隊(duì)，而是以龐大且毀滅性的群體攻勢(shì)來(lái)掃蕩洼地和遠(yuǎn)處的廢土荒原，方圓數(shù)公里的區(qū)域內(nèi)都能聽(tīng)到他們的戰(zhàn)吼。但來(lái)自其他軍團(tuán)的小規(guī)模分遣隊(duì)則是進(jìn)行了不同形式的部署，這令暗鴉守衛(wèi)得出了一個(gè)結(jié)論：這些被丟在伊斯特萬(wàn)五號(hào)上的部隊(duì)是遭到了某種懲罰，或者是被叛變軍團(tuán)的原體們決定要與主力部隊(duì)分離開(kāi)的其他代表性分隊(duì)。該假設(shè)的進(jìn)一步證據(jù)是：許多留在此地的叛軍分隊(duì)都被發(fā)現(xiàn)是難以控制和缺乏紀(jì)律的，他們顯然忘記了大遠(yuǎn)征時(shí)期的榮耀和高貴（品性）。暗鴉守衛(wèi)們遇到的荷魯斯之子部隊(duì)通常都是小規(guī)模的獵手團(tuán)隊(duì)，他們中的大多數(shù)都配備了智控獒犬——這種機(jī)器能夠探測(cè)到行動(dòng)最為隱秘的暗鴉守衛(wèi)戰(zhàn)士的接近，并追蹤著他們跨越數(shù)千公里。相比之下，懷言者則是遵循著他們自己的章法，他們的行動(dòng)由他們那不可知的儀式化教條所驅(qū)動(dòng)，甚至經(jīng)常與他們自己所謂的盟友保持距離——也許是因?yàn)檫@些行動(dòng)會(huì)引出許多他們不愿對(duì)“袍澤兄弟”們進(jìn)行解答的問(wèn)題。鋼鐵勇士分隊(duì)規(guī)模較小，但卻在重型載具和戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)機(jī)器方面裝備精良，他們以密集的裝甲縱隊(duì)搜查著廢土荒原，其中規(guī)模最大的三個(gè)縱隊(duì)給克拉克斯提供了他一直在尋找的機(jī)會(huì)。

The Raven Lords campaign against the Iron Warriors armoured columns was to span several weeks and heralded some of the most intense fighting prior to the very final battles on Isstvan V. Initial operations saw Raven Guard squads shadow the enemy as they scoured the hills, gathering intelligence on the Iron Warriors' strengths and weaknesses. The sons of Perturabo appeared not to be following any particular search doctrine, or at least that its officers were perhaps competing with rather than aiding each other. It was therefore a relatively simple matter for the disciplined Raven Guard to ascertain the Iron Warriors' strength and to isolate them at a time and place of their choosing. Each of the three largest columns consisted of several dozen armoured vehicles, at least half of which were transport vehicles such as Rhinos and Land Raiders carrying a substantial infantry element. The remainder were Predator battle tanks and Thunderstrike heavy artillery tanks, a class of war machine highly favoured by the Iron Warriors. Of greater concern to the Raven Guard scouts were the squadrons of Scimitar jet bikes ranging ahead of the columns in their ceaseless hunt for Loyalist survivors. On several occasions, Raven Guard scouts were spotted as they shadowed the columns and many paid the ultimate price for?the knowledge they gleaned.

渡鴉之主針對(duì)鋼鐵勇士裝甲縱隊(duì)發(fā)起的戰(zhàn)役時(shí)間跨度為數(shù)周，預(yù)示著伊斯特萬(wàn)五號(hào)上的最終決戰(zhàn)爆發(fā)之前的一些最為激烈的戰(zhàn)斗。在最初的行動(dòng)中，暗鴉守衛(wèi)會(huì)在敵人搜索山丘時(shí)尾隨他們，收集關(guān)于鋼鐵勇士強(qiáng)項(xiàng)和弱項(xiàng)的情報(bào)。佩圖拉博的子嗣們似乎并未遵循某些特定的搜尋信條，或者至少軍官們可能是在互相競(jìng)爭(zhēng)而非互相幫助。因此對(duì)于有紀(jì)律性的暗鴉守衛(wèi)們而言，確定鋼鐵勇士們的兵力并在自己選定的時(shí)間地點(diǎn)將其孤立起來(lái)是一件相對(duì)簡(jiǎn)單的事情。在三支規(guī)模最大的裝甲縱隊(duì)中，每一支都包含數(shù)十輛裝甲載具，而且其中至少有半數(shù)都是諸如犀牛和蘭德突襲者之類(lèi)運(yùn)載了大量步兵的運(yùn)輸載具；其余的是捕食者坦克和雷擊型重型炮擊坦克——此類(lèi)載具非常受到鋼鐵勇士們的偏愛(ài)。不過(guò)暗鴉守衛(wèi)偵察兵們更關(guān)心的是那些沖在裝甲縱隊(duì)前方不停搜尋著忠誠(chéng)派幸存者的彎刀型噴射機(jī)車(chē)中隊(duì)們。有很多次，暗鴉守衛(wèi)偵察兵們都在在跟蹤這些縱隊(duì)時(shí)被發(fā)現(xiàn)，許多人為自己所收集的知識(shí)付出了最終的代價(jià)。

Eventually, the Raven Lord had gathered the information he needed and so he mustered an ambush torce to the north of the Urgall Depression. His target was the smallest of the three Iron Warriors armoured columns, against which he intended to test the Traitors' capacity and will to fight. The attack was launched in the hours before sunrise, such as it was, as the Traitors prepared to move out from their laager. Surprise was total, for in their arrogance the Traitors had not anticipated facing organised Loyalists. Before the enemy could even muster a response, the first wave of Raven Guard assault squads, led by the Primarch, were in amongst the Iron Warriors'?positions and slaughtering their foe with cold, precise abandon. The battle could not have lasted even an hour before the Primarch ordered his warriors to withdraw, for Traitor reinforcements were inbound and the Raven Lord's primary objective had been attained.

