16 1

regardless of hardships or setbacks. With every victory, the T'au know they grow ever closer
to fulfilling their destiny.
Craftworld Aeldari
The Children of Asuryan

Since the cataclysmic event known as the Fall, those named the Asuryani have plied
the stars in vast space vessels known as craftworlds. Once ruling an empire spanning
the length and breadth of the galaxy, these Aeldari represent but a fragment of their
former power.
Nonetheless, they are a proud people who fight their war for survival with immense
skill and wondrous technology.

A dying race, the Asuryani have been in perpetual decline since the Fall, and in the 41st
Millennium they are amongst the least numerous of the Imperium's foes. Despite this, the
Asuryani's incomparable grasp of psychic power, their highly advanced technology and their
ruthless determination to survive make them incredibly deadly enemies.

When Asuryani warhosts strike, they do so from hidden webway portals or from their
craftworld's sleek and elegant warships. With such few numbers relative to those of other
major players on the galactic stage, the Asuryani commit to battle only to achieve the
greatest result while minimising their losses. They give no warning when they strike, and the
motivations behind their attacks are near impossible for their enemies to determine. They
make offers of allegiance without warning also, often disguising a hidden blade. More than
one Imperial garrison has found itself beset by foes before being relieved by graceful Aeldari
warriors and war machines, only then to be turned upon by those who were their saviours
shortly before. All such acts contribute to a reputation for unpredictability and perfidiousness.
For the Aeldari, and a select few within the Imperium who have learned of their ways, the
reality is very different. Every act of war is carefully decided upon after a detailed reading of
the skeins of fate and lengthy debate by councils of Farseers, Warlocks and senior military
leaders.

Many disparate craftworlds sail the stars, each an independent entity with its own beliefs,
culture and way of war. Ulthwé is known for its formidable seers and ceaseless fight against
Chaos. Biel-Tan is highly aggressive, deploying large numbers of Aspect Warriors to destroy
new Human colonies, burgeoning Ork infestations and other incursions by lesser races.
More than any other, lyanden commits the souls of its dead to war in wraithbone constructs,
having been terribly bloodied by the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken. Saim-Hann's aggressive
Windrider hosts have perfected fighting from the saddles of their lightning-fast jetbikes.

Meanwhile, Alaitoc's numerous Outcasts act as their craftworld's eyes and ears, and its
warriors have been identified engaging the soulless androids of the Necrons on multiple
worlds.

