Andy Chambers: The biggestcampaign in GamesWorkshop’s history has drawn

to a close. Over forty thousandplayers have sent in more thanquarter of a million game resultsover eight weeks to decide the fateof the Cadian Gate. We’ve had moreresults posted in a single day thanin the entire Armageddon campaign– and we thought that was big!

AND THE RESULT IS…Victory for Chaos! Not a completevictory, the forces of Order have heldthe line in many places and Cadiaitself still defies the Arch WarmasterAbaddon. But nonetheless over eightweeks the forces of Disorder haveconsistently out-fought and out-manoeuvred their opponents acrossthe warzones of the Eye of Terror.

It’s been a nail-biter from start tofinish, seeing the results comerolling in and watching the planetsfall before the Chaos assault. It’s hadsome hugely unexpected twists offate and circumstance as the twoopposing forces grappled with thecomplexities of the fiendishcampaign mechanics and twists builtinto the game. But it has been amighty game indeed, the like ofwhich the world has, I suspect,never seen before.

THE CONCEPTIn concept the Eye of Terrorcampaign was created to be amonstrous strategy game with anunguessable number of players. Byposting results from their tabletopgames on the Eye of Terror website,players could make infinitesimal‘moves’ on the Eye of Terror map,

The planet Cadia bestrides the onestable route out of the Eye ofTerror, an infernal region of warpstorms, daemon worlds andindescribable extra-dimensionalhorrors. The direst foes of the

Emperor, the servants of the Chaosgods, were kept in check by thisand other Imperial bastion-worldsin the region. The objective ofAbaddon’s Thirteenth Crusade wasto seize control of the Cadian Gate,

leaving him free to unleash theinnumerable hordes of the RuinousPowers against the heartland ofthe Imperium, the huge volume ofspace surrounding Terra known asthe Segmentum Solar.

WARHAMMER 40,000 WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGNThe Games Development team take a look back at the bloodyconclusion to the largest wargaming event in history.

DEATH

BY A T

HOUSA

ND CU

TS

WHAT IS THE CADIAN GATE?

34 DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

Campaign information

Total number of sectors 12Total number of systems 9Total number of planets 46Active warzones 67

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choosing where to make a differencein the overall picture. For me, the bigquestion was always whether theplayers themselves could organisetheir efforts in ways to make adifference to the overall map. In theArmageddon campaign the gamesplayed virtually cancelled each otherout because there was no room forstrategies. The campaign was foughtat a tactical level and across thethousands of games played overallarmy balance (thank god) meant thatthere was seldom more than a 10%swing in either direction. Interestinglythe Imperial fleet was the real star ofthat campaign, consistently out-performing the Orks.

So, the idea for Eye ofTerror was to draw up a mapand rules where tactical gamesallowed strategic moves.Because the individual moveswould be tiny on such a vast scale(whole worlds at war, millionsfighting) it would mean that theoverall strategy would be generatedby the players’ decisions en masse.To facilitate this we created warrooms on the websites for the twosides’ players to communicate andwork on their strategies. We madeup a set of event cards to distributeto individual players to allow them tomake a difference in the fighting andcreate narrative ideas. Wecoordinated with the indefatigableGW Events and Retail Staffmembers so they could create asummer packed with battles all overthe globe. We met with clubs andtalked about what was coming up inWhite Dwarf, at gaming conventionsand on the net. We finalised themechanics of the campaign for thewebsite and awaited the big day.

We still had no clue as to whatwould actually happen.

CAMPAIGN EVENTSI felt it was important to introducesome pre-programmed events intothe campaign which would give it asense of unfolding drama andengage the players throughout itsduration. These allowed us to sketchout a broad framework of themesfor the course of the campaign innarrative terms. So, over eightweeks the campaign moved from aperiod of insurrections, raids andsabotage up to a devastating full-scale Chaos invasion, thecommitment of Imperialreinforcements, intervention of theEldar and on to a final, suitablyapocalyptic showdown with warpstorms cutting off access to all butthe key strategic areas.In addition to the programmed

events there were wild cards too.Some of these were dictated by theturn of events within the campaign.For example we decided that theloss of Imperial control on certainworlds might ultimately lead to theirdestruction – the Imperials invokingExterminatus in order to stop theChaos taint spreading further.

Within this broader frameworkwe then used the player event cardsto flesh out individual acts ofbravery or infamy, random chanceand cruel fate.

THE EXECUTIONWithin the first day it was clear thatthis was going to bigger than I’danticipated (I’d guessed atArmageddon +50%, boy was Iwrong). The initial inroads of Chaoswere disappointing to say the least.Over the first week their efforts wererebuffed and in some sectors theforces of Order went over to theoffensive, tightening their grip on afew out-of-the-way systems. Over thefollowing pages you can findaccounts of the course of thecampaign in all the individualwarzones, but I recall vividly the wailsof dismay in the Disorder war roomthat first week. Secretly I blamedmyself in some measure as I’d usedthe planet of Nemesis Tessera as anexample of being easy to influence inseveral presentations. The hordes ofChaos duly showed up there and got

smacked down in no uncertain terms.What I had dreaded – an easy victoryfor the more numerous players of theforces of Order – was in the offing.

By the second week there was achange in the wind. The Imperiumcontinued to secure its control insome places but in the major sectorsChaos attacks were starting to taketheir toll. After the virtual stasis of theinitial week the daily shifts werefrightening to behold. Instead ofconcentrating their results in sluggingmatches with their Imperialopponents the Chaos players hadbegun to batter at worlds for a dayand then move on, leaving their foes

to pick up the pieces. Using justthis tactic the forces of Disordersucceeded in capturing the prisonplanet of St Josmane’s Hope. An

Imperial counter-attack developed butproved hopeless, the forces of Orderhad been caught flat-footed andcouldn’t muster the strength theyneeded to make progress.