最終，渡鴉之主收集到了自己所需的信息，于是他在Urgall洼地北側(cè)集結(jié)起來(lái)一支伏擊部隊(duì)。他的目標(biāo)是三支鋼鐵勇士裝甲縱隊(duì)中規(guī)模最小的一支，想借此來(lái)考驗(yàn)叛軍們的戰(zhàn)斗能力與意志。暗鴉守衛(wèi)們?cè)谌粘銮暗膸讉€(gè)小時(shí)發(fā)動(dòng)了進(jìn)攻，當(dāng)時(shí)叛軍們正準(zhǔn)備從自己的臨時(shí)防御陣地中出發(fā)。暗鴉守衛(wèi)的進(jìn)攻完全震驚了鋼鐵勇士們，因?yàn)檫@些處于自滿狀態(tài)中的叛軍完全未曾料到自己會(huì)面對(duì)有組織的忠誠(chéng)派部隊(duì)。甚至在敵軍能夠集結(jié)起來(lái)做出反應(yīng)之前，第一波暗鴉守衛(wèi)突擊小隊(duì)就已經(jīng)在原體的率領(lǐng)下沖入了鋼鐵勇士的陣地，冷酷無(wú)情地對(duì)敵人展開(kāi)屠殺。戰(zhàn)斗持續(xù)了還不到一個(gè)小時(shí)，原體便命令他的戰(zhàn)士們撤退，因?yàn)榕衍娫鲈呀?jīng)到來(lái)，原體的首要目標(biāo)也達(dá)成了。

When Corax and his warriors withdrew, they left behind the corpses of several hundred Traitors and the guttering hulks of dozens of vehicles. Militarily, the battle paled into insignificance compared to the losses the Traitors had inflicted upon the Loyalists at the Dropsite Massacre and afterwards. In teims of morale, however, it could not have been more important. The Raven Guard had struck a meaningful blow against the Traitors, and even if every son of Corax eventually died on the blasted surface of Isstvan V, they would do so vindicated and with honour.

當(dāng)克拉克斯和他的戰(zhàn)士們撤退時(shí)，他們?cè)谏砗罅粝铝藬?shù)百具尸體和數(shù)十輛火焰即將熄滅的載具殘骸。在軍事上，這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)役的戰(zhàn)果與叛徒在登陸點(diǎn)大屠殺期間和之后給忠誠(chéng)派造成的損失相比顯得微不足道；但在士氣上，這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)役再重要不過(guò)了。暗鴉守衛(wèi)對(duì)叛軍進(jìn)行了一次意義明顯的進(jìn)攻，哪怕是克拉克斯的所有子嗣都終將犧牲在伊斯特萬(wàn)五號(hào)被炸碎的地表，他們也會(huì)無(wú)罪且光榮地赴死。

History records an additional footnote to this battle. As the Raven Guard melted into the shadows, a deep, atonal dirge was heard to echo across the wastes. Corax and several of the Mor Deythan watched the rear as the main body withdrew. The sound was repeated, much closer this time, and a beam of red light stabbed through the gloomy morning mist. At the last, the Raven Guard witnessed a phalanx of walkers making for the site of the battle, their form unfamiliar but clearly the product of some esoteric discipline practised by the Warmaster's Traitor Mechanicum allies. This was the first recorded sighting of the war engines that would come to be known as the 'blindhunters', a class of mechanical automaton possessed of a dark intelligence and a fearsome array of weaponry, and intended to hunt down every last survivor left upon the surface of Isstvan V.?Their very existence and presence on the planet at that juncture was further evidence of the staggering scope and scale of the Warmasters treachery.

歷史為這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)斗記錄下了一個(gè)額外的腳注。當(dāng)暗鴉守衛(wèi)們?nèi)谌腙幱皾u漸消失時(shí)，一曲深沉且無(wú)調(diào)的挽歌在廢土荒原上回響。當(dāng)主力部隊(duì)撤出時(shí)，克拉克斯和多位暗影大師看向后方。聲音重復(fù)起來(lái)，這次要近得多，而且一道紅光劃破了暗淡的晨霧。最終，暗鴉守衛(wèi)們目擊到一個(gè)由步行機(jī)組成的方陣正在走向戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)，它們的形體令人感到陌生，但明顯是戰(zhàn)帥的機(jī)械神教叛徒盟友們所實(shí)踐的深?yuàn)W信條的產(chǎn)物。這是對(duì)于該戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)引擎的第一次有記錄的目擊，此類(lèi)裝備在日后會(huì)被稱(chēng)為“盲眼獵手”，是一種擁有黑暗靈智與一系列可怕武器的自動(dòng)機(jī)兵，它們意圖狩獵留在伊斯特萬(wàn)五號(hào)地表的所有幸存者。它們此刻在該星球上的存在和出現(xiàn)，進(jìn)一步表明了戰(zhàn)帥叛變那令人震驚的范圍與規(guī)模。