The Asuryani have developed the Path system, in which they each dedicate a portion of their
life to a single discipline before taking on another. Though harsh, this system prevents the
slide into excess all Aeldari are vulnerable to. Although many of the Paths are civilian in
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nature - those of the poet, potter, artist and musician, for example - a good number are warrior employs some of the most advanced wargear in the galaxy. Earth caste scientists
martial. The Path of the Warrior has an irresistible lure to almost all Asuryani, and those who furnish them with enormously powerful weapon systems, highly advanced battlesuits and
choose to follow it join a temple dedicated to a single aspect of Khaine, the Aeldari god of armour, and even artificial intelligence systems that can serve in any role from
war. These Aspect Warriors form the backbone of the craftworld armies, each squad reconnaissance to fire support.
performing a dedicated role. Fire Dragons are experts in anti-tank combat, their fusion guns
capable of melting through the thickest armour with ease. Striking Scorpions slip in and out The T'au recognise that individually they may lack the sheer brawn of the Ork or the speed
of cover as they silently advance to rip their enemies apart with chainswords. Crimson of the Aeldari, but united by their ideology and backed by their technology, they know there
Hunters race overhead at supersonic speeds, dominating the skies with their crafts' deadly is no foe they cannot defeat. On the battlefield the Tau are masters of combined-arms
laser weapons. Dark Reapers, Howling Banshees, Shining Spears, Warp Spiders, Dire warfare. Squads of Fire Warriors lay down torrents of pulse rifle fire as veterans in Crisis
Avengers, Swooping Hawks - all and more are found on Aeldari craftworlds and play an Battlesuits use their jet packs to leap in and out of cover, blasting the enemy with a fearsome
essential part in their race's war for survival. In their lifetime many Aeldari return to the Path array of weapons. Hammerhead Gunships destroy enemy armour with pinpoint railgun shots
of the Warrior multiple times before taking the Path of Command. Such Asuryani are called as swarms of seeker missiles hunt remorselessly for their targets. Overhead, nimble
Autarchs, and lead their craftworld's armies in the field. Razorshark Strike Fighters duel with enemy aircraft as Sun Shark Bombers ensure no
ground target escapes the Tau's reach. Amongst the deadliest of all are the Riptide
The Aspect Warriors' numbers are not always sufficient for the task at hand, however. So Battlesuits and Stormsurge artillery walkers, vast assets wielding some of the most
few are the Asuryani that they also train each of their citizens in the craft of war. Known as advanced weapons in the T'au arsenal. Under their Commanders' wise leadership, these
Guardians, these squads of militia are still highly capable warriors. While often fighting on elements work closely together to bring about the most efficient defeat of the enemy.
foot, many ride Windrider or Vyper jetbikes, conduct aggressive reconnaissance in War
Walkers or deal death from afar as support weapon crew. Some even pilot Engines of Vaul, Never a numerous race, the T'au do not employ the tactics of attrition evinced by the Astra
the Asuryani's elegant and deadly anti-grav tanks and transports - shielded Wave Serpents Militarum, Orks or Tyranids. While the tides of war may dictate sacrifice in the name of the
race to deliver their cargo of warriors to the front lines, Night Spinners launch clouds of lethal Greater Good, no T'au military assets are considered disposable. All have a role to play, and
monofilament wire that saturate the battlefield with death, and Fire Prisms unleash hugely the Tau avoid any kind of static defence or wasteful last stands unless left with no option.
powerful lasers capable of piercing armour as easily as a shuriken slices bare flesh. Even their fortifications are equipped with anti-grav units so they are able to redeploy to
advantageous battlefield positions. Tactical retreats to secure lives or create new avenues
Every Asuryani wears a spirit stone on their person, its purpose to capture their essence in for achieving victory are seen as honourable and praiseworthy.
the moment of their death so that it does not fall into Slaanesh's open maw. Once secured,
their spirit is released into the Infinity Circuit, the psychic matrix that runs through the core of The T'au approach to war is as philosophical as it is practical. Numerous strategies have
every craftworld. This not only ensures an afterlife for the Asuryani, but allows the living to been developed over many years that are carefully studied by every member of the Fire
commune with the dead. In times of war, however, spirit stones are often placed in huge caste. The collected wisdom of old heroes is ever a source of inspiration for T'au
wraithbone constructs to power them. Even the smallest Wraithguard and Wraithblade looms Commanders, who can utilise arts of war such as Mont ka, the ‘Killing Blow’, or Kauyon, ‘the
over the living Aeldari warriors around them, with the gigantic Wraithlords twice the size Patient Hunter’. Whichever philosophy is deemed best suited to destroying the foe in the
again and gargantuan Wraithknights as tall as an Imperial Knight. Combined, these ghost given battlefield situation will be applied.
warriors form wraith hosts, implacable walls of psychoplastic armed with some of the most
fearsome weapons in the Aeldari arsenal. Though they have conquered world after world in the name of the Greater Good, it is the
T'au Empires preference to assimilate alien races they discover, rather than make war with
Under the peerless command of the Autarchs and guided by the future-reading Farseers, them. Thanks to the lustrous diplomatic skill of the Water caste, many races have been
together the various Asuryani hosts fight with a power greater than the sum of their parts. welcomed into the embrace of the Tau va and become valued partners in furthering the great
Each individual and squad fits seamlessly into carefully laid plans, every swift strike, nimble cause, including the Kroot, Vespids, Tarellians, Nicassar and Galg. Even some Human
withdrawal and onslaught of deadly-accurate fire perfectly carried out to inflict as much worlds have allowed themselves to be subsumed The Imperium has not failed to notice that
damage as possible in the shortest time. those who reject the peaceful offerings of the T'au Empire are swiftly invaded and often
destroyed. Thus is Mankind reminded of the duplicity of the alien - no matter their winsome
promises, they seek nothing but domination over Mankind.
The Webway With each distinct period of their empire's growth, known as ‘spheres of expansion’, the T'au
An interstitial nether-realm ancient beyond Mankind's comprehension, the webway is a vast have learned more of the horrors lurking amongst the stars. They have suffered incredible
network of shimmering arterial pathways that exists between realspace and the warp. Known losses and devastating setbacks, but they remain undeterred. Nothing will prevent them from
also as the labyrinth dimension, it allows for incredibly fast travel across the stars without unifying the galaxy. Such is their tenacity that they continue to expand their stellar empire
some of the greater risks warp travel can entail. For good reason is the webway the Aeldari's
 14 3

for they engage in such un-Orky practices as planning their battles beforehand and wearing chosen method of traversing the galaxy; while a Human soul is barely a flicker in the warp,
camouflage. Daubed in lucky blue paint, the Deathskulls are looters and thieves supreme, an Aeldari's is a beacon inviting all the immaterium's foul denizens to feast.
while the Bad Moons are by far the richest Orks, their fast-growing teef allowing them to buy
the biggest guns and deck their vehicles with gold plating and flashy decorations. The elaborately and organically engineered capillaries that make up the webway vary greatly
Traditionalists by Ork standards, meanwhile, the Snakebites favour simple forms of warfare. in size. Some are barely large enough for columns of warriors to pass in single file; others
Other greenskins are outcasts from their clans. Known as Freebooterz, these piratical Orks are so huge that each side is invisible to the naked eye, and entire battlefleets can pass
rampage around the galaxy looking for loot and opportunities to sow mayhem and cleanly through. Such was the ubiquity of the webway's long-vanished creators that portals
destruction. accessing it can be found throughout the galaxy, many of which are concealed from prying
eyes by holofields and other mysterious technology. By such means the Aeldari of all
The Orks as a whole are not complex beings, and their society - for all its apparent barbarity factions can deploy sizeable forces almost at will anywhere required, and such methods
- is a robust one. As long as there are foes to fight, the Orks will keep fighting them, have only increased their race's reputation for unpredictability.
spreading ever further across the stars until they either are defeated at last, or conquer all.
Millions of years have not been kind to the webway. Over the course of time, its circuitous
routes have been ripped open and polluted by the followers of the Chaos Gods and all kinds
of strange beings from multiple realities. Whole passages have totally collapsed, and others
T’au Empire have been deliberately closed off by the Aeldari to preserve the sanctity of the rest. No
individual or race has the knowledge, skill or power to restore the webway to its former glory,
‘For the Greater Good’ and like the Aeldari who use it, it seems doomed to total decline.

