Hi guys, this info has been in the Dakka Background forum for a while now, but I have just decided to put in the form of an garticle so it is all in one place and for ease of editing (thanks for the help Manchu). So without further ado, I present my Fan-Fluff.
The Death of The Emperor - A Continuation of The 40K Universe
• After decades of failed analysis and repair attempts by the Mechanicum, the Golden Throne finally breaks down. The emaciated corpse of the Emperor of Mankind shudders for a second, before exploding into dust in a blast of Golden Light. The Astronomicon flares brightly for a brief instant, brighter than it has ever glowed, before suddenly dying, leaving a black hollow beam in the warp.
• Every human psyker in the galaxy is affected by the death of the Emperor in some way. For some it is a brief image of a smiling pale faced man in gold, for others a reassuring warmth followed by an intense sense of loss. For others it’s as if a part of themselves has been removed entirely.
• A tremor in the Warp flows across the Realms of Chaos, the Chaos Gods flinch at its power and become aware that something has changed. The Ork Gods stop their endless fighting as a ripple passes over their domain and The Laughing God smirks as he realises what has happened.
• The High Lords of Terra attempt to conceal the Emperor’s death; however it is all in vain as thousands of Sol System pilgrims flock to Terra. The Palace itself becomes a huge monument to the now dead Emperor. The Adeptus Custodes, The Grey Knights and The Adeptus Sororitas become the standing force of the Sol System.
A Galaxy In Mourning - The Immediate Effects
1. The Astronomicon dies, meaning interstellar travel is near impossible. Navigators in and around the Sol system can still traverse the warp with great difficulty using the echo of the Astronomicon Flare, but this lasts only a few short months before the warp goes dark again. Systems much farther from Terra are either isolated or need to journey for several decades (and through other friendly territories) in order to travel even relatively small interstellar destinations.
2. The Emperor’s Hold on the Noctis Labyrinth on Mars is broken and the Void Dragon himself erupts from beneath Mars. Many on Mars quail before the eruption of the beast, whilst others throw themselves to the floor in supplication to what they view as the Omnissiah. The Dragon consumes several millions of Mechanicum Personnel in a homicidal rage that lasts a day and a night, before being driven off by three Titan Legions. It travels beyond the Sol System. The Mechanicum is in ruins.
3. Because of the sudden Isolation, several systems develop into their own personal empires. Cadia and its surrounding worlds take the Emperor’s Death in their stride and re-double their efforts to keep Chaos at bay, now seeing it as their birthright and endless debt to their dead lord.
4. Fenris and its systems go into mourning for the All-Father. The Space Wolves repaint their armour a Deep Grey and repaint their weapons black in mourning. News of a strange hooded traveller spreads through the Fenrisian system.
5. As if jolted from death, The Lord Macragge himself - Robute Guilliman rises from stasis, his neck wound fully healed. He is welcomed back with joy by his legion. He explains that this day he has lost his Father for the second time, and much like before it falls to him and his Legion to secure Mankind’s legacy. The Calth system becomes entirely independent, renaming itself the New Imperium.
• The Death of The Emperor also had less obvious but by no means extreme effects on the universe. The inquisition suddenly gfound itself with a huge overflow of Psyker Prisoners, who had been meant for feeding the Psychic might of the Emperor. The huge amalgam of Psykers, coupled with the Psychic shock of the Emperor’s Death actually destroyed several thousands of Black Ships and laid waste to many Inquisition Holds throughout the galaxy. Several were lost to Daemon Incursions, whilst others still were led into horrific battles with the Psykers themselves. The Ordo Malleus loses 75% of its numbers as they had the largest amount of ‘witches’ in custody. The Inquisition forever knows this period as The Dark Days of The Inquisition or The Psyker Wars.
• In Commoragh, events have worsened. The recent death of the Emperor has led to an empowering of the Chaos Gods, and She Who Thirsts is taking an even greater toll upon the Dark Eldar. In desperation, Archon Vect agrees to sacrifice his ultimate prisoner to stave off the Dark Prince. However, something goes horrifically wrong and the prisoner escapes with several others freed from the Eldar oppression. He hijacks a Dark Eldar vessel and blasts out the webway back into regular space. When his fellow prisoners enquire into whom their saviour is, he refers to himself simply as The Khan. They make heading for the nearest human world, however they are troubled by their inability to detect the Astronomicon.
Home - The Fall of The Sol System
• The Sol System is now a democratic (albeit highly corrupt) state, separate from the rest of the universe. Policed by the Custodes, who are weary of their role as the Night-watchmen of the new Terran Council. The Grey Knights defend the Inquisition left within the Sol System, who has become frighteningly isolationist. The Mechanicum of Mars has also become a more autonomous, and several incredible breakthroughs improving life in the Sol System in general. The Terran Council is also secretly bidding the Mechanicum to develop an alternative to Warp Travel.
• Several Segmenta away, Mechanicum Adepts allied with the Tau finally crack the mystery behind Sub-warp travel. They board one of their ships, dubbed The Wrath of the Omnissiah intent on taking this latest development to Mars. The Tau arranges a blockade, more than aware of what the consequences of mankind gaining access to their sub-warp engines. A tense stand-off begins, with the Mechanicum on one side and their Tau ‘allies’ on the other.
Falling from Grace - The Casting Out of The Chaos Legions
• With the death of the Emperor, the Daemons of the Chaos Gods begins to rip into reality at several points of the cosmos, causing unchecked panic. In some places it as if Old Night has descended again, with entire worlds being lost to the ravenous monstrosities in a single night. However, the Terran Web Gate is heavily defended by Custodes and Grey Knights and the daemons are unable to push through. 1000 Grey Knights led by Brother-Captain Stern sacrifice themselves in a psychic assault that ruptures the warp gate, making it too unstable even for the forces of chaos.
• The Chaos Legions feel their time has come and prepare to make an immediate Warp Jump to the Sol System. However the Death of The Emperor has led to a dramatic change of power in the Warp. The Chaos Gods care very little for the Astartes followers now their greatest foe has perished and the journey is fraught with peril, this new ‘Black Crusade’ is mauled in the warp and is separated. The Chaos Legions find themselves in disarray at various points in the Cosmos.
• Some attempt to regain favour with their Gods, such as The Word Bearers who immediately begin a period of intense self-punishment. Over the coming months, the already unstable legion start to pick itself apart, as self-loathing turns to blame and intense in-fighting. Lorgar cares not for his former sons as he has attained daemonhood and see’s the Gods sudden rejection of the Legion as part of the Great Plan.
