Lost Legion vague reference in 6th ed book?

[BeatTheBeat]

Felt that this got a little lost in the bigger "new background" thread, and figured some of you might find this interesting or at least amusing. So, copy paste from my earlier post, and here goes:

I don't know if this has been mentioned in the discussion already, and it might be a bit of a weak argument, but I think that there might be some lost legion love in one of the pictures in the book.

Check out the picture (p. 166) where the Emperor is adressing... Who? Luna Wolves and Emperor's Children are obvious, but to his right beyond the Emperor's Children there's a banner with the visible number 2 and some kind of dragon/snake device. I might be wrong, but this to me feels a lot like coinciding with the second (lost) Legion. Not at least because the number is _just_ visible.

Thoughts?

Cheers,
BTB

[Navar]

Alpha Legion.

[Rogue Star]

Alpha Legion.

Seconding this. Alpha Legion next to Lunar Wolves, with Emperor's Children on the far right. I'm not seeing any references to them being the 2nd Legion.

[BeatTheBeat]

I thought Salamanders or Alpha Legion first as well, but there are some points speaking against it. First off the Alpha Legion was the last founded Legion, both legion-wise and finding-Primarch(es)-wise. This looks to be quite early in the crusade, as everybody seems to be in MKII-III plate, which I wouldn't expect the company veterans (banner carrying people in general) to wear after the Alpha Legion was founded and especially not after Alpharius/Omegon was found. Finally it's not a hydra, it's some kind of snake or dragon, and I'd expect the number to be a legion number rather than a company number considering its central position on the banner.

Edit: Oh, and of course the outside universe decision to include the number at all, while there are no numbers on the other banners.

It would help if anybody had some knowledge on early Great Crusade Alpha Legion and their heraldry.

Cheers,
BTB

[Lupe]

Alpha Legion.

Not really, the OP has a point, in my opinion...

[Lord Damocles]

The Emperor seems very windy compared to all of the banners in that picture...

[The bearded one]

Not really, the OP has a point, in my opinion...

The OP also mentioned the emperors children to be on that pic, which one's the emps children? The guy in the foreground on the right?

[BeatTheBeat]

Lupe - Glad that it seems odd to other people as well!

The bearded one - Yeah, those are the ones, as evidenced by their chapter symbol on the shoulder pad. They are not too hot on snakes or dragons in their fluff to date though.

Cheers,
BTB

[Radium]

Yep, as seen from their shoulderpad iconography.

I'm just going to put this in the 'artistic freedom' category, I don't think this is actually intended to be a reference to the lost legions.

Also, you can just make out the Ultramarines in the back there.

[BeatTheBeat]

Radium - I've also been thinking about just random artistic freedom, but since it's the only visible number on any flag, is just almost visible (and therefore doesn't really serve any aesthetic purpose) and is accompanied by heraldry that doesn't really fit in with any known Legion, it is a bit suspicios, especially when the artist has bothered to check the facts on both armour marks and heraldry for the other Astartes/banners.

Cheers,
BTB

[MiyamatoMusashi]

Pardon me if my eyes are failing in my old age, but exactly where are you seeing the number 2? I've looked in the circle (and in my copy of the book, in the equivalent place) and it's just a shape. I think I can vaguely see how it might look like a curly shape that could be a 2 if you squint... possibly... but if it was a Legion number, wouldn't it be a II?

[Inquisitor Engel]

To me it looks like the stylized Emperor's Children winged claw.

[Wazzahamma]

Pardon me if my eyes are failing in my old age, but exactly where are you seeing the number 2? I've looked in the circle (and in my copy of the book, in the equivalent place) and it's just a shape. I think I can vaguely see how it might look like a curly shape that could be a 2 if you squint... possibly... but if it was a Legion number, wouldn't it be a II?

Maybe they were wiped out for refusing to use roman numerals. GRIMDARK

[All Cing Eye]

I agree that it barely looks like the number 2.

It could be the top bit the Eye of Magnus symbol the Thousand Sons used at the time.

[BeatTheBeat]

What? You are looking at the pic in the book, right? It's pretty clear that it is a 2, that is the least of my doubts.

Cheers,
BTB

[Asi the Red]

IMO it's a single head of a hydra from an Alpha Legion banner. The AL banner in the center of the picture features several heads (perhaps a company banner?), while that banner has only one head (perhaps a squad banner?).

[Hendarion]

Maybe it really is artistic freedom and the artist did want a "2" there without telling anybody. An easter-egg if you want to say so. What impresses me far more is that there are people who are able to spot such a detail. I wouldn't.

[MiyamatoMusashi]

What? You are looking at the pic in the book, right? It's pretty clear that it is a 2, that is the least of my doubts.

It exactly matches the shape of the dragon neck that forms the main symbol on the banner. It could be a 2... or it could be another dragon neck.

[Fle]

Each of the other Legion's banners only appear once in the picture - Emperors Children, Alpha Legion, Ultramarines on the right, Luna Wolves and the mystery banner on the left.

If the second banner on the left was also Alpha Legion that would mean they alone are represented twice in the picture. This is possible I suppose, but does seem a bit odd.

[Lord Damocles]

I'm glad sombody else questioned whether it's a '2' or not, because I've got to admit that it doesn't look much like a '2' to me.