Dynamic and supremely confident, the T'au have established a powerful empire built
around their philosophy of the T'au'va, or Greater Good. Incredibly ambitious, they
believe their fusion of ideology and military technology conquers all; to the T'au, there
Drukhari
are only those who will embrace the T'au'va, and those who must be shown the error
of their ways for failing to do so. Raiders from the Dark City

United by their unshakeable commitment to the Tau va, the T'au believe unreservedly that it The Drukhari are sadistic killers who feed off the despair, anguish and suffering of
is their destiny to bring hope and enlightened rule to a benighted galaxy. With a highly their victims.
developed and rapidly advancing mastery of technological innovation, their people have Rapacious slavers, they raid their unsuspecting enemies with lightning speed before
brought light to the darkness of bleak stars. The T'au do not hesitate to defend their ideology vanishing back to their lairs in Commorragh, the twisted nether-city that lurks in the
or propagate it on the field of battle, where their armies of Fire Warriors and alien allies excel darkest corners of the webway.
at applying enormous firepower in precisely coordinated strikes to cripple their enemies and
bring them to their knees. The wise fear the Dark City of Commorragh and its twisted inhabitants. Sheltered in the
webway since before the Fall, the Drukhari have thrived on violence, decadence, depravity
T'au society is made up of five castes. The Water caste provides silken-voiced diplomats and excess. As time has drawn on they have only grown more addicted to each in their drive
and wily traders, the Earth caste contains fastidious scientists and logisticians, and the Air to stave off death and an eternity of unbearable torment in the clutches of She Who Thirsts.
caste breeds daring pilots and spacecraft crews. From the Fire caste are drawn the T'au's
skilled soldiery; derived from the physically strongest of the T'au race's original tribes, these Arrogance is a trait found in all Drukhari, from the most inexperienced Kabalite to the
Fire Warriors have been selectively bred over centuries to further improve upon their natural wizened Archon who recalls life before the Fall. Having survived this catastrophe practically
advantages, so that each one is robust, aggressive and courageous. Finally, the Tau are led unscathed, the Commorrites felt little of the humbling imposed upon their Asuryani kin.
by the Ethereal caste, mysterious individuals of unknown origin who command respect and Seeing no real decline in their strength or power, such a concept as repentance is practically
loyalty without question. Many Imperial observers suspect that the means by which the unknowable to them. In no small part due to this, the Drukhari feel no shame in seizing
Ethereals have secured their rank and influence can only be nefarious, such is the devotion billions of slaves from lesser races and inflicting unspeakable horror upon them to feed their
they inspire. insatiable lust for perversion, decadence and torture.