• The Death Guard are deposited in a relatively calm sector of space, Grandfather Nurgle finding it very difficult to let go of any of his ‘children’, however no longer requiring them. The Death Guard take this (as with all things in their stride) although due to a weakening in their link to Nurgle, many start succumbing to the ‘gifts’ he gave them many centuries ago.
• The World Eaters care not, and continue on as they have always done, as do the Emperors Children, too caught up in their respective situations to care.
• Abaddon and the Black Legion suffer hugely at the hands of the warp Storms, losing nearly a quarter of their number to the whim of the Gods. Abaddon rages at their fate, declaring himself an enemy of everything and swearing to slay the very Gods themselves. It is said that Tzeentch himself can be heard laughing at Abaddon’s claims.
• The Alpha Legion is at Civil War. Half are still technically on the side of the Imperium, and see that mankind requires their protection more than ever whereas the other have truly fallen to Chaos. Eventually the loyalist Legion led by Omegon outrun the Chaos Alpha’s and make a heading for the nearest populated world.
• Both Ahriman & Magnus look into the future and see that the current affairs are possibly all part of The Lord of Schemes plan, however there are variables that are invisible to them, their sight obscured by shining gold light. Ahriman redoubles his efforts to find the Black Library to divine more of the situation, while Magnus locks himself in his tower, The Lord of Sorcerers keeping to himself.
• The Eye of Terror has almost doubled in span. The powers of Chaos bleed into the material realm without the Emperor’s might to halt them. However, the Cadian Gate still stands strong, as Prophets of The Emperor rise in the populace proclaiming His return. Whilst attempting to divine more about its Pylons, Cadian scientist unearth a strange Stasis Tomb that they cannot penetrate.
• Abaddon sets a warpath back to the Eye of Terror, purging any and all resistance he meets. He crosses paths with the Emperors Children and decimates them, wiping out half their remaining number. Abaddon serves no one and now wishes to see the Warp and the Galaxy burn.
How The Mighty Fall - The Ultramarines & The New Imperium
• 3 years after the Emperor's death, and The New Imperium (based in the Calth System) has linked with several of its neighbouring systems to create a new and broader Calth System. The Primarch Guilliman leads the system, seemingly for the benefit of mankind. However, the strain is starting to show, especially as he must breach his own Codex Astartes to ensure there are enough to police this new and larger realm.
• Guilliman arranges a democratic election when it becomes clear that several worlds in the New Imperium are unhappy with ghis overall military and diplomatic leadership. The two other parties who are in the running is invited to Guilliman’s personal palace to discuss the upcoming election, however their ship suffers a severe ‘accident’ enroute claiming both their lives. The elections are postponed.
2.8 years after the Death of the God-Emperor of Terra
• The Culling of Calth: An event that will forever go down in the history books. Several thousand of political protesters congregate outside Ultramarine bases all over the New Imperium. They claim that the deaths of two leading revolutionary figures were orchestrated by the Ultramarines High Command, with particular vehemence toward Guilliman himself. The protesters draw comparisons between Guilliman’s Paranoia and Political orchestrations to those of The Arch-Heretic himself: Horus.
• As soon as these words are uttered, Guilliman orders an instant cull of the protesters in the interest of ‘maintaining order’. Hundreds upon thousands of people are butchered in the space of a few hours by the zealous Astartes. News travels fast around the New Imperium, with a particular demonising of the Primarch himself.
• There are some whispers that the Primarchs miraculous return two years prior may be tainted by the forces of the Warp, with some going even farther by suggesting that the Ultramarines have become unwitting pawns to the Dark Gods. Revolution is brewing in the New Imperium.
And he came in from the Cold - The Space Wolves
•The hooded Traveler arrives at the Fang, despite the suicidal conditions involved in doing so. He passes through the Fang strangely unchallenged, and brother Space Wolves who tries to bar his way suddenly pauses and allows him past. He arrives in the Great Hall of the 13 Great Companies were the 12 remaining Wolf Lords are gathered. The Wolf Lords demand to know who the stranger is, and he reveals himself to be a Lone Wolf known as Wodin Naggfar. He reveals that he has traveled for many decades throughout the universe, at first searching for an honourable death, but eventually questing for what he refers to as ‘The Great Truth of The Future’. He urges his brothers to cast aside the melancholy that has gripped the Legion, as The All-Father and Russ need them. At the mention of Russ, the Captains excitedly enquire what the Wodin knows. He reveals that their Primarch is trying to return to them, but is penned in and under siege and requires his sons aid to rescue not only him, but all of mankind. A great victory-feast is held in Wodin’s honour and the Space Wolves make immediate plans to head to their Primarch’s location: The Eye of Terror.
• The entirety of the Space Wolves chapter leaves Fenris, and sets off on ‘The Last Great Saga’ to free their Primarch from the Eye of Terror. Worlds in need of aid are liberated as they are encountered, the ferocity of the Wolves brushing away any resistance. However, more and more brothers are suffering from the Curse of the Wulfen although this doesn’t slow down the Wolves advance through real space.
A Son's Reckoning - The Renewal of Magnus
“What is it you seek” hissed the Voice.
“I do not know, my path forward is clouded” he answered, “I am lost”
“We are all lost” corrected the Voice “only the Great Shaper of Fate knows the path through the Great Maze, only He knows the answer to the Great Question. What makes you any different?”
“I think…” he hesitated “I think I made a mistake…”
There was a sudden gust, like an intake of breath upon the revelation of terrible news. The Voice mumbled to itself as it realised the enormity of the words it was hearing.
“You wish to turn your back upon your true Father? To cast aside the bonds of loyalty you forged in his service? I should not be surprised. You have done that once before. How very like you Magnus”
Magnus the Red closed his eye and breathed deeply. It had been almost two years since the Death of the Emperor, and the Second year of his seclusion in the Tower of Sorcerers. He had felt his former master’s death sharply, like a piece of him had been violently ripped from his being, leaving an aching hollow where something once was. He had only felt that feeling once before, before he turned his back on the Imperium, before his own Brother had broken his back in a psychotic rage, before he had bowed to the Architect of Fate. He had always doubted his choice, his intellect picking apart and rebuilding his logic and reasoning over and over again.
And he had been wrong. The past year it had been all that played in his vast mind. Cloying self-doubt had given way to a realisation that he had been wrong in so much. He was not the proudest or most fool-hardy of his kin; that dubious honour went to Angron and Fulgrim, both had embraced the changes wrought upon them, and the Gods that they served. Neither doubted their choice to turn from the Emperors Light. But Magnus had been. He had loved his Father; he was closer to Him in spirit than many of his brothers, except maybe his sibling Sanguinius. And he had thrown it all away in a moment of selfish hate and panic.