On our internal Eye of Terror webgroup we contemplated the situation.From a background perspective wefelt the Imperium would sacrifice theplanet rather than lose it to the forcesof Disorder, it would also mark thevictory of the Chaos players so thatcome what may they had made amilestone mark (unplanned as it was)in the narrative of the Eye of Terrorcampaign. So it was one Friday nightthat I gave the order to destroy StJosmane’s Hope, a fictional world in agiant fictional game with no actualpieces. It was a weird feeling.

PLANET KILLERThe fight is to the finish and theDespoiler has access to the mostterrible weapons of the age. Itwas a fool’s dream not to expecthim to use them. Even he darenot destroy Cadia and its Pylonsalthough anywhere else is at hismercy, and that is a qualityAbaddon has long lacked. Playthis card upon Macharia. Thatplanet is destroyed.

WINNING AND LOSINGEach active warzone in the campaign was allotted an Imperial controlpercentage, which expressed their loyalty to the Emperor as an overallpercentage. Game results registered in the warzone shifted that percentageup or down by increments determined by the resistance level of the planet,so number of results x resistance = control shift up or down.

IMPERIAL CONTROL TABLEPercentage State Description80-100 Faithful Whilst the warzone may contain anti-Imperial

factions they are kept under rigorous controland the loyalty of the inhabitants can normallybe taken for granted.

60-79 Dependable The warzone suffers frequent ‘incidents’ orcontains regions to which Imperial control doesnot extend. In the main though the warzone isloyal albeit with a measure of self-interest.

40-59 In the balance The warzone is still subject to Imperial law andcontrol but the control is superficial and couldbreak down under pressure. There are strongfactions and substantial regions in the warzonethat are actively opposed to the Imperium, butthey are not yet able to exert controlthemselves.

20-39 Unreliable Imperial control has broken down in thiswarzone, being confined only to some areas ordie-hard supporters. The warzone still hasn’tbeen utterly corrupted but it is on that path andImperial forces should be very wary operating insuch a zone.

0-19 Anarchy All Imperial authority has collapsed and thewarzone has fallen into lawlessness, heresy andiconoclasm. There may still be tiny outposts ofloyalists but the warzone is on the brink ofbeing in need of the ultimate sanction ofExterminatus.

What the forces of Disorder worked out early on, and used to theiradvantage, was that we also built in a cascade effect. When a warzonecrossed a threshold, Unreliable to Anarchy for example, it would cause aknock-on effect on other warzones nearby. This represented the effects ofsupply lines, reinforcements and overall morale on the different worlds in astar system or across the systems in a sector or sub-sector of space. Byconcentrating their efforts on beating down Imperial control only in areaswhere it would have a knock-on effect Chaos was able to magnify its effortsover a wide area.

36 DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

FACTIONSIt emerged that the players had gotorganised. The forces of Disorder hadformed several factions advised bystrategists from different think tanks,most notably the Triad and the PlanetKiller group. Repeated efforts by theforces of Order to form a coherentstrategy failed to get the same results.Until the last weeks of the campaignthe forces of Order stayed one jumpbehind and unable to respond to thespreading tide of Disorder. To mydelight the Tyranids and Orks eachworked as discrete factions andhammered at their own chosentargets, Belis Corona and Scarus.

A side effect of this was that theTau were left to their own devices andexpanded steadily through the wholecampaign – I had believed that doingbattle with the Tau would absorbmore of the Ork and Tyranid players’attentions during a campaign mostlyabout the Imperium and Eldar againstChaos. Likewise, the Dark Eldar, DarkAngels and even individual Chaoslegions worked together for commongoals, often pursuing their ownagenda in defiance of any overall plan.It was a joy to behold.

All too quickly the end was insight. With two weeks to go theforces of Order finally gained somecohesion and started fighting backmore effectively. Whereas many of theImperium’s victories had been used tomaintain their superiority on a sectorand system level, they were gettingmurdered on the planets. With aunited command structure theymanaged to pull back from the brinkand stop the continual erosion of theirpositions they had suffered for weeks.

At the last the combined effortsof the forces of Order kept Abaddonfrom his ultimate goal of controllingthe Cadian system but, in the process,the Cadian Gate has been ravaged.Many bastions have fallen to theforces of Chaos and may never berecovered, the warp stormssurrounding the Eye have expandedto engulf whole systems. The fightingon others could continue for decadesto come. With the worlds captured

the forces of Disorder are nowpositioned to launch attacks into moreImperial worlds. The Cadian Gate maynot be open to the forces of Chaos,but their minions are over the wallsin unprecedented numbers.

The campaign has been massivein scale and a wonderful example ofwhat can be achieved today. Lessthan a decade ago Jervis Johnson ranIchar IV, our first mega campaignwhich used results from across theglobe to determine its results – bypost no less! The Eye of Terror set anew record for sheer ‘bigness’ and, aswith its predecessors, will form acornerstone of the rich background ofthe Warhammer 40,000 universe inthe years to come. For all those whohave taken part and made it possible Iextend both heartfelt gratitude andcongratulations on making somethingso truly gargantuan possible.

Ave Imperator!Death to the False Emperor!Here’s to the battles yet to come.

ABADDONThough Abaddon’s final goal ofsmashing through the Cadian Gatewas ultimately unsuccessful, theadvances made by his forces havegained him much more than wasinitially imagined. His retinue ofChosen, led by Devram Korda, theTyrant of Sarora, returned to his sidein the closing days of the war,bringing with him two individualswho had journeyed to the centre ofthe Eye of Terror. Together with thesorcerer Ygethmor the Deceiver, theypresented Abaddon with the Heart ofChaos, a power that Zaraphiston,sorcerer of the Despoiler, had longclaimed could not exist. It is knownthat Ygethmor now stands atAbaddon’s right hand, while the fateof Zaraphiston remains a mystery.