The warriors of the Fire caste are born and bred to be soldiers. Those who reach the highest Commorragh has always been a city of obscene wealth, shameless excess and bloody
ranks of command will have served the Greater Good for decades, and no Fire Warrior is internal strife, and this has only grown worse since the Drukhari learned that such things are
permitted to leave the military except through old age or death. During their service, each sufficient to deny She Who Thirsts their souls and grant them everlasting life. The great
 4 13
diversity of Aeldari characters that were drawn to Commorragh's unique delights and onrushing tidal wave, wreathed in choking clouds of dust and filthy exhaust fumes. Mobs of
experiences before the Fall gradually led to the emergence of many warring factions, each Orks storm forwards clad in patchwork armour, swinging brutal weapons with savage joy.
tailoring their activities to the demands of the Dark City's vast population. Many race into battle aboard armoured Trukks and wagons whose gaping exhausts belch
thick black smog even as their massive guns hammer furious - and usually, wildly inaccurate
With access to hidden webway gates on thousands of planets throughout the galaxy, the - volleys of fire into the foe.
Drukhari are able to raid, slaughter and plunder at will. Amongst the most recognisable of
their warriors are those of the Kabals - forces equally comparable to criminal gangs, militant As the Orks surge towards their foes they display a singular lack of concern for the dangers
cartels and noble households. Clad in sleek, bladed armour, their devilish raids are they face or the casualties inflicted amongst their fellows. So inhumanly resilient is the Ork
commanded by Archons and made at enormous speeds, their warriors mounted in physiology that they frequently ignore multiple gunshot wounds or even the loss of limbs in
gravity-defying flocks of barb-prowed Raiders and Venom transports. Even as these vessels their eagerness to get to the fight. The explosive demise of their war engines or combat
descend from the skies, the Kabalites' splinter weapons spit torrents of crystal shards that walkers, meanwhile, prompts little more than raucous cheers and catcalls from the Orks
subject their targets to hideous pain. Every scream is sweet music to the Kabalites, who nearby.
revel in the thrill of the hunt and the torment they cause, demonstrating their superiority over
the galaxy's lesser races while partaking in debaucherous murder. The carnage truly begins when the Orks reach the enemy lines. Numbers, momentum and
sheer ferocity combine into a thunderous charge more akin to a living avalanche than an
There are hundreds if not thousands of Kabals vying for supremacy in Commorragh, each attacking army. Orks hack down opposing infantry with their choppas, or turn them to bloody
with their own agendas and styles of warfare. The Kabal of the Black Heart is the greatest mulch with revving killsaws. They crush foes to death with brutal power klaws or riddle them
and oldest of its kind and the personal army of Asdrubael Vect, Supreme Overlord of with fusillades of crude firepower at point-blank range. Every greenskin revels in the brutal
Commorragh. The crimson-armoured Kabal of the Flayed Skull is noted for its mastery of anarchy of the action, not once slowing down in their joyful fury, egged on by the rest of the
aerial combat, while the Kabal of the Obsidian Roses perfectly crafted weaponry is the envy Boyz in their mob and by the mighty Warbosses who lead them.
of all in Commorragh, and the Kabal of the Poisoned Tongue is notorious for its skill in the art
of infiltration. No matter a Kabal's idiosyncrasies, however, all must win battles and seize Once an enemy is destroyed, the Orks set upon the corpses of the dead - greenskin and foe
captives to survive. Indeed, Drukhari raids into realspace yield slaves in the millions, alike - and the thousands of wrecked vehicles strewn across the battlefield, aiming to loot
destined to be sold in Commorragh's vast flesh-markets to be subjects for sick experiments, anything of value. A lump of twisted steel that will make for the perfect axe, Orks' teef - the
worked to death in hellish weapon factories or tormented in drawn-out fashion for the currency of the greenskins - and entire tanks are all taken by the marauding xenos. Fights
pleasure and sustenance of their buyers. amongst them are common, whether it be over the richest pickings, leadership of the various
warbands or very often out of sheer boredom now that the battle is over. These frequent
Alongside the Kabals, many thousands of Wych Cults have evolved out of Commorragh's brawls are a form of entertainment in their own right, with the diminutive Gretchin running
insatiable appetite for depravity. Not every Drukhari wages war in realspace, feasting off the between the legs of jeering Boyz, taking bets and enjoying seeing their larger, bullying
pain of the fallen, yet all need sustenance. The daily gladiatorial displays of the Wych Cults cousins taking a beating for a change.
satisfy this need, entertaining the masses with gruesome combat in Commorragh's many
arenas. Each Wych is an expert in the arts of death and maiming, able to extract the Made up of so many highly competitive and violent warbands, tribes and clans, the Ork race
maximum amount of pain from every thrust of the impaler or slash of the blade. They thrive has an immense propensity for infighting, and many Imperial scholars assert strongly that
on competition, and constantly strive to outshine their rivals with their mesmerising skill. This this self-destructive behaviour is the only thing stopping the greenskins from taking over
is far from limited to the arena; many Wyches relish taking to the field of battle to test their much of the galaxy. It takes a particularly large and powerful individual to steer the
worth against the most fearsome foes the galaxy holds. Supported by Reavers mounted on greenskins towards a common purpose, for Ork society is one based on a simple hierarchy:
agile jetbikes and drug-fuelled Hellions riding nimble skyboards, the Wyches cut through might is right and biggest is best. The bigger and stronger a greenskin is, the more likely he
their adversaries with breathtaking ease, driven ecstatic by the suffering they cause. will be in charge. The very biggest and strongest Orks conquer vast numbers of lesser tribes
before folding them into their own, resulting in a great Waaagh!, A rampage that can be
As with the Kabalites, the Wyches use such raids to take captives of their own. While large described as something between a holy war, invasion and migration fit to drown entire star
numbers are sold upon returning to Commorragh, many more are kept by the Cults for their systems in wave upon wave of greenskins. In recent times the Imperium has encountered
own sinister uses. Myriad species dwell throughout the galaxy, each feeling pain and more Waaagh!s than ever before, thinning its depleted and overstretched defences.
expressing misery in unique ways. The Wych Cults endeavour to showcase unique delights
to their cheering spectators, and many of their strikes into realspace are conducted to seize Six major clans have been identified amongst Ork society. The Goff Clan consists of hulking,
never-before-seen wonders to torture and slay on the sands of the gladiatorial pits. black-clad brutes who specialise in close-quarters infantry assault. The speed-crazed Evil
Sunz race into battle on customised Trukks, Warbikes and other vehicles fitted with all kinds
Dwelling in dungeon-strongholds in the very bowels of the Dark City, the abhorrent of weird weapons and daubed with generous lashings of red paint - which the Orks believe
Haemonculi spark dread even amongst their own kin. Yet these malevolent makes them go faster. The Blood Axes are viewed askance by other Orks and rarely trusted,
 12 5