In his seclusion he gazed upon the strands of fate, linking together possibilities and outcomes to divine what he should do to silence his wracking self-doubt. He had almost given into despair when the thought came to him. It had been a small whisper in the roiling hurricane of his mind, but it spoke volumes to his soul. As soon as the thought had come to him, his inner voice became less violent, less mocking in its tone. As Magnus pondered upon the idea, he allowed it to grow, as a gardener tends to his plants, Magnus tended to the possibilities the idea presented. It was only now, that he had come to a conclusion that The Voice found him. The Voice always found him.
“You know our master will not allow you to leave unmolested” It growled deeply, each word dripping with magma and violent intent “He gave you the gifts that make you a God, he can take them away”
Magnus closed his eye once more and when he opened it again he stood in his old body. He gazed upon his hands, smiling as gif seeing an old friend for the first time in many years. Their red, ruddy hue was pleasing to him, as opposed to the riot of colour and form that he formerly was. Yes, he thought, this feels right, this how it is meant to be.
“If that is my fate, then so be it” he said firmly “I will not shirk from it, for I know that this is the right thing to do”
There was a notable pause from The Voice, before the air around Magnus became incredibly cold. “Then you leave me no choice” hissed the Voice as it took corporeal form and lunged at the Former Lord of Sorcerers.
• Magnus the Red leaves the Eye of Terror aboard a ship named The Glory of Prospero. He has abandoned his master Tzeentch and leads a host of faithful warriors out of the Eye. In retaliation, he has suffered great wounds at the hand of a Lord of Change known as The Voice, and has been stripped of his Daemonhood. However, proud intent burns in his golden eye, and he has set a course for the Sol System. As to what he is planning is known only to him.
• As The Thousand Sons leave the Eye, their old enemies the Space Wolves arrive. The Wolves are led by a mysterious Lone Wolf Wodin, who informs them that their lord is being held on a Daemon World deep within the Eye. The Space Wolf Fleet shows no hesitation as it hurls itself into the madness of the Eye of Terror, their destination: Madrengard.
Never Forgive, Never Forget - The Demiurg Nation
• The Imperial Fists are on the brink of extinction as the Demiurg and Human explorers push their way out of the Halo Stars and back into known space in order to aid the floundering Imperium. The Demiurg begin establishing colonies, and attempting to aid any Imperial survivors they find (albeit on the condition they join The Demiurg Nation). The future of the Imperial Fists is uncertain.
several years pass...
• In the galactic east, The Octavius War ends with the Tyranids as the overall victors. Although the Ork hordes fought to the bitter end, the Tyranids eventually won through due to their ceaseless numbers. The Hive Fleet (now designated Hive Fleet Golgotha) then turns it attention back towards the Galactic West and plots its way toward Terra, more powerful than before.
• The Imperial Fists have eventually carved a niche for themselves in the new Demiurg Nation. The Demiurg have saved gseveral dozen planets from encroaching daemon infestation, and the Nation itself is the largest it has been since the Tyranic Wars.
• However, the Demiurg are ill-equipped for lightning fast, elite raids and thus The Fists have finally found their place in this supposed new order. The Demiurg are in their own element when it comes to Ordnance, Armour and Starship conflict, however when a lightning strike is need at a key position, then the Demiurg unleash the Fists.
• Despite having found their place in this new human bastion, the Fists do not revel their position. Although the Demiurg are for all intents and purposes kinsmen, the Fists feel that they and other ‘true humans’ have been relegated. They however do not wish to risk the survival of the human contingents, and so abide to the law of the Demiurg Nation.
• However, this changes abruptly when the Nation is assaulted by Hive Fleet Golgotha. The Hive Fleet tears into the newly enlarged Demiurg Nation and sets course for three border worlds that have just recently been claimed by the Nation. The Imperial Fists are all set to launch a counter-offensive, but are dissuaded by the Elder Council, who says they will deal with the threat.
• As Golgotha is approaching the Border Worlds, a small fleet of Demiurg Vessels place themselves between the planets and the Bio-fleet. Massive Cargo Bays open in the belly of each ship and a huge cloud of twinkling silver pours from each.
• The separate clouds form into one vast metallic mass and begin swirling toward the Tyranid Bio-fleet.
• The lead Bio ship is engulfed by the cloud and its effects are immediate. The vast organism begins to come apart and liquefy. Its innards are spilled to the void, and several thousand vanguard organisms perish with it. The silver cloud seems to swell and starts to branch off toward the rest of the bio fleet.
• The Tyranid Fleet vainly tries to fend the cloud off, but everything it touches is rendered down to biological gruel within minutes. Several of the rearward vessels try to pull away and leave the system but are pounced upon by tendrils of the now massive cloud. Soon nothing is left of Golgotha but frozen flotsam drifting in the void.
g
• The cloud now sits inert where the fleet once was, a full 5 times its original mass. The commanders of the Imperial contingent are shocked at how easily the Great Devourer was fended off. When pushed on the matter, the Demiurg Elder Council reveal that the cloud is made of semi-biological nanobots, that are capable of evolving and making decisions based on their environment, and are able to break down biological and technological components in order to improve and reproduce. The Demiurg developed them along with rogue Tau scientist in order to fend of another Tyranid Invasion.
• When the Imperials enquire into how the Demiurg control the Nanobots, the Elder Council state that they don’t, the Nanobots think for themselves and have been given the choice to be allies with the Demiurg. The Demiurg nation and the Nanobots are allies.
• The Imperials are aghast, for the Demiurg have committed a cardinal sin in the eyes of the old Imperium: creation of artificial intelligence.
The Fists Unleashed
“You are wrong!”
The Council Chamber fell silent. All eyes fixed on the tall broad figure standing at the lectern at the centre of the room, several quiet sighs and whispers of sedition flitted from person to person. The giant would not be cowed by the assembly’s displeasure and continued.
“I freely admit that I am no child of ethics, I am no philosopher or iterator. I do not attempt to emulate or mix with the high-minded or great thinkers of this age. I am a weapon, pure and simple: point me at my enemy and I will slay him without recourse to mercy. However, I do know when something is simply wrong, and you my friends are the worst kind of wrong…”
There was another hushed silence from the gathered faces. Captain Matthias looked from face to face, anger set in his cold, grey eyes. He was not adorned in his battle plate, but still stood tall and threatening, like some ancient mountain given life. He wore simple black fatigues and dull, brown robes but these simply served to accentuate his powerful physique. He had chosen to come in simple garb as a gesture of conversation, a sign of peace and debate, but that had all fallen apart once he had brought his point to the floor.
