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what where the necrotyre like before they became necrons?

20 year lifespan.
Hated the old ones for thier long lives.
Home world was wracked with toxins making life even shorter.
Very bitter.

40 year life span IIRC

Also their sun shortened their life span as well.
So it just really really sucked to be a Necrontyr.

The sun shortened their lifespan, because of the reaction it was having by it being eaten by the Deceiver.

Think Adeptus Mechanicus, but bitter. VERY bitter

Actually they kinda looked like necrons. Very thin and sickly.

Their lives were very short, due to environmental and physical factors. Their original planet was wracked with terrible weather, as well as storms of radiation. Their biology was frail as well. They lived their lives in fear of their swift and inevitable demise. As they turned to science, advancing their technology at a frightening pace, their cities became little more than elaborate tombs. Their entire lives were spent preparing for their deaths. Eventually they realized that their study of science could not save them, and so turned to the stars.

Their vessels were clad in a kind of living metal that they had invented, and although able to travel the long, slow journeys between stars, they were not able to transport themselves instantaneously through the webway. Eventually the Necrontyr encountered the Old Ones. Hateful of the Old Ones' long lives and idyllic culture, the Necrontyr grew bitter and declared war on them, hoping to wipe them out. (And perhaps discover their secrets by sifting the ashes of their destroyed civilization.)

Such was not to be however. The Necrontyr had bitten off far more than they could chew, and the Old Ones pushed them into exile on the fringes of the galaxy, where their hatred for the Old Ones became a hatred for ALL life in the galaxy. Inspired by the deletorious effect their own sun had had on their homeworld, the Necrontyr turned to the study of stellar phenomenon in order to gain a weapon they could use on the Old Ones. Eventually, they discovered the C'Tan, a kind of star-consuming being. They managed to fashion bodies of living metal for the C'Tan to inhabit so that they could communicate.

The C'Tan enslaved the Necrontyr and offered them a deal. (Although 'deal' is a strong word, as some of the things I have read suggest there wasn't an option.) They offered the dying race immortality. The Necrontyr were transformed as a whole into a race of beings made entirely of the living metal that they had discovered. With their transformation came a hideous price: they lost all intelligence and individuality. Only a few retained any personality or drive, although in a far diminished capacity. Whether or not they understood the price that they would pay is a matter of conjecture.

Thus did were the Necrons created. Note that all parenthetical information is conjecture on my part.

Poisoned, radiation-coated, bitter and twisted.

Jimsolo wrote:Their lives were very short, due to environmental and physical factors. Their original planet was wracked with terrible weather, as well as storms of radiation. Their biology was frail as well. They lived their lives in fear of their swift and inevitable demise. As they turned to science, advancing their technology at a frightening pace, their cities became little more than elaborate tombs. Their entire lives were spent preparing for their deaths. Eventually they realized that their study of science could not save them, and so turned to the stars.

Their vessels were clad in a kind of living metal that they had invented, and although able to travel the long, slow journeys between stars, they were not able to transport themselves instantaneously through the webway. Eventually the Necrontyr encountered the Old Ones. Hateful of the Old Ones' long lives and idyllic culture, the Necrontyr grew bitter and declared war on them, hoping to wipe them out. (And perhaps discover their secrets by sifting the ashes of their destroyed civilization.)

Such was not to be however. The Necrontyr had bitten off far more than they could chew, and the Old Ones pushed them into exile on the fringes of the galaxy, where their hatred for the Old Ones became a hatred for ALL life in the galaxy. Inspired by the deletorious effect their own sun had had on their homeworld, the Necrontyr turned to the study of stellar phenomenon in order to gain a weapon they could use on the Old Ones. Eventually, they discovered the C'Tan, a kind of star-consuming being. They managed to fashion bodies of living metal for the C'Tan to inhabit so that they could communicate.

The C'Tan enslaved the Necrontyr and offered them a deal. (Although 'deal' is a strong word, as some of the things I have read suggest there wasn't an option.) They offered the dying race immortality. The Necrontyr were transformed as a whole into a race of beings made entirely of the living metal that they had discovered. With their transformation came a hideous price: they lost all intelligence and individuality. Only a few retained any personality or drive, although in a far diminished capacity. Whether or not they understood the price that they would pay is a matter of conjecture.

Thus did were the Necrons created. Note that all parenthetical information is conjecture on my part.

You, Know, i'd been wondering about this also and now you've given the most comprehensive backround i've seen, Thank you.

Brunius wrote:40 year life span IIRC

Thats Tau.
Aloutgh it could also be the necrotyre...

Tau only live for 40 years?

Bugger, Farsight suddenly loses any threat.

He'll be dead in about 5 years, why bother hunting him?

VikingScott wrote:

Brunius wrote:40 year life span IIRC

Thats Tau.
Aloutgh it could also be the necrotyre...

Had a quick browse through the Necron codex, no mention of standardised mortality rate. They did have high infant/child mortality rates, this coupled with the conditions they developed throughout adulthood probably thinned their numbers. However it is not unlikely that those fortunate enough to survive would have lived almost as long as the average person of today.

I think their lifespans are thought to be incredibly short because they are directly compared to the essentially immortal Old Ones. If they had been compared with the average Imperial Citizen you would probably find that there is little difference.

However long it was, they thought it was way too short, even before they met the Old Ones. They were just pissed at the universe in general for living so short, which made them hate the OOs so much...especially after they discovered that they didn't live any longer in space, away from their crappy environment and brutal sun. Apparently their biology just wasn't built to last, which has been found in terrestrial species: ones with high predation rates aren't built to last and just kinda fall apart after reaching a certain age, while populations of the same species that have been in low-predation areas (such as islands) can last quite a bit longer.

Gearhead wrote:However long it was, they thought it was way too short, even before they met the Old Ones. They were just pissed at the universe in general for living so short, which made them hate the OOs so much...especially after they discovered that they didn't live any longer in space, away from their crappy environment and brutal sun. Apparently their biology just wasn't built to last, which has been found in terrestrial species: ones with high predation rates aren't built to last and just kinda fall apart after reaching a certain age, while populations of the same species that have been in low-predation areas (such as islands) can last quite a bit longer.

If the Necrontyr lived for 500 years I'm sure that they still would have been bitter the Old Ones lived longer. They seem to take no pride in their own achievements, constantly wanting what other races appear to have (Longevity/a vast Galaxy spanning empire/normal Stars that don't kill you). I guess it builds up the Necrons bitterness towards life more, and ultimately shows why they would embrace undeath so readily (even if they were misled).

Well they had short life-spans and were trying to mitigate it even before they met the Old Ones, so it's probably not solely a matter of comparison for them, although it was almost definitely a defining factor.