Siege of San Nuria

The Siege of San Nuria was a brutal and bloody Imperial xenocidal, defensive campaign carried out by the Ebon Knights Space Marine Chapter against an unrecorded xenos threat. The Ebon Knight's losses were so severe that they were forced to spend almost a century replenishing their ranks and their gene-seed stocks before being able to actively serve the Emperor and do battle effectively once more.

History
Sometime in the 34th Millennium, the Eastern Fringe of the Ultima Segmentum was beset upon by a mysterious threat that arose from the Ghoul Stars. This dire event came to be known as the Pale Wasting, and as most Imperial records have been censored or purposely destroyed. Contradictory indications describe the nature of the threat as both a "star-spawned plague" that swept away scores of worlds and as "nightmare engines" that slaughtered the populations of whole sectors. Ironically, the historical records of many Space Marine Chapters that took part in this conflict are curiously empty. It is believed that the Siege of San Nuria was just one campaign that was a part of this larger conflict.

The Ebon Knights, as well as some extant Imperial records, indicates that this threat was more than likely xenos in nature. Some Imperial savants believe that this threat was more than likely the biomorphic race known as the Thexian Elite of the Thexian Trade Empire. Hailing from the oxidised worlds known as the Bloodmoons of Thex Prime, located in the mysterious region of space known as the Ghoul Stars, they are few in number, but are quite strong in influence. These vile xenos are known to be masters of manipulation and have worked themselves into integral positions in the Borlac, Loxatl and Nicassar civilisations. Though Thexians are famously persuasive, when guile is not enough their battle form is quite horrifying to behold. It is believed that the Ebon Knights answered the call-to-arms, taking part in some of the apocalyptic battles of this bloody and brutal campaign. Once of this campaigns was upon the world of San Nuria, a vitally important agricultural world that was responsible for the export of agricultural goods to several nearby worlds. Without these goods, whole populations would suffer severe famine, causing the deaths of untold millions of Imperial citizens.

When the world of San Nuria was set upon by a mysterious xenos threat, this fleet-based, Sons of the Lion Chapter answered the besieged planet's call for aid. Whatever this xenos threat exactly was is unknown, as the Chapter's records are curiously absent of the exact nature of enemy they actually faced, however the battle against these xenos must have been a truly apocalyptic struggle. Though they managed to eradicate this xenos threat, the Ebon Knights suffered a catastrophic number of casualties. It would take several centuries for the Chapter to rebuilt their numbers. They would not appear in official Imperial records until the latter years of the 35th Millennium.