The floor in question was that of the Elder Council of the Demiurg Nation. The vast cube-shaped room was situated aboard the Demiurg vessel The Hammer of Ancestry, and served as the Nations home of government. Matthias stood at the Stone Lectern, a place where the various members’ views could be heard and where questions could be asked and answered; in any other situation it would seem quite comical for Matthias to stand at the Lectern. Matthias was Astartes, and dwarfed mortal men. For all intents and purposes he was a giant, a colossus wrought in flesh, designed to fight war flawlessly and to strike fear into the hearts of mankind’s enemies. The Lectern had not been made for Astartes, or even for mortal men. It had been made for the Demiurg, and only reached up to Matthias’ waist. The difference in size between the Demiurg and the Imperials had at first made his brother Astartes laugh, but the laughter had gone coldly silent when the Demiurg took charge.
The Demiurg were related to mankind that much was very clear. Both species shared a humanoid physiology; both had the same facial features and necessary bodily functions. They both even shared common languages and customs. Where they differed was in height: the Demiurg were vastly shorter than their human kinsmen, barely reaching the chest of an average human male. However, their apparent lack of vertical growth was countered by an intense broadening and hardening: The Demiurg were vastly stronger and tougher than normal men, their physical traits having evolved over centuries spent deep space mining. The application of intense low gravity, coupled with centuries of isolation had led to the development of the Demiurg.
Back in those days, after the Great Crusade and the Great Heresy, the Demiurg had been referred to by the Imperium of Man as Stunties, Dwarves, Squats. These names were all highly derogatory, but the Demiurg took such things in their stride, happy with finally being reunited with their brothers and sisters from beyond the stars. They had suffered horribly at the hands of the vile Greenskins and the treacherous Eldar, so to finally have trustworthy allies in a cold, uncaring universe was a great boon. The Imperium and Demiurg traded technology and supplies, and for a time things were good. Many times the High Lords of Terra pushed the Demiurg for what they called ‘total compliance’ but the Demiurg always resisted: no species should ever be put under the thrall or control of another, it was fundamentally wrong. This uneasy truce lasted decades, until the arrival of the Great Devourer.
Every Demiurg remembered those days. Every Demiurg who had not yet been born had been told in detail of those days. The Demiurg kept tales of those days to warn generations to come. A Tendril of the Great Devourer (designated “Jervis” by Imperial Tacticians) assaulted the Homeworlds, intent on unmaking all the Demiurg had sought to create. The Demiurg cried to the Imperium for aid, but no reply came. The Jervis Tendril fell upon the Homeworlds.
Despite Jervis’s best efforts, the Demiurg endured and survived.
Fleeing beyond the Halo Stars, the Demiurg reformed into a nomadic nation, but never forgot the injustice it had suffered. Alliances and friends at this time did not come easy, the usually friendly and diplomatic Demiurg having been hardened by atrocity. It’s most beneficial relationship was with the emergent Tau Empire, who like the Imperium before them requested ‘total compliance with the Greater Good’, but again the Demiurg resisted. Despite what they had suffered they would never bow to anyone’s will, they would forget. They would never forgive.
Years past and the Nation grew. It began accepting refugees from other species into its collective, promising that it would never emulate the Imperium that had betrayed it. At some point Demiurg and Tau researchers ‘accidentally’ created The Kriin, a population of self-sufficient and intelligent nanobots. The Kriin devastated parts of the Nation, as it broke everything in its path down into its component parts to increase its own population. This lasted until one Demiurg Child had cried “What do you want?”
The Kriin had halted its assault immediately; no one had ever asked its opinion or its desires before. Since its inception it had been treated as a mindless machine, but here was another sentient species conversing with it. An alliance was eventually drawn between the Nation and the Kriin: the Demiurg would treat the Kriin as an equal species, and give it vast tracts of territory to call its home, and the Kriin would help the Nation in its times of need. This alliance had been most beneficial as there was seemingly no enemy or ordeal the Kriin and Nation united could not defeat. Then the Imperials had come.
That was many moons ago, and now the Imperials had discovered the Kriin, and the Imperials were not happy.
Councillor Grungii rose to his feet in the Assembly and spoke directly to Matthias, his voice like gravel and stone, “You dare gcome before us and say WE are wrong? After we took you and your bastard kin in from the cold, after we helped your mongrel people? You dare question our methods?”
Matthias stood firm. “Yes” he shouted, “We all know the dangers of Thinking Machines, we all know how close to extinction we came once before at their hands, and yet you openly consort with them? Have you no pride or common sense?”
There was a ripple of amusement from the Assembly, and another councillor, a stout bearded fellow named Mung stood, cleared his throat and joined the argument.
“Captain Matthias” he drawled “You and your people may fear the machine. You fear what you do not understand. We have gcome to know and understand the Kriin, they are allies and friends. There is a mutual respect that you and your ilk seem quite at odds with. I appreciate that you are afraid of the Kriin but…”
“I am Astartes, I fear NOTHING!” Matthias cut in, his brow furrowed in rage. Mung seemed quite taken aback, but quickly regained his composure.
“…but you must understand that centuries of diplomatic friendship between us and the Kriin cannot and WILL NOT be undone by you and your rampant superstition!”
“And that is your final word on the matter” sighed Matthias, his head lowered. The Assembly answered a resounding yes in gone voice. Matthias raised his finger to his ear, and in a voice like magma whispered “very well, the Emperors Will be done”
The Hammer of Ancestry shook violently as torpedoes and lance strikes smashed into it engines. The two Strike Cruisers which had born Matthias to the Council opened fire upon the Demiurg. The Wrath of The Imperial Fists had been unleashed.
The Enemy of My Enemy - The Xenos Wars
• With Mankind in mourning, The Tau begins a new phase of expansion. They seize several worlds, actually saving many from Daemon incursion. The humans that are saved swiftly unite with the Tau Empire. Rogue Mechanicus elements begin the heretical art of Reverse Engineering some of the Tau’s technology. A Titan Legion is part of the Mechanicum Force, meaning for the first time the Tau have access to Titan Weaponry.
• The Eldar know of the death of the Emperor and begin to take steps to continue their own existence. They broker peace with the Tau and request permanent homes for their Craftworlds with Tau Space. The Tau ‘suggest’ that the Eldar actually become part of the Empire, however the Eldar resist and will only agree to be ‘allies’. The Tau accept, but tensions are high, with several of the Fire Caste and the various Species of the Empire calling out for the Eldar to either leave or fully integrate themselves.
• In The Eye of Terror, one of the Blackstone Fortresses suddenly and inexplicably vanishes.