AHRIMANAhriman himself ripped open thewalls of the webway withinformation torn from the mind ofInquisitor Czevak. His plan tobreach the fastness of the BlackLibrary came dangerously close tofruition, but the combined forces ofthe mysterious Harlequins and theUlthwé Strike Force held him fromits gates. In a daring move, theHarlequinade of the Red Masquefreed Inquisitor Czevak, though

what they have since done with himis, at present, unknown: at presentit is believed by Imperial Astropathsthat he may be incarcerated by theEldar within the webway.

Though his ultimate goal wasthwarted, Ahriman’s star has sincerisen in its ascendancy with hisDaemonic Primarch, so perhapssome other, unguessable objectivewas achieved that remains to cometo light.

URSARKAR CREEDNo man, no Space Marine, foughtharder to save Cadia. Althougheach Castellum levelled cut himdeep, the faith of Ursarkar Creedwas unshakeable. His victoriescould not easily be counted but thenumbers of the Arch-enemy did notlessen whereas each defeat drainedhis strength. Creed was forced firstto give ground to preserve hisforces and then to abandon hisfavoured mobile defensive tacticsin favour of defending fortifiedlines. His friend, Jarran Kell, waswounded defending him from yetanother Chaos Champion eager tomake a name and Creed wasfatigued to the point of collapsewhen finally the momentum of theChaos forces ran out.

Cadia stood, but only just. Thegreatest fortress-world of theImperium had been reduced to ablasted husk. It may have been atime of despair, but Creed sent out amessage that was eventually relayedto every Cadian regiment whereverit was.

“Soldiers, I speak to you to tellyou to keep faith with the God-Emperor. We have a sacred dutygreater than any of us. We areCadians, we bar the gate to hell; if itis breached, we will seal it.

The Eye of Terror spawned aplethora of fan based forums andwebsites. A particularly fine onewhich emerged as a great sourceof information, analysis andviews was ruralguards’ site;

http://hipcat.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Congratulations to him and hiscontributors for enhancing thecampaign immeasurably.

MAUGAN RAThe immortal Phoenix LordMaugan Ra took a vital role indeciding the fate of the Eldar over

the course of theThirteenth Crusade.

Responsible for thecreation of the

Ulthwé Strike Forces, Maughan Raand the elite Black Guardiansfought across every sector bycunning use of the webway. Heultimately led the Eldar to victoryeven in the heart of the Eye of

Terror and, afterrepelling Dark Eldar

raids on Xersia,fought alongsideCreed againstAbaddon’sincursion intothe Basilica

Dufaux. It is believed by manyFarseers that the reappearance ofthe shadowy Craftworld of Altansarand its ghost-like inhabitants waspurely due to the iron determinationof the Phoenix Lord to locate andredeem his once-lost brethren.

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Wherever you are, recruit, recruitand train. Seek out pious men andbring them under your colours.While the Shock Troops marchtoward Cadia hope remains. Knowthat we will never cease the fightwhile our world lies desecrated andburned. March on my soldiers,march on, till we are togetheragain, tomorrow, on Cadia.”

LOGAN GRIMNARA council of representatives fromthose chapters opposing Abaddon’sThirteenth Black Crusade elected theirascible Great Wolf of the SpaceWolves Chapter as their nominalhead. His leadership in thecampaign proved a decisive factorin many engagements, and he evenordered a Great Company under hiscommand to stand beside acompany of Dark Angels at KasrSonnen, the two forces puttingaside their deep, mutual resentmentto rout a force many times theirown size. The incident proved thatthe two forces united presented aforce many times more

powerful than the sum of its parts,yet few believe the two chapters willbe able to put aside their differencesfor good.

CYPHERThe mysterious leader of the Fallen,Cypher has been hunted by the DarkAngels and their successor chaptersfor ten thousand years. Though it isnot known whether Cypher wasencountered directly during the war,unconfirmed reports suggest thatthe chapter’s Interrogator-Chaplainscaptured as many as eight Fallenduring the battles around theCaliban system, more than havebeen captured in such a shortperiod in many thousands ofyears. Further reports linkCypher to the mysterious Voiceof the Emperor, who, it isrumoured, was captured by theDark Angels during the fighting, butwhose cell was found empty uponthe prison ships’ return to the Towerof Angels.

ELDRAD ULTHRANThe Farseer Eldrad Ulthran, mostgifted prophet of the Eldar race,

found that the twisting forests ofpossibilities through which hewalked at will were denied to him,blinding his exceptional scryingabilities. His one certainty was thatdarkness stood ready to engulf himand possibly even his homeworld.At the formation of the UlthwéStrike Forces Eldrad divided manyparts of his consciousness intoshimmering waystones and, aftermany weeks of guiding his troopsthrough the webway, he wasexhausted and spent when he waslast seen by the Eldar of Ulthwé. Heappointed a controversial memberof the Seer Council as his successorbefore departing with his Warlockbodyguard on a desperate lastquest; to rescue the soul of one ofthe legendary Talismans of Vaulbefore it turned the surface of Cadiainto a boiling, incandescent sea.

AZRAELAzrael, the Supreme Grand Masterof the Dark Angels was a notableabsentee at the council of ChapterMasters that elected Grimnar theirhead. Azrael led the Dark Angels,and the so-called UnforgivenChapters, according to his own,inscrutable strategy. The only timehe is known to have stood besideother Imperial forces was when heled a company of Dark Angelsupon Xersia, where he joined withLord Castellan Creed and hisCadian 8th to repel a force ofBlack Legionnaires from theworld’s High Basilica. Though theDespoiler succeeded in hissacrilegious mission to desecratethe high altar as part of somededication to the Ruinous Powersthat would guarantee the successof the Thirteenth Black Crusade,Azrael was instrumental inrepelling the invaders, for a timeat least.