Many of the awoken dynasties have reached prominence, earning new reputations in the torturer-alchemists possess the power - through eldritch science and forbidden lore - to
dying days of the 41st Millennium. The Szarekhan Dynasty is the Silent King's own, and revivify even the most brutally slain Kabalite or Wych. Jealously do the Haemonculi Covens
those who belong to it are arrogant masters of blackstone. The Sautekh Dynasty is amongst guard their secrets, for the denizens of the Dark City will pay richly to guarantee resurrection
the most ambitious and powerful, its phaeron, Imotekh the Stormlord, seeking to unite all the in the event of untimely death. Not only this, but the Haemonculi also possess the gruesome
Necrons under his banner. The Mephrit's Overlords once were famous for their arsenal of knowledge and facilities needed to grow cloned Drukhari in the amniotic breeding walls of
star-killing weaponry, and compete for power in the aftermath of their phaeron's death. their lairs. For a species with so low a birth rate and so brutally high a tally of attrition through
Meanwhile, the Nephrekh are masters of the translocation beam, able to lead their armies murder, warfare and duplicity, this monopoly on creation makes the Haemonculi powerful
from system to system with terrifying rapidity. indeed. They conduct raids for their own horrifying and hideous ends, leading armies of
laboratory-created abominations when they do. Huge Engines of Pain constructed from
tortured flesh and metal, flawlessly obedient Wracks and insane Grotesques inspire terror in
their enemies as they carve them apart, seizing the most intriguing of victims for their
Blackstone masters to take back to Commorragh. Though these traits are common amongst most
Also known as noctilith and resembling onyx in appearance, blackstone is a mysterious and Haemonculi, each Coven is a unique entity. Some create ever more monstrous minions with
ancient substance that has only recently come to be better understood by the Imperium. For which to further their goals. Others take great pains to lure their targets into deadly traps, or
millennia it had baffled terrastitians and cryptogeologists, with omnispex and prognost-wave focus on developing the arts of fear to new and terrible heights.
readings being ambiguous at best.
Commorrite society is defined by cut-throat politics, rivalry, treachery and paranoia. No one
It was not until Archmagos Belisarius Cawl's discovery of a pattern in Abaddon's Black Drukhari can truly trust another. An offer of allegiance can easily disguise the point of a
Crusades that a theory emerged. It was posited that blackstone, appearing most notably in blade or the end of a splinter pistol. Every drop of wine or bite of food at a feast can contain
the form of noctilith pylons on Cadia, can interact with the metaphysical energies of the deadly, untraceable toxins. Asdrubael Vect would have it no other way - by such means are
warp. Cadias pylons had been in some way negatively charged, meaning that they could his people strengthened, his rivals kept occupied and his supremacy assured.
hold back the encroaching power of the warp. Conversely, the Blackstone Fortresses
unleashed by Abaddon upon that unfortunate world were positively charged, and thus able Since the emergence of the Great Rift, many worlds once thought impregnable have now
to emit vast beams of destructive energy. become highly vulnerable, and Drukhari of all stripes have not hesitated to exploit this fact to
the fullest, furthering their dark agendas at their chosen victims' expense.
This theory, as hope-inspiring as it is alarming, has led Mankind to pursue and collect
blackstone wherever it can be found, for within it may lie the potential to close the Cicatrix
Maledictum forever. Unbeknown to most, if not all, of the Imperium, the mysterious origins of
this precious material go back further than sixty million years, when the Necrontyr set up Tyranids
guardian structures of blackstone to hold back the tides of Chaos before going into
hibernation. Now, entropy and war have destroyed much of the Necrontyr's array. Finally The Great Devourer
awoken by the rising tides of Chaos, Necron Technomandrite Crypteks have set to rebuilding
their ancient work.
The Tyranids have invaded the galaxy from beyond the intergalactic void, their hive
fleets slithering like tendrils into every region of the galaxy. Driven by the imperatives
of the almighty Hive Mind, their swarms sweep over world after world in a living tide

Orks of biological killing-machines and seek to devour every last shred of biomass in their
path.