• Hostilities between the Tau and Eldar increase as the Eldar begin behaving incredibly peculiar toward their allies. The Tau ghas detected a strange Warp signature amidst the Craftworlds but is denied all access to that region of their own space. The Ethereal Council demand the Eldar explain their strange behaviour, with the Kroot, Tau-Humans and especially the Vespid crying out for the Eldar to leave.
• The Eldar set up an armed blockade around this sector of Space (dubbed the ‘Hot Zone’ by the Tau) and refuse to allow the Tau into it. They are actually hiding a Blackstone Fortress amongst their fleet, and not just any Fortress but the one was their beloved Eldrad Ulthran was lost to them. They have banished the daemon within it and are trying to use it to save Eldrad’s Soul, but at a terrible price. The Eldar activate the Fortress and it flies into Tau Space activating its most deadly protocol. The Fortress explodes, killing several millions of the Tau Empire and draining them of their essence. Eldrad’s soul is plucked from the Warp and deposited into a Spirit Stone. The Eldar deem the sacrifice of the Tau as completely necessary. The Tau Empire is aghast at the Eldar’s actions and begins taking immediate steps to punish their former allies.
• The beginning of the Great Xenos War (or referred to by the Tau as the War of Vengeance). The Tau launches a massive assault against the Craftworlds, and although they lack the sheer scale of the Eldar ships, they make up for it in numbers, tactics and advanced weaponry. Several Craftworlds take severe damage, and hundreds of Eldar Lives are lost. A massive bombardment on the Saim-Hann Craftworld kills several hundred of its people as well as blasting its Chamber of Khaine into the void. The Craftworlds begin to pull out of Tau Space, with their fleets desperately trying to stave off the more numerous attackers.
• The Vespid (who had called for the exclusion of the Eldar from the beginning) launches lightning raids on several of the Craftworlds. Some of these attacks cripple engines and weapons, whilst others are simply suicidal assaults to spread fear and panic. The Kroot Kindred’s also reap a huge tally on the Eldar, with many secrets being unlocked through the consumption of the Eldar Dead.
• The Eldar grimly realise they have underestimated the Tau, and begin to cruise out toward the boundaries of Tau Space. A Single Eldar vessel breaks from the fleet and flies directly into a planetoid between the Craftworlds and pursuing Tau Empire. The ship impacts on the planet leaving a huge crack in the structure of the planet. The Tau suddenly finds themselves under assault from unknown alien vessels from the planet with energy weapons that apparently corrupt and liquefy whatever they contact with. The Tau bid a hasty retreat in the face of this unexpected enemy. Both the Eldar and the Tau limp away to lick their wounds, whilst the mysterious alien raiders begin probing farther from the sundered planet
• The Hrud are now a genuine threat to the other civilised races. When the Eldar cracked the surface of a world to see off their Tau pursuers, it actually signalled a declaration of war from the Hrud who had existed within the planet. The Hrud begin picking off any world they find, and uniting with Hrud colonies that exist on several worlds.
• For several decades, The Hrud Plague tears across the galaxy unchallenged. Several worlds fall prey to the hideous vermin armies, and much is lost. Even the Necrons are unable to halt the plague of filth unleashed upon them. The Necrodermis they are crafted from is apparently equally susceptible to the Hrud Decay weapons, and several Tombs are laid bare.
• After ten years of ceaseless conflict, The Xenos War hits its peak. The Hrud butcher the Tau wherever they find them, and the Eldar constantly lead them to Tau colonies in the hope that the Hrud will eventually drive off the Tau. However, the Eldar have underestimated the Tau once again.
• Bought with the lives of several hundred Earth Caste Engineers, the Tau have successfully removed the Entropy Gene from Hrud POW’s. Even as they worked, the Entropy Field of the Hrud eventually lead to the deaths of their captors, however the Tau met success in their efforts. They have synthesised it into a new devastating weapon known as the AS-19 Smart Bomb or more commonly known as “Abyssal Starfire”
• The Final Blow of the War comes when the Tau Battlefleet Agni Kai meets the Eldar Craftworld Iyanden. Agni Kai suffered horrendously at the hands of the ancient Craftworld, but this apparent loss was simply a ruse: at the back of the fleet came a single Nao’Sak’Otaes Cruiser. It’s payload consisting of twenty of the new AS-19’s. It unloaded all twenty at key points of the Craftworld and the effects were immediate and devastating.
• Eldar are effectively immortal. Hrud Entropy fields have little to no effect on Eldar physiology so they have little to fear from the Vermin-race. However, it was discovered by the Tau that a certain combination of Hrud Entropy fields has a huge effect on Wraithbone and the crystalline matrices that all Eldar construction is based on. The AS-19 was designed specifically to target not the Eldar themselves, but their Craftworlds.
• The AS-19 infection spreads quickly through Iyanden. The Wraithbone itself ages rapidly and crumbles into horrific decay. Soon the mighty Craftworld begins to buckle at several points, its vast solar sails crack under the weight of its injuries. The many Wraith-constructs that inhabit Iyanden die in droves, their soulstones cracking under the Entropy Infection. The Craftworlds Spirit Matrix starts to shatter and several million Eldar Souls, the combined essence of Iyanden is suddenly torn from this realm into the warp. Several thousand Eldar flee into the Webway.
• Finally, with a deep solemn moan, Iyanden breaks in half, its verdant interior revealed to the vicious nature of the void. gWhat is left of the Craftworld is bombarded by the Tau Fleet. Iyanden has been wiped from the face of the universe.
• Faced with a weapon of such destruction, both sides in the Xenos War are severely affected.
• The Eldar have obviously suffered an extreme blow to their species. There is an influx of Iyanden refugees to the other Craftworlds, led by a haggard Prince Yriel. Many of the refugee’s kin are reluctant to accept them on board, viewing Yriel's wrath and aggression toward the Tau as a serious hindrance. Yriel and his people are eventually accepted by the Biel-Tan Craftworld.
• The Eye of Terror flares violently for a brief instant as She Who Thirsts feasts on the sudden release of several million souls. Temporarily engorged, the Dark Eldar receives some respite.
• The Tau are aghast at the destruction they have unleashed. The old adage of “The Greater Good At Any Cost” cannot gexcuse the horror they unleashed. Whilst the Tau has fought in wars before, never have they unleashed such reckless destruction on another species. The AS-19 schematics are destroyed and the stockpile hidden away. The Tau plan to send emissaries to the Eldar to sign a peace accord, the Xenos War having claimed too many in too short a time.