TYPHUSStridingthrough theblackened ruins of the ravagedworlds of the Imperium,crushing the bones of the slainbeneath his Terminator armourand spreading the vilestafflictions of Nurgle, Typhus wasthe embodiment of terror, acursed thing too terrible toname. His ship, the TerminusEst, and its supporting plaguefleet were one of the largestChaos battle groups remainingactive throughout the war andallowed Typhus to terrorisewarzone after warzone.

It was on Ulthor, in theAgripinaa system, that Typhusunleashed his greatest sorceries,exhibiting the favour in which heis held by Nurgle. The once

verdant agri-world was twistedand corrupted. The taint of theHerald devolved whatever life itfound rendering it down into aformless sea of putrescence thatwailed in unending torment.Seeing his handiwork Typhustook the nascent daemonworldfor his own, a stronghold beyondthe Gate from which he couldbring terror to the Imperium athis leisure.

38 DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

The Hive Teriax disaster was thecatalyst for a wave of warp stormsto roll through the entire Cadiansector. Terror and confusionreigned and, in the wake of thestorms, the forces of Chaosstruck. In the vanguard was Luciusthe Eternal, Champion of Slaaneshand his Emperor’s Children. Thesefiends perpetrated the mostunspeakable atrocities upon theplanet of Belisar. In the face ofsuch horror the heroic action ofCaptain Lockheart and the 80thThracian regiment at Weykand Gaprestored Imperial morale.

The feeling was short-livedthough. On Demios Primary,treachery rendered the orbitaldefences helpless to resist theArch-enemy’s onslaught. BlackLegion assault groups, along withrenegade Space Marines of theExtinction Angels, swept throughthe forges of the AdeptusMechanicus scattering the SkitariLegions like chaff. The LegioAstorum mobilised in defence ofits fortress and gradually repelledthe invaders. The loss of the forgeworld’s manufacturing capabilitieswas, however, a serious blow and,weeks after the invasion,Extinction Angel units remainedhidden in the depths of theMechanicus facilities despite thearrival of a Black Templar Crusadeto hunt them down.

On Ormantep Black Legionforces were opposed by membersof the 13th Company. Initially itwas not clear who thesemysterious warriors were, buttheir victory over the 9th BlackLegion company was ampledemonstration of their loyalties.

Kergath the Flame, Captain of the9th, was prey to the Wulfen andthe Chaos forces were temporarilydriven off.

On Kasr Sonnen, Kasr Holn,Vigilatum, St Josmane’s Hope andKasr Partox, however, the ChaosLegions enjoyed victory aftervictory. Kasr Vassan was fiercelydisputed, the streets running withblood. On St Josmane’s Hope, thesituation became so dire thatUrsarkar Creed ordered that theplanet’s reactors be deliberatelyoverloaded, sacrificing the worldto prevent it becoming astronghold of the Arch-enemy. OnKasr Holn, Space Marinereinforcements managed to stemthe tide, but on Vigilatum and KasrPartox the Imperial forces wereoverwhelmed by a tide of mutants,traitors and renegades. At theforefront, the Black Legion, WordBearers and World Eatersrepeatedly shattered eachsuccessive Imperial defence lineand turned proud castellum intocharnel pits. The invaluableexpertise of the Iron Warriors inthis type of warfare was rewardedwhen a new fortress began to takeshape on the shattered remains ofKasr Partox.

The Chaos fleet, including oneof the Blackstone Fortresses –ancient engines of destructionbuilt aeons past by unknownxenos – gathered above Cadia butthey were delayed by lightning-fast attacks on the Blackstone bysquadrons of Eldar cruisers. LordAdmiral Quarren was quick to takeadvantage of the delay and hiscounter-strike flowed from Cadia,to Xersia and finally Demios

Binary. By dint of this cunningmanoeuvre Quarren succeeded,first in dividing the main fleet and,then, in pursuing the defeatedelements to final extinction. Onlythose squadrons that stayed closeto the Blackstone Fortressremained a threat but the Chaosfleet was now concerned morewith survival. Most significantlythe Imperial flagship Gathalamorcrippled the Merciless Death,driving it to the Warp fromwhence it took no further part inthe war.

As an act of vengeance,Abaddon despatched the PlanetKiller to Macharia. A desperateboarding action by Space MarineHonour Guard companies failed toprevent the Planet Killer firing, butdamaged its shields. As aconsequence, debris from theshattered world struck the PlanetKiller, which was last seentumbling away into wildernessspace critically damaged.

As if the task of repelling thelegions of the Despoiler was notenough, Vigilatum and Kasr Partoxwere subjected to slave raids bythe Dark Eldar, each inflictingmore misery and drawing vitalforces from the front line. TheDark Eldar next appeared in theXersia system, where the RelictorsChapter anticipated their raid andwere waiting for them. TheRelictors outdid the savage DarkEldar in ferocity, defeating thembefore they could claim any morehuman prisoners. Defeated andcut off from their warp portals theDark Eldar fell back to their fleet.They did not expect that AdmiralQuarren would have set his fleet inmotion so swiftly after fighting theChaos fleet though. His vanguardsmashed into the Dark Eldar fleetinflicting terrible damage anddriving them out of the war in theCadian sector.

As the war raged on, even theuniverse itself seemed to conspirewith Chaos. A subtle change in thehue of the Eye of Terror itselftriggered madness on the UlthwéCraftworld as suggestionsimplanted over millennia by theminions of the Changer of the Wayswere activated. Then, on the heel ofthe original wave of warp storms,solar flare activity magnifiedthroughout the sector adding to itsconfusion, despair and isolation.Confusion can be a two-edgedsword though, and in the Cadiansystem the Lord Castellan, UrsarkarCreed, transferred three regimentsof Shock Troops from the Prosantraining grounds to Kasr Barrus onCadia. The movement wasundetected and the traitorousUbridius Light Infantry werecompletely unprepared for theCadian counter-attack. It was to bethe last significant victory for thebeleaguered Cadians as, faced by aseemingly limitless horde led byChaos Marines who burned withten millennia of hatred, they wereinexorably driven back to KasrPartox. There they turned at bay,but high above them oblivionbeckoned in the monstrous form ofa corrupted Blackstone Fortress.