The Green Tide Though only identified relatively recently, the Tyranid hive fleets have quickly been
recognised as one of the gravest threats to not only the Imperium, but to any form of life in
Tough, brutal, relentlessly thuggish and impossibly numerous, the Orks are one of the the galaxy. Consisting of a seemingly unending number of bio-constructs - ranging from
most dangerous species in the galaxy. Thriving on battle and mayhem, they have micro-organisms to colossal hive ships - each hive fleet advances relentlessly through the
been a dire threat to Humanity since before the dawn of the Imperium, their void. As it does so it consumes all organic matter in its path, converting this biomass to yet
marauding warbands turning up in every corner of the galaxy. more Tyranid creatures and hive ships. In scant centuries the Imperium has identified a
multitude of these hive fleets, such as Behemoth, Kraken, Hydra and Gorgon; each has its
When the Orks attack, they fill the air with their bestial roars, the thunderous growls of own strategies and biomorphs, many of which have manifested as swift generational
revving engines and the deep booms of their crude artillery. They sweep on like an
 6 11
adaptations in response to the strengths and tactics of the enemies that the Tyranid swarms When the Necrontyr traded their flesh-and-blood bodies for cold metal forms, they
face. exchanged all the weaknesses of mortality for the unbendable strength of the machine.
Those unfortunate enough to face the Necrons in battle quickly learn that their traditional
The horror of a Tyranid assault on a prey world begins long before the first bio-construct sets tactics and weaponry are of little avail against this new foe.
foot on the surface. The unfortunate planet is first engulfed in a psychic signal that renders it
utterly silent, all warp travel and communication made impossible. This mysterious and Steel warriors march on in lockstep, immune to the bullets and flames that would lay low
dread phenomenon has been named the Shadow in the Warp, and it is a harbinger of doom. mere mortals. When heavy weapons are brought to bear against the Necrons, severed limbs
It leaves the people of Imperial worlds unable to escape their fate, or to call for made of living metal claw their way back together, the fallen Necron lurching back to its feet
reinforcements that might be their salvation. When the Tyranids strike, the prey world is to continue its war of extermination and conquest. To witness such a harrowing sight is
beset by endless waves of predatory creatures, each optimally adapted to overwhelm the unsettling indeed, and is to know how hopeless resistance truly is. Those damaged beyond
specific forms of opposition arrayed against them. Many of these invaders are further repair simply phase out, leaving no trace of their former presence. The majority of such
enhanced with vicious biomorphs, ranging from toxin sacs and adrenal glands to wicked vanished Necrons are not, in fact, destroyed; rather they are teleported back across time
claws and grotesque bio-cannons. Even the Tyranids' weapons are living organisms, and space to their tomb complex, where arcane machineries make them ready to march to
themselves firing frantically carnivorous beetles and larvae eager to burrow deep into flesh. war again.
In battle, leaping gaunt-forms race ahead of towering Carnifexes, Exocrines and other
monsters. Skyswarm bioforms soar over defences, cutting defenders down with impunity. Though indomitable phalanxes of steel infantry are the core around which the Necron
The myriad creatures of the swarms work in perfect synchronicity under the command of the legions pivot, other forms take their place in the sea of metal, each a deadly force in their
Hive Tyrants and other synapse creatures -psychic bioforms that can bind the instinctive own right. Canoptek constructs that guarded the sleeping Necrontyr for millions of years turn
bestial tendencies of their charges to a single, deadly will. their energies to the attack, Spyders coordinating the terror-inducing Wraiths and tides of
armour-crippling Scarabs. Battle engines drawn from techno-armouries make their presence
There appears to be no end to the threat. Each year, more systems and sub-sectors are known on the field with crackling energy charges, clouds of menacing Night Scythes and
consumed. None know of the Tyranids' true origins, though speculation abounds. Many Doom Scythes dominating the skies as colossal Monoliths, Obelisks and Doomsday Arks
learned individuals suggest the Tyranids may have already picked other galaxies clean, and creep forward relentlessly. Insane Destroyer Cults, motivated purely by the desire to
that this one is simply the next in line. Others have proposed that what assails the Imperium annihilate the living, attack with blades flashing and cannons firing. Deathmarks assassinate
today is but the earliest larval stages in what will become an unstoppable mega-swarm of enemy leaders after spending days hidden in pocket dimensions of reality.
ravenous maws, razor-sharp talons and chitinous beasts, descending upon the galaxy like
the Acrididans of ancient Terran myth on an agri-worker's crops. Some whisper in terror that Most dangerous and mysterious of all are the C'tan Shards. Disparate and contradictory
the hive fleets are not independent, and are in some way linked to some vast, unknowable records describe them as star gods enslaved by the Necrons before their slumber. Beings of
intelligence. All any can agree on is that none truly know. All any can do is pray that the near-unlimited power, when unleashed from their terrible prisons by the Necrons their
inundation of alien flesh that threatens to drown the galaxy will miraculously abate, though actions are terrifying to behold. They can manipulate the flow of time, control the minds of
few allow themselves such a foolish hope. lesser beings, direct blasts of deadly energy and achieve all manner of nigh-impossible
feats.
The Tyranids have but a single purpose and desire: to feed. They are not motivated by
territorial gain, or by fear of a kind a Human might understand. Yet the hunger they feel is not The Lords and Overlords who command these armies have woken from their slumber with
mindless, nor directionless. They are driven by a gestalt intelligence that the Imperium much of their personality, motivations and memories intact, unlike their lesser subjects, most
knows as the Hive Mind, and which guides them to fight and destroy any who bar their path. of whom had their minds mutilated by the experience. In the eyes of these rulers, the galaxy
With every world consumed, every planet stripped of its biomass, the Tyranid hive fleets is theirs to reclaim and the races that populate it little more than vermin to be exterminated
gather ever greater might and churn out new waves of predatory beasts to continue their or dust to be swept away. Though each Lord and Overlord's ambitions vary wildly, and many
rapacious advance. As more and more hive fleets appear on the galaxy's edges, so the true have had their agendas distorted into near-madness by the long passage of time, most
scale of this inimical threat becomes ever more terrifyingly apparent… revolve around the accruing of power and influence. Should this mean infighting, coups and
plots then so be it - such behaviours are part of Necron society, in which power is held by the
cunning and the ruthless.
Genestealer Cults At the height of its glory, the Necron Empire was a tapestry of countless interlocking
dynasties, each making a crown world of its own its home. Though the Necrons have been
Heralds of the Star Children awakening slowly for thousands of years, the number of dynasties rising to restore their
former territories has surged in recent centuries.
 10 7

enemy threat in a manner called casting the Eye of the Ancestors. The Kin use this to judge Far from the prying eyes of the Imperium's harsh authorities, a sinister threat gathers
where to hit the enemy hardest, where to ensure the strongest defence and what resources its strength. The Genestealer Cults, worshippers of mysterious and ominous deities,
are needed to do both in the most efficient manner. For all this careful analysis, the Kin are undermine the roots of the worlds they dwell upon to pave the way for those they see
not robotic - they are a bellicose people, fond of war songs, bellowed oaths and gallows as their liberators from beyond the stars. An unseen scourge, few threats to the
humour. Imperium are so insidious.

