Grimdank

The last members of the advance party exited the Devourer dropship Fire of Faith , the cavernous maw of the transport closing with a sharp report behind them. "Atmosphere appears to be breathable, sir. It's a good thing this landing bay is still powered, or we'd all be sucking vacuum right about now." The commander sighed, delivering a curt strike to the back of private Kowalski's head. How protocol had slipped so far was beyond him, especially amongst so many new recruits. They were barely out of basic training, for Emperor's sake! Turning to his lieutenants beside him, Walicz began issuing orders to reconnoitre the immediate area. It wasn't often that something as extensive as this hulk remained intact, let alone powered. As the sensor teams started to spread out, exploring the myriad tunnels and doorways leading off from the bay, he took stock of the environment. Efficient, sensible Imperial architecture blended seamlessly into misshapen, almo

There are only a few cities on the surface of Tantalus, each fairly modest affairs, with barely a billion souls apiece. The largest of these cities is known to the locals as Tantalus Prime, although its official designation is Sector 23, Sub-Hive 11, Precinct Zeta-Thassius 3. Tantalus Prime is a sprawling plascrete jungle, a microcosm of humanity where the ruins of the older city vie with the soaring towers of a burgeoning metropolis. The outskirts of the city are ruined and overgrown, with larger structures springing up with increasing density as they approach the centre.  Within the central segment of the city, the spires cluster together, reaching far into the sky. Visitors in recent years have seen the beginning of a new hive, as populations have begun to explode in the wake of the increased industrial activity.  Here the dregs of humanity interact closely with the up-and-coming, the opulent and the despondent a hair's breadth apart. The sheer difference between the

Category: Xenos Hive Fleet: Gelugon Location: On route to Palidas System Unique identifiers: Thermophage, chilling touch First recorded contact: See excerpt below "Space is dark and cold. It's as far from what people imagined Hell as the one toilet on the shuttle is from this log station. What people don't think about is that Hell is more welcoming." The astro-loggers voice was being recorded by the auto-writer. They were one of the skeleton crew in this section of the ship. It was a lonely position, keeping a record of what is happening on a ship that was routinely managed by a team of 5 people. "People crave warmth. People crave talking and things to react to. This tin can has just me and the four guardsmen." Sounds echoed throughout the ship. Another pipe burst, some cables spark, maybe some space debris crashed into the hull and dislodged any number of things.  "Probably have a better conversation out there. At least then so

The Argent Praetors are an Ultima Founding chapter tasked with patrolling the Cicatrix Maledictum, and maintaining vigil around the few safe corridors through it. As with many of the chapters formed in the wake of the Indomitus Crusade, the Praetors' parentage is unknown to the wider Imperium. Within the ranks of the Praetors, the majority of the battle brothers believe they are sons of Guilliman. Whilst this is true for a large portion of the chapter, the truth is somewhat more complex. Echoing the Deathwatch's approach to melding the strengths of each of the founding legions, the Praetors maintain an elite first company drawn from several different founding legions, giving them more flexibility in their approach to combat - something incredibly important in a position as tumultuous as theirs.  Jaeger Squads The chapter utilises an unusually large number of rapid insertion squads, colloquially referred to as Jaeger squads. Each of these Jaeger squads specialises in a di

The Borderlands   The Damocles Gulf has been a frontier zone between the burgeoning Tau Empire and the Imperium of man for centuries, and more than once wars have flared over the region. However settlement continues, and both it and a number of border zones have become something of a loose mix of Tau and Human control, with many settlements of nebulous loyalties and unclear authority. It is from within this region that many developed worlds reside, enjoying limited autonomy as the great powers seek to counter each other.   To the Imperium it is Sub-Sector Damocles, officially abandoned by Imperial authorities. To the Tau Empire the region is considered to overlap the outskirts of the Sept’s of Ksi’,’yen and Fi’rios. However a handful of worlds in this region maintain independence by playing each side against each other, and maintaining nominal support of the higher authority. In a world where humans live under nominal control of two empires, they have learned to pay enough lip

In an alternate timeline, the Warmaster Horus did not succumb to the temptations of Chaos - rather, it was his brother Rogal Dorn who fell, leading to a tumultuous period where the distribution of power and loyalties were in disarray. This series of events culminated in the Dornian Heresy . It is from this timeline that the band calling themselves the Iron Bulwark arose. During a freak warp storm, the Iron Blood  and several accompanying battlecruisers were hurled through the fabric between dimensions and cast millenia forward in time, arriving through a hole in unreality in the closing years of the 41st millenium, in a galaxy where it was not Dorn who betrayed the Emperor of Mankind, but Horus. Initial contact with the forces of both Chaos and the Imperium highlighted to Perturabo that this was not the same universe that they were familiar with. Conflicts arose with both sides, and to protect themselves from persecution by the Ordo Hereticus or other branches of the Ecclesiarchy a