The Blackstone Fortress’weaponry beat down on KasrPartox remorselessly slaughteringthe warriors of both sides. Facedwith the certain destruction ofCadia’s last defenders AdmiralQuarren had no choice but tomuster his battered fleet for yetanother battle. One by one thescreening Chaos vessels werepeeled away from the Blackstoneuntil eventually it was forced tocease its attack and concentrateupon its own defence. With the endof the Blackstone’s attack anuneasy lull settled on Cadia duringwhich Creed evacuated Kasr Partoxwhile he still could.

WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEBelisar (System) 80% 68.3% DependableCadian (Sector) 85% 100% FaithfulCadian (System) 92% 29.4% Unreliable

• Kasr Sonnen 95% 39.1% Unreliable• Cadia 95% 39.8% Unreliable• Kasr Holn 95% 52.5% In the balance• Macharia 90% DESTROYED• Vigilatum 95% 14.6% Anarchy• Kasr Partox 95% 21.8% Unreliable• St Josmane’s Hope 75% DESTROYED• Solar Mariatus 80% 32.3% Unreliable

Demios Binary 85% 79.2% DependableKantrael 85% 84.9% FaithfulXersia 85% 88.2% Faithful

CADI

A

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The fortress oubliette of NemesisTessera, its existence supposedlyunknown to all but the highest of theInquisition, came under fierce attackduring Abaddon’s ThirteenthCrusade. The systems surroundingthe Inquisition fortress experiencedhitherto unknown levels of civilinsurrection that could not beexplained without recourse to themalign influence of the Ruinous

Powers. In one such incident, apreviously peaceful sect ofcontemplative monks turned on thepopulace of Trionora, engaging in aseries of bloody massacres acrossthe planet’s surface. Ordo Hereticusstrike teams were despatched to cullthese killing sprees – they discoveredthe barricaded monasteries to be fullof corpses, the monks having chosento end their lives in an orgy of self-mutilation. The monasteries wereburned to the ground, the ruins sownwith salt and reconsecrated.

While the agents of theInquisition policed the systemssurrounding their fortress, manystrange omens and portents wereunearthed, all indicating greatdisaster. Many believed this simply to

be the invasion of the Despoiler, butother, more cautious Inquisitorsbelieved it to be something more.These doomsayers were provedcorrect when the blind scryers ofNemesis Tessera detectedunauthorised psychic activity withinthe depths of the fortress itself.Inquisitor Van Hel, a RadicalInquisitor who delved too deeply intomysteries best left alone, had beenseduced by the whispered promisesof the Ruinous Powers and only thetimely intervention of InquisitorCyarro prevented a warp rift of

cataclysmic proportions. At almostthe exact same time, a determinedforce of Chaos Space Marineslaunched an attack on the Inquisitionfortress and laid siege to it for manymonths. Only the timely arrival of theSpace Wolves saved the beleagueredInquisitorial forces and the combinedforces of the Inquisition and the Sonsof Russ were finally able to repulsethe attack. Though why the SpaceWolves abandoned their station todeploy throughout the NemesisTessera sub-sector remains amystery.

Abaddon recruited massed warbandsof Orks to act as mercenary auxilia tohis Chaos Legions for the ThirteenthCrusade. Following up on terror raidsand cunning feints by the Night Lordsand Alpha Legion many of the Orksbanded together into ever-growingtribes that declared themselves as partof the ‘Green Krusade’ (or Kroosade insome sources – Ork spelling is alwaysa matter of conjecture) in imitation ofthe grand assault of Chaos. Theunstoppable force of the GreenKroosade inundated the Scarus sector

(Skar-Uz to the Orks), battering downImperial defences with sheerdoggedness and not a little help fromChaos Space Marines, particularly ofthe Night Lords and the Black Legion.Now the Orks rule Lethe Eleven andMordax, along with most of Imbriumand Ulant. Gudrun and Nysa Stromolostand on the brink of anarchy and theweapon forges of Mordax(rechristened Moredakka by the Orks)are infested with lootas of the DeathSkull clan, a truly terrifying prospectto the devotees of the Machine God,who know full well the depths ofblasphemy against the Omnissiah towhich these barbaric xenos will sink.

Battered survivors speak ofhundreds of Gargants being built fromthe debris of war by enslavedservitors and their brutal Greenskinoverseers. The squat, menacing formsof more Gargant construction sites

climb over the plains of Mordax dailyas Ork Mekaniaks race to be the firstto complete their machines. Imperialstategists are now regarding theGreen Kroosade as a full-scale OrkWaaagh! Its Warlords are unknownbut it would appear that Ghazghkulland Nazdreg are not among them.Only Thracian Primaris and ElnaurDelta have held firm against the Green

Kroosade, bolstered first by theintervention of a Black TemplarsCrusade, and later by the stalwartdefence mounted by the SalamandersChapter and many other Space Marinecontingents. The situation is grim inScarus, and none can see an end tothe infestation given the dire situationacross the region.

THE BATTLE FOR THE STARSThe Imperial Navy is vast,stretched out across thethousands of light years ofImperial space, dispersed acrossa hundred warzones, patrolroutes and shipping lanes. Thismeans that it can be slow toreact to a threat but once inmotion it is a giant, anunstoppable behemoth whichsooner or later will, inevitably,arrive to unleash its vengeance,no matter how powerful the foe.