Some enemies test the Kin beyond their limits, however. Those who repeatedly insult or A Genestealer Cult begins with but a single claimed victim. Lone Genestealers, vanguard
shame the Kin become the focus of a Grudge, and against these foes the Kin appear to lose organisms of the Tyranid race, steal themselves away into the bowels of the Imperium's
their perspective in their determination to crush them. They will gladly expend huge infrastructure. Neglected holds of deep-space bulk haulers, abandoned manufactorum ducts
quantities of resources to destroy such enemies, even to their own considerable detriment. and the polluted tunnels and sumps of underhives all offer sanctuary to stalking
On occasion the Kin may form Grudgebands - groups of warriors uniting to fight until a Genestealers looking to spread tendrils of genetic corruption through unsuspecting Human
Grudge is settled. Though over the millennia the Kin have had reason to fight all of the populations.
galaxy's major races, none have had more Grudges against them than the Orks. This warlike
race's anarchic nature is anathema to everything the Kin value, and their tenacious presence Once a Genestealer infects its first victims, snatching them into the darkness and jabbing
in the galactic core has solidified the greenskins as sworn enemies. them with its dripping ovipositor, the infestation grows exponentially. The infected become
enthralled to their new alien overlord, regarding it as an idol that will deliver them from
whatever miseries they experienced in their former lives. Brood cycles follow, generations of
loyal gene-cultists spawning in service of their grotesque deity. Amongst them are bred
Necrons officers, commanders, assassins and lieutenants, genetically imbued with psychic abilities or
vital specialist skills and knowledge. After the fifth generation the cycle is begun anew as
Their Number is Legion, Their Name is Death Purestrain Genestealers are born, ready to bring other cities and worlds into xenos rapture.

Knowing how many worlds across the Imperium have fallen victim to the scourge of the
After sixty million years in hibernation, the android legions of the Necrons rise across
Genestealer Cults is nigh on impossible. To seek out such knowledge would be to invite
the galaxy. Armies of burnished steel once dormant and hidden march again,
despair enough to challenge the most resolute minds, for to understand even in part how far
inexorable in their advance to restore their ancient empire. Armed with arcane
the corruption has spread is to see just how precarious the sanctity of the Emperor's realm
technology, nigh impervious to damage and led by maniacal Overlords, few xenos
truly is. Nevertheless, the agents of the Imperium seek just such information tirelessly, for
races are as terrifyingly dangerous.
nothing less than total eradication of the Genestealer Cults is required.

