Echoes of Nihilus - Prologue
Echoes of Nihilus is the Crusade Campaign that D J is currently running at his gaming club that is nearing its conclusion. Whilst there will be a brand new campaign starting in the next few months, we thought we would do a write up of the narrative that has happened so far in the campaign as a prelude for what's to come. We would like to thank all the amazing players who have participated in and contributed to the fantastic lore that has made all this possible!
Table of Contents
Ultrus Prime was once a lush and verdant planet ruled in peace by the Imperium, however when Abaddon the Despoiler led the ruinous powers against the Nihilus Imperium it soon became the stage of a fierce and terrible battle between the defenders of the Imperium and multiple Daemon incursions set into motion by unidentified Thousand Sons cabals. Whilst the forces of Chaos appeared victorious, thanks in no small part to the multiple Necron factions hindering Imperial maneuvers, the tear in the warp vanished and, with the exception of the damage it had wrought on Ultrus Prime's landscape, appeared to have never even existed. The Thousand Sons then crushed the most prominent of the Necron factions seeking out the tombs buried beneath the planet's surface, most notably those belonging to the Khertet Dynasty, then seemed to disappear into the ether themselves leaving naught but ruin in their wake with only several pockets of survivors left planetside.
Several years later this supposed disappearance of Chaos forces did not sit well with the High Lords of Terra, and so the Harkillian 808th were sent to accompany Inquisitor Le Roy to investigate the matter alongside the Encarmine Shield Strike Force of the Blood Angels. After thoroughly searching the ruined landscape of Ultrus Prime, Le Roy had finally discovered evidence that a Thousand Sons cabal had remained (or at least returned) to hunt down the Liber Infernus, an artefact of great and terrible daemonic power.
Meanwhile in Ultrus Prime's orbit, Imperial Navy vessels detected incoming xenos ship idents that resembled those belonging to the Necrons raced and were immediately hailed. Kharimekh the First, a prominent noble of the Khertet Dynasty who was not part of the original invasion decurion, warned the Imperial admiralty of a Tyranid Hive Aramada of considerable size heading towards the planet and offered to aid them in defending the planet against the horde. In return they asked only to access the tombs buried beneath the surface of Ultrus Prime and swore on their honour that they would leave the planet peacefully afterwards. Whilst still wary of their proposal, scans of the system revealed that the Lord's words regarding an imminent Tyranid invasion were at least true and, realising they had no hope against such an invasion by themselves the Imperial Navy reluctantly agreed to his terms.
In the capital city of Nihmian's Pass, a sect of Adepta Sororitas who had remained from the previous war to give strength and share their faith with the remaining survivors had intercepted the communications between the Khertet Dynasty and the Imperial Navy. The revelation alongside the increasing numbers of once loyal citizens turning to the ruinous powers to save them, the sisters of the Sororitas deemed that the planet was not worthy of the Emperor's forgiveness and decided that only by cleansing the remnants could Ultrus Prime finally know peace. In their strictest of edicts they began to set up a cocktail of explosives strategically positioned around the city to cause the most damage, uttering prayers to the God Emperor to guide their hand as they carry out this most difficult of duties.
Back in the east, Inquisitor Le Roy had finally tracked the Thousand Sons cabal who he had now learned were assigned the designation "Hedarai Vultures" and sent the Blood Angels as the vanguard to distract the chaos warband before his Harkillian 808th arrived to deal the deathblow. Little did the Inquistor know that the darkening of the skies overhead were caused by the millions of bio-organisms that had come to devour them all, and in their great numbers one more vessel was able to make planet fall just north to their location. A vessel clad in iron and displaying the metallic skull and black and yellow chevrons of the IV legion...
- D J Driver
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