So it was that as Abaddon’sThirteenth Black Crusade sweptthroughout the sectors borderingthe Eye of Terror, the immensewarfleet which he had amassed

initially proved unstoppable. Incomparison to Abaddon’s GrandFleet and the Plaguefleet ofTyphus, Admiral Quarren's shipswere thinly spread, even aroundthe Cadian Gate where theBastion fleets stand as thelargest standing force outside ofthe solar system.

Thus in the early stages ofthe war Abaddon’s fleet heldorbital supremacy across most ofthe sectors within the warzoneallowing him to bombard worlds,terrorise their populace anddeploy Chaos forces. In suchtimes it was the heroism ofindividual ships and captainswhich tipped the balance against

their numerically superior foes.The time they won allowed theweb of battlefleets and ships ofthe Emperor to close in aroundthe Cadia Gate

Where Imperial defences hadbeen overstretched at the outsetof the war, by the end they stoodreinforced by dozens ofneighbouring battlefleets. Tinypatrols, at first hopelesslyoutnumbered and oftenoverwhelmed by Abaddon’sinvasion, mustered together intobattlefleets numbering hundredsof vessels. Space MarineChapters committed their ownfleets to the war in space andsoon the Imperial Navy stood as

an unbreakable circle of ironaround Abaddon’s forces. Wherethey had once failed to containAbaddon’s fleets as they emergedfrom the Eye, they now did justthat to Abaddon’s forces acrossCadia, Agripinaa and a dozenother sectors, isolating themcompletely from one another.Abaddon’s conquest of theworlds outlying the Eye of Terrormay be almost complete, but bythe grace of the Imperial Navy,few reinforcements were able tobolster his forces toward the endof the campaign. Some have saidthat it is for this reason aloneCadia still belongs in the materialrealm.

SCAR

USNE

MES

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEScarus (Sector) 77% 75% DependableThracian Primaris (System) 90% 90.6% Faithful

• Elnaur Delta 90% 83.8% Dependable• Gudrun 70% 20.2% Unreliable• Imbrium 70% 4.4% Anarchy• Lethe Eleven 70% 0.1% Anarchy• Mordax Prime 65% 0.4% Anarchy• Nysa Stromolo 65% 19.6% Unreliable• Thracian Primaris (Planet) 90% 92.4% Faithful• Ulant 60% 14.8% Anarchy

WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATENemesis (System) 99.5% 100% Faithful• Nemesis 99.5% 98.1% Faithful

40 DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

Imperial forces largely ignored themostly uninhabited Chincharesub-sector in the early stages ofthe war, though the forcesgarrisoned throughout the systemwere hard-pressed to contain theinitial surge of invaders. Reportsof increased Chaos activity drewmore forces there as the war wenton and Eldar forces of Ulthwéfought hard and spilt much bloodin order to wrest control of the

sub-sector from the RuinousPowers. Ulthwé Strike Forcesstruck at key points within thesystems surrounding Chinchare todeny the forces of Abaddon anycohesion to their armies. Strikingbehind the lines of the mainChaos thrust, precious resourceswere diverted from the front lineto deal with the raiding Eldar inthe rear. Those forces despatchedto deal with the Eldar werethemselves ambushed anddestroyed piecemeal. Suchsuperiority brought with it anarrogant belief that the StrikeForces were invulnerable, butsuch was not to be the case asAhriman, sorcerer of Magnus theRed, wove powerful magicks todisrupt the path of the webway,

twisting it and ripping portions ofit asunder. Much was thelamentation of Ulthwé as manyStrike Forces were trapped foreverin the webway or lost in thehaunted depths of the Warp.

While Ulthwé reeled fromthese terrible losses, the Chaosforces pressed their attack andlaunched a devastating counter-attack against Imperial forces,particularly those based on Balzac.The Imperial troops were in dangerof being overrun completely,before being suddenly anddecisively aided by Eldar emerging

from shimmering warp portals.These mysterious benefactorsasked nothing in return for theiraid and vanished without a word ofexplanation. As more and morereports were collated, it appearedthat these silent Eldar hadappeared virtually simultaneouslythroughout the sub-sector –effectively stymieing the Chaosattack. As the Chaos forces reeled,the vengeful Eldar, combined withthe might of the Imperial forces,were able to rout the followers ofthe Dark Gods from the sub-sectorcompletely.

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEChinchare 45% 95.2% Faithful

Aeons ago, the crone world of BelialIV was a capital world of the Eldarempire. Deep in the heart of theEldar homelands, the verdantparadise was all but obliteratedwhen the cataclysmic Fall of theEldar stripped away thousands ofyears of culture and beauty andreplaced it with madness,desolation and evil. Belial IVbecame a dust-strewn wreck ofdaemon-infested ruins andcrackling, baleful skies.

Maugan Ra, a Phoenix Lordand therefore a veteran of webway

travel, braved the depths of the Eyeof Terror on a pilgrimage to theshattered crone worlds, intendingto find a faction of Eldar hebelieved trapped in the Eye ofTerror. Taking with him a few of hisfavoured disciples, Maugan Raeventually reached the hex-systemof Belial. What he found there hewould not speak of and he was notseen again until he appeared uponUlthwé to form the infamous StrikeForces, filled with renewed energyand determination.

Towards the end of theThirteenth Crusade, many of theEldar in the system departed fromwarzones in the Imperial space andgathered upon Belial IV underMaugan Ra’s command. They tookthe fight to the indigenous Chaosforces with such unremitting furythat vast areas were reclaimed bythe Eldar.

The battle also raged around BelialIV in the labyrinth dimension of thewebway, but it seemed that withoutthe guidance of their leaders theStrike Forces were suffering heavylosses to the Dark Eldar andThousand Sons. The otherworldlyguardians of the Black Library,fearing for their shadowy realm’ssafety, revealed hitherto unknowncapillaries of the webway to theUlthwé Eldar, enabling them notonly to escape from the net drawingaround them but to stage a seriesof ambushes that broke thedeadlock and turned the tide onceand for all.