Aeons ago, in a time of apocalyptic war between some of the first sentient beings in the
This crusade to discover the truth, and to annihilate the Genestealer scourge, is motivated
galaxy, the Necrontyr sold their souls in their greed for the secret of eternal life, being born
by one factor above all others. The Genestealer Cults act as psychic beacons to the Tyranid
again as the Necrons. Thus did beings of flesh become beings of metal. The story of these
Hive Mind, drawing the hive fleets to densely populated worlds. As the cult grows larger and
events is shrouded in myth and allegory, even to the most ancient races. All that can be
the Tyranids grow nearer, it will rise up against Imperial rule to make way for their gods. By
gleaned is that it was seen fit to commit the Necrons to the Great Sleep, legions of warriors
the time the uprising is declared, the cult's members have infiltrated multiple levels of
placed into stasis-crypts alongside esoteric battle engines, ready to wake again to rebuild
government, and its networks stretch across numerous civil and military organisations.
and reclaim. Now that they have risen, they strike out, slaying those younger races who
have since settled their worlds and dispatching fleets to cleanse the stars of lesser species.
When the order is given, the Genestealer Cultists strike with terrifying coordination. Those
defenders still loyal to the Imperium find bridges destroyed, their ammunition stolen and the
The Necrons command technologies that are capable of bending the law of physics to their
fuel lines in their vehicles cut. Hundreds of senior officials and officers are ruthlessly struck
will, possessing an understanding of the sciences far exceeding that of the Imperium. On the
down, those they once counted as trusted advisors driving blades into their backs. Entire
battlefield its effects are truly devastating. Even the gauss flayers carried by the most
regiments judged steadfast in their allegiance to the Emperor turn their guns upon their
rudimentary Necron warriors unleash precision volleys of disassembling beams that can strip
fellows, sowing death and confusion before the loyalists can react. Those of the cult too alien
almost any material to its constituent atoms in seconds, and even armoured fighting vehicles
in form to walk unnoticed in society are finally unleashed, striking from tunnels and
are vulnerable to their fearsome power. Tesla weapons discharge bolts of living lightning that
abandoned structures, slaughtering their enemies with a combination of wicked claws and
engulf the target, immolating and melting flesh and metal with equal impunity. Beam
crude Human weaponry. Hordes of foot soldiers are joined by civilian vehicles modified for
weapons use faster-than-light tachyonic particles to transmute a sliver of metal into a lance
battle with heavy weaponry.
of energy that simply erases the foe it strikes out of existence.
 8 9
Genestealer Cults are highly territorial, fighting tooth and claw with any who dare challenge A League's most precious possession by far is its Votann, also known as an Ancestor Core.
their ownership of a world. They rise up in the face of xenos invasion and clash viciously with These venerable thinking-machines are believed to have been created in a lost age of myth,
gangs and Chaos cults who threaten their position. Those Genestealer Cults with the and provided to the Kin to give them all the wisdom and aid they would ever need.
strength and numbers to do so will even prosecute wider campaigns, becoming system or To communicate with their Votann, each Kindred has a node called a Fane. Those Kin with
even sector-spanning organisations that have developed their own distinctive ways of the skills to communicate with a Votann and interpret its teachings are known as the Grimnyr
making war and conquering worlds. The cunning Cult of the Four-armed Emperor, for - or Living Ancestors - and these individuals are universally respected. Such wise beings are
example, are masters of the subterranean assault. The highly organised Hivecult, on the vital to the Kin, as the Votann are now so old that their systems, once impossibly swift, have
other hand, prefer to infiltrate local military forces, while the weather-beaten Rusted Claws become ponderous and senescent. They retain the knowledge contained within them,
excel in the open field, making war as nomads from the backs of their rugged vehicles. however, and the Kin give them the very strongest protection. Indeed, Votann are so
precious that even Kin from other Leagues will spare no resources to protect one under
When the Genestealer Cults go to battle they do so in the absolute certainty that their day of threat. In addition to physical defences, the Kin keep the existence of the Votann secret from
ascension has finally arrived. Their fanatical belief in the coming of the Star Children makes all outsiders, so that it is all but impossible for potential enemies to target them. If the Kin
them a threat far greater than their ragtag appearance might suggest - one that may yet mention them at all, it is only in a way that is completely incomprehensible.
undermine the proud empires vying to rule the stars.
For thousands of years, the Leagues were largely concentrated in the star-dense galactic
core.
There they thrived and spread, exploiting the vast riches that can be found by those with the
Leagues of Votann sheer resilience to endure the region's harsh conditions. These they traded amongst one
another and - more rarely - with the other races of the galaxy. Though now even the Kin
‘The Void is in Our Veins’ themselves cannot be sure of their origins, it seems clear that their physiologies and
technology are tailored to help them not just to survive in the galactic core, but to prosper
there. Thanks to their advanced equipment, the Kin are able to slice apart planets, drain
The Kin who make up the Leagues of Votan are expert miners, traders and warriors.
suns, harvest accretion discs and dredge up cosmic radiation. These they use to build more
Those who have encountered them report that they are tough in body and mind,
of the void craft, armoured suits and weapons they need to survive. The Kin see whatever
possess great bravery and make use of highly advanced technologies to further their
they need as theirs, and for the most part have little compunction in annihilating those who
interests.
stand in their way, believing that if any enemies had deserved what they sought, they would
have fought harder.
The Leagues of Votan are huge and formidable stellar empires, each consisting of many
smaller nation-groups known as Kindreds. All Kin belong to one of these Kindreds - which
Life in the galactic core has shaped the culture of the Kin. With much of their time spent in
can number millions of members - each one centred around a base of operations known as
voidborne fleets doing dangerous work, they have developed an unforgiving moral code.
a Hold. These can take almost any form, from a fleet of ships or a vast industrial complex to
Small failings, such as a filter being changed late or a weak seam being missed, can have
a fortified asteroid.
catastrophic consequences. Waste, error and laziness can spell death, and so have come to
be considered the greatest sins. The Kin's desire to conserve resources extends even to
For the Kin, family always comes first; they are a clone race, meaning that all those in a
their manner of expressing themselves, and they speak tersely and rarely. Widely accepted
Kindred share a genetic bond. As well as rendering them incredibly close-knit, this has also
truisms that have found universal acceptance amongst the Kin exist as short idioms known
led to a cult of ancestor worship. Failure in the Kin's eyes is letting the ancestors down, and
as the Truths, which are treated as articles of supreme good sense. Though such phrases as
should they die their most fervent desire is to be ’returned’ to the ancestors. This sense of
‘It's Kin’, ‘Sailing to Far-space’ and ‘As true as wrought’ may appear uncomplicated and
duty extends also to the Ironkin - machine intelligences in mechanical bodies who aid the
direct, they are loaded with nuance often lost on outsiders.
Kin, and who in turn are valued as equal members of society.
A Kindred is a powerful force in its own right, but frequently they band together to form
Leagues, pooling their commercial and military might. Many Leagues have existed for Military Doctrine
millennia, and include such organisations as the Greater Thurian League, the Ymyr
In war, the Kin are careful to husband their resources. When committed to battle, their
Conglomerate and the Typhon-Styx Protectorate. Yet over time the power of the various
armies are armoured avalanches that crush all in their path, but the Kin will abandon
Leagues waxes and wanes, with new ones being formed as old or weakened ones dissolve.
conflicts swiftly if they deem them too costly.
They see no cowardice in this, accepting that the risk-reward balance is not in their favour.
Once engaged in conflict, the Kins commanders seek to expend resources in a fashion that
wins them the most decisive victory. They do this by calmly assessing the scale of the