Meanwhile, elsewhere:
• The Loyalist Alpha Legion happens upon a small system heavy with Vox Chatter. An Ork Waaagh! Is in full swing on the planets, and a united Human/Tau force are attempting to fight them off. The Legion instantly fire into action, with Omegon himself slaying the Ork Warboss. The human and Tau commanders meet with the Alpha Legion, initially hostile, however when Omegon explains that the Legion has split and offers his services to the humans they accept him. However, this leads to instant hostility with the Tau, who is butchered by the Alpha Legion. Omegon becomes the new leader of this small sector of humanity, and begins to craft it into the Alpha Legions view of order.
Into The Madness We Sail - The Chronicles of Wolf And Iron
A Chronicle of the First War of Wolf & Iron
• The Iron Warriors Legion was one of the lucky few Chaos Legions not to be mauled or displaced by the Chaos Gods. With gmost of their Legion based upon Madringard, they actually fought off a daemonic invasion with the supreme use of fortifications and the planet itself. When Abaddon was amassing his latest Black Crusade (now referred to as ‘The Cursed Crusade’ due to its ruining of several of the Legions) Perturabo declined the summons, content to wallow in his own hatred and savage joy at the death of the Emperor. He was also loathed to leave Madringard for another secret reason. In the deepest vaults of his personal fortress he held a particular prisoner: Leman Russ.
• Leman Russ had travelled to the Eye of Terror, with the desire to unite with the lost 13th Wolf Company and lead a personal gwar against the Chaos Forces in their own hovel, paving the way for what Russ called “The Great End Times”. Although none outside the eye know, Russ and his followers carved a vicious swathe through the Eye itself with several bold saga’s being etched into the grand tomes of the 13th company: How Russ himself hurled the infamous Kharn the Betrayer off the peak of a sentient daemonic mountain whilst his company fended off a slavering horde of Berserkers, how a single squad of Wulfen tore the throat out of a nefarious Tzeentch Cult a million strong, and how the legendary Battle Barge Igdrassil laid waste to the Daemon-Primarch Fulgrims favourite pleasure palace. However, Russ’s ambition eventually outran him when he decided to lay siege to Madringard, home of the Iron Warriors.
• The first War of Wolf & Iron was over quickly, as Russ and the entirety of his followers assaulted Perturabos personal gfortress, the Cathedra dos Malice. The Wolves had the upper hand at first, the Iron Warriors totally unprepared for the assault, but they soon turned the tide as Perturabo himself joined the battle, backed by his own Grand Company and the nefarious heresy-weapons of the Dark Mechanicum. The Space Wolf numbers began to dwindle rapidly, for how could a single company (albeit one as bold and ferocious as the Space Wolves) stand against the entire Iron Warriors Legion. Russ duelled his daemonic brother on the burning carcass of the Chaos Titan Eschaton, each mighty blow rending holes in the downed God-Machine.
• Soon Russ fought alone, his warriors slain by the wrathful Iron Warriors. Despite the odds, Russ launched himself at Perturabo, knocking the Daemon-Primarch from the Chaos Titan. Russ’ howl of victory was cut short as the Eschatons sister titan, the Blood Eagle, fired a huge payload into its downed comrade, hurling Russ violently into the air. He landed with the force of a comet, and lay unconscious and bloodied at the feet of an injured but victorious Perturabo. The Battle was over, and Russ was imprisoned...
centuries later...
A Chronicle of the Second War of Wolf & Iron
• The entirety of the Space Wolves Chapter punctured the Eye of Terror, intent on reaching Madringard, the destination and prison of the Lord and Father, Leman Russ. Several ships are lost in the insanity of Warp Space; The Chromlech is torn to pieces in the frenzy of sensation, The Glory of Fenris is devoured by a vast daemonic whale while the captain of The Philosophem is possessed and causes his vessel to self destruct. While these losses are shocking, the majority of the mighty fleet reaches it’s destination in a relatively calm part of the Eye.
• Plans are immediately set in motion as several thousand drop-pods and Thunderhawk Gunships streak from the Fleet toward the bleached orb of Madringard. Plans to bombard the target from orbit are quickly swept away, the Wolves not wanting to cower at a distance.
• In the Cathedra dos Malice, Perturabo looks to the flaming tears streaking his planets skies. He smiles coldly. He has been expecting this day for a very long time.
• The war that follows is brutal and bloody: two legions set against each other in a conflict so personal that everyone involved will be changed forever. The Iron Warriors are scattered at first, unprepared for the ferocity of the Wolves assault, however much like before, Perturabo arrives to lead his forces, backed by a corrupted Titan battle-group led by the Blood Eagle.
• Instead of shirking from such odds, the Wolves counterattack with unstoppable fury. A team of Blood Claws led my Wodin himself manages to infiltrate the Blood Eagle and tear its heart out from within. Without their leader, the Chaos Titans fall into disarray and are picked off by the Wolves Leman Russ Battle Tanks. The Iron Warriors also reap a tally of their foes, with Perturabo claiming the lives of three separate Wolf Lords and their bodyguards.
• Within the dungeons of the Cathedra, Russ hears the dull thud and crack of war and realises his sons have returned to aid ghim. He howls viciously, the sound echoing throughout the vast structure. The Wolves hear the call, and howl in response, launching themselves into even greater feats. However, the Daemon-Primarch is still tipping the balance in the Iron Warriors favouring, slaying another Wolf Lord by hurling a Land Raider upon him.
• As the battle reaches its peak, Perturabo finds himself in the centre of a swirling melee, which quickly clears leaving him standing in peculiar calm. Into this calm steps a hooded figure, wearing the grey of the Space Wolves bearing no weapons. Perturabo raises his hammer, intent on slaying his foe but halts as Wodin raises his gaze to meet the Lord of the Iron Warriors. “No…it’s you…” whispers Perturabo fearfully, as the figure reaches out and places his hand upon the chest plate of the Primarch. A vast, blinding golden light erupts from the pair, throwing the Iron Warriors into disarray. The horns of the Chaos Titans boom mournfully as they turn in full retreat. Amidst the blinding light, Wodin turns to look upon Logan Grimnar and smiles. He whispers, and although the din of battle is all around, Grimnar hears with the utmost clarity: “Go, save my son”. The light suddenly vanishes, and a great path has been cleared between the Wolves and the Cathedra. As for Perturabo and Wodin, they are nowhere to be seen.
• The Wolves enter the Cathedra, meeting little to no resistance. Many of its inhabitants are fleeing, babbling in fear to themselves or dead. Grimnar locates the dungeons with ease, as if someone has been guiding him. Within they discover their Primarch, chained and bound. Logan hacks the bonds that hold Russ and as one the Wolves bow before their liege. Russ bids his sons “do not bow, my children, for there is still much battle to be won”. Led by Russ, the Wolves level the Cathedra, and slay the Iron Warriors foolish enough to stand against them.