The final, and most decisive,twist to this peculiar theatre of war

came when a Daemon horde led acounter-attack against the Eldarconsolidating their hold on thecrone worlds, as sudden as it wasdevastating. To the great shock ofthe Eldar below, the withered andbroken Craftworld of Altansar,thought lost to the Warp for 10,000years, drifted into orbit above thecrone worlds. Hundreds of pallid,ghost-like Eldar joined theirbrethren on the field of battle,throwing back the Daemon tide withwave after wave of silent, grimwarriors. Since that great victoryBelial IV has been reclaimed by theEldar. What this, and thereappearance of the Lost, bodes forthe Eldar race remains to be seen.

BELI

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEBelial IV 35% 79.4% Dependable

The barren sentinel worlds in thesouth-west quadrant of the Eye ofTerror have always been thought tobe a collection of mostlyfeatureless rocks held together byspecific gravitational anomalies.The Adeptus Mechanicus havedone much to discourage

development in this region due totheir facility stationed on HydraCordatus, a relatively unremarkableplanet holding a potent secret.Remaining undisturbed forcenturies, there have recently beenunconfirmed reports of a great IronWarriors invasion into the system,preceding even the Hive Teriaxdisaster in the opening phases ofthe Thirteenth Crusade.

During the opening stages ofthe Crusade, the sentinel worldshad little in the way of full-scaleengagements, although a node inthe webway stationed above thevoid worlds saw a lot of conflict

between the Eldar and theirenemies. The most notabledevelopment emerged from thisunregarded backwater system justas the wars reached their peak, withhordes of silvered Necron warriorsemerging from hidden tombs on thefour planets surrounding HydraCordatus in a rough pyramidpattern. The Imperial forcesstationed nearby feared the worst,but were amazed when the

Necrontyr fell upon the soldiers ofChaos, turning the tide in favour ofthe forces of Order. Since thattime, increased Necron activity inthe sector has prevented anyImperial forces from capitalisingupon these victories, and remoteorbital pict-captures have evenrevealed several structures almostidentical to the Cadian Pylonssprouting across the landscapes ofthese four sentinel worlds.

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATESentinel Worlds 20% 24.1% Unreliable

www.eyeofterror.co.uk 41

War came without warning to theAgripinaa sector, the openingmoves made by the forces ofDisorder as the newly installedgovernor of the planet Lelithar wasassassinated whilst travelling in hisceremonial motorcade. The hereticsresponsible were gunned downwithout mercy by the attendantPlanetary Defence Force troops, butwithin hours, first the world, thenthe entire system, was in openrebellion.

As the full force of Abaddon’sinvasion hit the sector one man,Regu Hane, was hailed as a saviour– he led a bold counter-attack thatsucceeded in banishing a horde ofKhornate Daemons, and earnedhimself the title of Beati. Later the

mysterious Harlequins intervened inthe fighting, but the defenders werestymied when the notorious DarkApostle of the Word Bearers TraitorLegion, Lord Erebus, caused theraging tempest of Warp StormBaphomael to surge forth and engulfthe outlying systems of the sector.

It was only in the closing stagesof the conflict that the Imperium wasable to mount an effective defenceagainst the raging hordes of theRuinous Powers, when thecombined forces of a number ofSpace Marine Chapters brokethrough the storms and fell upon theinvaders with a righteous hatredborn of 10,000 years of conflict.

By the end of the war, theplanets Albitern, Amistel, Lelithar,Malin’s Reach, Ulthor and Yayorlay in ruins, and a number of otherkey systems hung in the balance.Though Agripinaa itself still stands,without the agri-worlds of Yayor,Ulthor and Dentor, its populacemay yet starve to death, andwithout the vital materiels providedby the Hive worlds of Albitern,

Amistel and Tabor, its mightyforges may yet fall silent. The so-called ‘Herald of Nurgle’, Typhus ofthe Death Guard Traitor Legion,has claimed the now blasted worldof Ulthor as his own realm, and thenightmare visions of a thousandAstropaths tell of the birth of anew daemon world within thedomains of Man.

Further, unconfirmed reports statethat one of the Blackstone Fortresseswere destroyed by raiders of theNecrontyr off the shoulder of theLustitia Belt. Senior members of theOrdo Xenos are en route to the area,and Deathwatch strike cruisers arealready engaged in ensuring novessels other than their own enterthe area.

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEAgripinaa (Sector) 65% 77.9% DependableAgripinaa (System) 85% 82.7% Faithful

• Morten’s Quay 85% 95.6% Faithful• Agripinaa (Planet) 85% 80% Faithful• Aurent 85% 97.2% Faithful• Narsine 65% 68.9% Dependable

Albitern 65% 14% AnarchyAmistel 50% 14% AnarchyBar-El 75% 39.9% UnreliableDentor 65% 20.3% UnreliableFinreht 75% 33.3% UnreliableLelithar 35% 0.4% AnarchyMalin’s Reach 35% 0% AnarchyTabor 70% 26.9% UnreliableUlthor 75% 0.4 AnarchyYayor 50% 12.4% Anarchy

WORLD-WIDE CARNAGE In Games Workshop stores, battlebunkers and event halls the worldover, thousands of gamers weretaking part in the bloody strugglefor the Eye of Terror. Canada andthe US made particularly stunningefforts to save (or destroy) Cadia.Here are some of the highlights:

NORTH-EAST US BATTLE TOURThe Imperial commanders of KasrSonnen, holding out stubbornlyand refusing to close the gates toallow their fellow Cadians inside,were washed away by a tide ofChaos minions whilst a Titan triedin vain to step over the Kasr’swalls, falling and crushinghundreds of trench-boundGuardsmen beneath its vast bulk.