• The vast fleet leaves the Eye (peculiarly with little to no event) led by Russ. A full third of their number has been slain in the process, however Russ has returned, and, according to Grimnar, so too has the All-Father…
The Heart of Darkness - The Purging of Commoragh
Deep within the Webway, in the twisted realm of Commoragh:
• A meeting is held between the Archons of each of the Dark Kin’s great Cabals. Since the death of the Monkeigh Corpse-God, She who Thirsts has been feeding upon them with more fervent hunger than usual, and not even the raids and imprisoned slaves can slake her thirst.
• Several of the Dark Kin have already fallen to her, their bodies becoming emaciated husks as their twisted souls are ripped from their bodies. The Dark Eldar view themselves as the pinnacle of life in both this realm and the next; however they are filled with abject terror at the thought of their imminent extinction.
• The Archons agree that they cannot gain the number of souls necessary to halt Slaanesh’s slaying of their species alone, and so discussion turns to how they best deal with the situation.
• Several Archons suggest a mass migration from Commoragh, fleeing the Webway into material space. Others suggest invading the Craftworlds and claiming them from their misguided kinsmen and using the Soul Matrices for themselves. Others suggest darker plans of action…
• Archon Vect suggests the Dark Eldar unite under him into a single grand nation, and take war to the lesser species. As a single host, he suggests, the Dark Kin could claim even more souls and halt the withering hunger affecting them. This is (naturally for Dark Eldar) met with dissension and calls of treachery, but several of the more sycophantic Archons agree with Vects plans.
• The ancient Archon Akhara’Keth has a different suggestion however. The Bloody Claw has been quiet for several years, not raiding the prey-species at all; however it still thrives much to the confusion of the other Dark Kin. Akhara’Keth reveals the reason: he has bartered security from She Who Thirsts by throwing his Cabal’s loyalty to the Lord of Fate: Tzeentch.
• There is much commotion upon this revelation. Several Archons demand blood, stating the Bloody Claw has brought the taint of the Primordial Annihilator to Commoragh. Vect accuses Akhara’Keth of conspiring against the Dark Kin. However, several of the smaller cabals appear open to Akhara’Keth’s scheme.
A Tale of Three Chapters - The Fates of The Imperial Fists, The Salamanders and The Blood Angels
A log and examination into the activities of The Blood Angels, Imperial Fists and Salamanders after the Death of the Benevolent God-Emperor of Mankind.
• After journeying for several years in real-space, Jaghatai Khan’s ragtag fleet pulls into a familiar system alive with distress beacons. When the Khan’s second-in-command enquires into where they are the Khan beams “this, my friend, is my brother’s system, welcome to The Baal Sector…”
• Investigations by the Khan’s fleet reveal several hulks of starships and strike-cruisers, all involved in fairly recent battles. All the distress beacons the fleet encounters are automated.
• Eventually the fleet pulls alongside a strike-cruiser named The Amareo, and the Khan decides to board it to ascertain who g(or what) caused its fate. The Khan himself, along with some of his most trusted warriors boards the darkened vessel and begins picking their way through its many corridors and bulkheads. Everywhere on the vessel they see signs of vicious battle, Astartes torn to pieces, ships crew smashed through walls and everywhere there is the heavy stink of old gore.
• Eventually, Team Epsilon comes to the cruisers cathedral, which shows signs of similar molestation. In front of the altar crouches a Marine in dull red armour, with his back to them as if in prayer. “Thank the God-Emperor” voiced one of rescuers but his thanks is cut short. The Marine rises slowly and turns to face them. He is indeed one of the Blood Angels but something is fundamentally wrong. His mouth is coated in old dried blood, his teeth have lost all semblance of cohesion and developed into serrated fangs and his eyes are reddened to the point of madness, wildly scanning them room. As he rises, the severed arm of another Astartes falls from his lap, covered in teeth marks and gouges. The Marines face knots in fury and he charges with a scream of pain at the boarders.
• The Khan hears the screams and gunfire and instantly leads his men to its source. They enter a scene of carnage, with the wild Astartes tearing apart the men of Team Epsilon with his bare hands and teeth. As he slays the last of Epsilon he turns to face the Khan, and a long, drawn out bellow rattles from his chest. The scream is suddenly taken up by hundreds of other voices all around the ship. The Khan’s expression is grim as he draws his weapon and faces his opponent. They have made a grave mistake coming here.
• The rescue teams are beset on all sides by the former crew of the ship, most are Astartes but many of them are ships crew. They all show the same signs of madness the first marine with their wild eyes red and delirious, the mouths and hands drenched in gore. They attack like beasts, without any semblance of tactics or humanity. The Khan leads a fighting retreat, slaying a dozen wild Astartes in the defence of his men. His mind races with the possibilities of what has happened here: Chaos taint? A viral Mutagen? Void Madness? Several of his men are pulled apart by the beasts, which then start consuming their bodies in a riotous fervour.
• The fleet maintains a cordon around The Amareo, and suddenly picks up three signatures on its scanners. Initial ID shows them to be Thunderhawks belonging to the Blood Angels, and they are heading straight for the Strike Cruiser. The Fleet has very little in the way of weapons and contact the Khan informing him on this latest development.
• The fighting aboard the vessel intensifies as the Khan and his men approach their escape-route. More of the wild-men have joined the fight, some only partially armoured and some more akin to Neanderthals than the once-proud Astartes they used to be. They fight as if possessed, tearing and rending with their hands and teeth. Some even show missing limbs and chunks of flesh and body torn right off but still continue their horrific assault. The Khan raises his blade in the air to sound the retreat when a white hot flash fills the chamber.
• Between the Khan’s men and the horde stand five proud figures in glorious (albeit battle-scarred) Terminator Armour. They shine a deep red, with several long purity seals hanging off their armoured bulk. A winged teardrop of Ruby adorns their armour, and their weapons turn quickly to the horde. With a deep command from the lead figure all five lay waste to the gibbering riot heading toward them which breaks in the face of the overwhelming firepower.
• Once the horde has finally dissipated, the lead Terminator turns to the Khan. Unclamping his helmet, he reveals a face that is young but scarred and eyes that show weariness and intense sadness. He salutes the Khan with the Aquila, and bids the Khan and his fleet to follow his ships.
• In retrospect, The Blood Angels had been hit harder than most by the Death of the Emperor. Upon his death, the Black Rage that affected the Blood Angels suddenly gripped a huge proportion of their number. The Chaplains of the chapter struggled to contain their raving brothers, with more and more Astartes falling to the rage. A pattern was discerned: those already affected by the Rage were passing it to others by physical contact and not just Astartes either but any living thing. Men-at-arms, army personnel, navigators, astropaths anyone who came into contact with the afflicted Astartes developed the rage also. Then the fighting began.
• Noone is sure exactly what happened, but at some point the afflicted Astartes began attacking their comrades. Attempts to halt them led to more violence, and also the spreading of the affliction. Even more shocking to the Blood Angels leaders was the horrific thirst and hunger shown by the afflicted: They actually began consuming their defeated foes. The Blood Angels were loathed to slay their comrades, and thus the epidemic began.
• The Red Plague (as the Blood Angels came to know it) soon spread unchecked across the entire sector. Afflicted Astropaths gcast the disease mentally to other planets and ships, and soon the entire star system was choking in blood and madness. Mephiston led a contingent of unaffected to his personal barge Europae. Steps were taken to alter its Geller Field to keep out the psychic infection, and each crewman and Astartes brother was stringently screened for signs of the infection. When a headcount was taken, only 268 unaffected Blood Angels remained.
• The Baal system is a charnel house. The afflicted spread their plague amongst the human populace and soon, every living thing bar the individuals aboard the Europae is now a raging psychotic monster. Several human vessels passed through the system, some on their way to other sectors and some on their long search for Terra. They too were hit by the plague either by psychic infection or upon discovering the hulk of an inflicted ship. The Europae made it her solemn duty to police the sector and keep other ships from suffering their fate. Then the Khan’s fleet came…
• The Khan is shocked and disturbed at this news. To think that a proud chapter, how a kin close to his own could be brought so low is grievous indeed. However, the wider implications become suddenly clear to him as the Vox suddenly erupts with screams.
• The Plague has found the Khan’s fleet and is tearing itself apart. The Blood Angel survivors evacuate the Khan and his unaffected troops into their Thunderhawks and make a bearing for the Europae.
Meanwhile in the Galactic North
• A Lone Strike Cruiser, The Firechild, translates into a barren area of space, following the trail of an unknown signal. The Cruiser bears the colours and pennants of the Salamanders Chapter and among its human crewman is one particular individual: Vulkan He’stan.
• The Firechild picked up the peculiar signal several weeks earlier. The seemingly random set of noises and symbols it transmitted is interpreted by He’stan to be ancient hieroglyphs from Nocturne’s history, and specifically ones relating to “A Song Sung by The Gods, A Song Sung of Entropy”. He’stan believes they are close to another Artefact of his Primarch and guides The Firechild after the signal.
• Months earlier, during one of his intense studies of The Book of Fire, He’stan came to a passage that he had seemingly not seen before. It spoke of The Fire God, and how he forged from his Iron Flesh 20 weapons of immense power. However some of the weapons became dulled and lost and the God was saddened. Of the remaining weapons, one shone the brightest and actually birthed more weapons which the people of Nocturne used to stave of demons and madmen. God was pleased by this. But one day the weapon was stolen, and the God fell into despair. A wise-man came to God and told him that upon the God’s death, the weapon would return to try and defend him. So God gave his life and sent his essence to all his weapons, hoping they would come back home. However, the shining Weapon could not return and cried mournfully to return to see its fallen creator.
• He’stan divined from this that one of Vulkan’s sacred artefacts was in this sector and bent all his resources into finding it. He believed, with a frightening certainty, that by finding all the artefacts not only could he complete his quest but also set him on a course to save humanity.
Clash of The Titans - The War of the Dragon and the Leviathan
Farther to the east, in the Dead Solar Body designated Antigone’s Tear
• 2 years after the Death of the Emperor, A Massive Tyranid Hive Fleet begins its slow advance toward the Sol System, the recent outbreak of mourning and fear attracting the greater attention of the Hive Mind. The Hive Fleet passes through the Segmentum Obscurus. It abruptly halts at a small system of dead worlds, seemingly in conflict with something.
• The Void Dragon leads a vast horde of specially designed Necrontyr against Hive Fleet Barbossa. The Dragon is infinitely fascinated with the Tyranid Organisms it encounters and begins processes to harness their savagery into his own warriors. The Deceiver meanwhile hides himself in the galaxy, fearful of the Void Dragon’s immense hunger, and also seeks a way to release his final brother to ‘even the score’. The Night Bringer however is in his element, preying on Fear and Desolation, especially in the wake of the Hrud advances.
• Beneath the crust of the third planet is a vast obsidian pyramid, it’s blackened faces constantly shifting and changing from gone geometric configuration to the next. The Pyramid is vast, spanning 3 continents of the dead world.
• The Lord of the pyramid dwells within its central chamber, casting its unfeeling emerald eyes over its latest experiments. Serrated claws on the end of almost a dozen arms slice and probe at living Xenos Flesh.
• Each new cut, each new atrocity is designed to probe into the great mystery of the Xenos Species: its hive mind, and the shadow that precedes it. To harness such a power could finally win a war started at the birth of all known matter.
• With precision belying it’s frightening visage and terrifying nature, the Void Dragon pours its immense intellect and ghorrifying powers into the unlocking the Shadow in the Warp, the horrifying soul-fear that grips all in their path. The Void Dragon had tinkered with such things before in the form of the Pariah Gene, however actually extinguishing Warp Presences in the way of its army would prove most beneficial indeed.
• To this end, the Dragon has engaged the Tyranids wherever it can locate them. Its silent host slices into the Tyranid Bio-ghordes with aplomb, with the Tyranids attempting to avoid the creatures at all costs. The Dragon however has yet to claim its most desired prize: a living Norn Queen. To possess a living queen would give the Dragon its greatest link to the Hive Mind and possibly it’s key to exploiting the Shadow of The Warp.
• However, unbeknownst to the Dragon, on a barren moon littered with both Necron and Tyranid dead, a single injured bio-ship rises from the scorched skies into the upper atmosphere. Its horrific injuries heal with frightening speed, and bio-mechanical appendages start to sprout from its vast bulk. It has succeeded in a task that millions of Tyranids have tried and failed before: it has successfully absorbed and assimilated Necrodermis.
Other Volumes
Volume II: http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/The_Death_of_the_Emperor:_Vol._2_by_Dark_Lord_Seanron
Volume III: http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/The_Death_of_The_Emperor:_Vol._3_by_Dark_Lord_Seanron
Volume IV: http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/The_Death_of_The_Emperor:_Vol._4_by_Dark_Lord_Seanron
Volume V: http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/The_Death_of_The_Emperor:_Vol._5_by_Dark_Lord_Seanron
Volume VI: http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/The_Death_of_the_Emperor:_Vol._6_by_Dark_Lord_Seanron