The Space Wolves capturedthe legendary Axe of Khorne,using it (and some say acontingent of Imperial Guard) tobait a trap and subsequentlyspring an ambush that wiped outthe followers of the Blood God toa man.

Over 2,000 gamers took partin this tour alone, with 74 stopsover the course of the summer.Sounds like those guys need aholiday…

MIDWEST US BATTLE TOURThe Agripinaa Sector saw a titanicbattle between a Lost and theDamned/Death Guard alliance anda host of Cadians reinforced bythe Relictors in a massive canyon.

The Imperials were winningconvincingly when the Relictorspicked up and left for no apparentreason! The Cadians faced theirdoom, given false hope by thearrival of an Ulthwé Strike Forcethat proved too little too late…another victory for the forces ofDisorder.

GW CANADAIn the hotly contested war for KasrVassan, the main battle wasplayed across a table as vast as itwas detailed. Imperial Titansstrode onto the field mid-game,Dreadclaw assault boats raineddown onto the battle, and Cadiansby the truckload gave their lives tohalt the relentless advance ofChaos. Carnage was duly wreaked.

Despite a crushing Imperialvictory at Kasr Bane, Chaos wonby the tiniest of margins; 102forces of Disorder wins versus101 victories for the forces ofOrder!

42 DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

The Tau made several majorexpansions to their empire overthe course of the Thirteenth

Crusade. With Imperial attentionelsewhere, and the local Tyranidand Ork menace temporarilycontained, Tau settlementcolonies and pioneer teamsreached far and wide into theoutlying systems of theDamocles Gulf, the Perdus Riftand much further afield. Althoughthe encroachment on Imperialspace has been relatively minor,the Tau have established no

fewer than five 3rd phase colonysystems in a halo around theirexisting sept worlds. Thesemassive areas of expansion arealready being referred to as theThird Sphere Colonies by thediplomats of the Water caste, andare rumoured to include

unprecedented numbers ofhuman auxillaries. That theImperium’s attention is focusedelsewhere is no doubt of comfortto those humans who havepledged their support to theburgeoning Tau empire.

The hive world of Subiaco Diablowas the first planet in the BelisCorona sector to come under theheel of the forces of Disorder, asthe Plague Marines of the DeathGuard Traitor Legion unleashedtheir foulest contagions upon itspopulace. Soon, the shatteredstreets were home to the unquietdead, the Plague Zombies ofNurgle, reanimated victims of the

Plague God’s choicest gifts.Throughout the opening phase ofthe invasion, only the convent ofthe Order of the Ermine Mantle heldout, though at terrible cost, againstthe shuffling hordes of undead.

At the height of the invasion,something truly unexpectedoccurred. Defenders on the outlyingsystems reported contact withTyranid organisms – at firstindividual vanguard-organismssuch as Lictors, but soon entirebroods of Genestealers andHormagaunts. A splinter fleet ofHive Fleet Leviathan, a Tyranid fleetknown to be attacking up throughthe galactic plane, was takingadvantage of the mass destructioninitiated by the invasion to gain a

foothold in strategically vitalImperial space.

Faced with both the pustulantforces of the Death Guard, and thevoracious hordes of Tyranids whowere, unlike the human defenders,immune to the Plague God’sblessings, the forces of theImperium were hard pressed todefend the vital worlds of thesector. It was first the interventionof Eldar of the Ulthwé Craftworldand then the orbital bombardment

of Laurentix that allowed theforces of the Imperium to fightback, despite the disastrousambush of forward elements ofBattlefleet Solar at the BairstenPrime jump point.

In the closing days of the war,it was only through the coordinatedassaults of a number of AdeptaSororitas Orders that the line washeld at the Belis Corona sector,thanks to the actions of therenowned Canoness Astra.

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEBelis Corona (Sector) 85% 74.3% DependableBelis Corona (System) 85% 60.4% Faithful

• Subiaco Diablo 70% 58.3% In the balance

The mysterious sector of Eidolon,deep in the heart of the Eye of

Terror, is one of the most remoteand peculiar of the daemon worldsfought upon during the ThirteenthCrusade. Divided into severalcontinents where a different Chaospower reigns over each, thebattlezones of Eidolon present apanoply of strange andexcruciating ways to die. Itsshifting landscapes defy all reason,and, although it was once a

beautiful maiden world of theEldar, it has changed so irrevocablythat no real trace of its formerglory exists. Nonetheless, thevictories won by the forces ofOrder, notably the Eldar of Biel-tan,have established several enclaves

of sanity in the roiling seas ofpossibility that characteriseEidolon. The Eldar hope that oneday these islands can grow andbecome stable, and that eventuallythe secrets of Eidolon can bereclaimed.EI

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEEidolon 5% 25.1% Unreliable

WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEThe Tau Empire 100% 132.6% N/A

www.eyeofterror.co.uk 43

Scelus was the homeworld of therenegade Space Marine Chapter theSons of Malice, and was declaredPerdita at the time the Chapterturned upon the Imperium. A cold,desolate place, Scelus is home tothe savage and barbaric tribes fromwhich the Sons of Malice recruitedtheir number.

Though reports from the frontline at Scelus are unclear on thesubject, reliable sources state thatthe invading forces of Disorderjoined with the native tribes,establishing a potentially hugepower base within a short space oftime at a strategically vital location.The forces of Order were in noposition to oppose this state ofaffairs in the initial stages of theinvasion, as every availableImperial Guard regiment wascommitted elsewhere and nonecould relocate swiftly enough tooppose Abaddon’s plans for Scelus.

However, Abaddon’s planswere in fact opposed, and very

soon the Imperium was in fullcontrol of Scelus havingslaughtered the invaders withoutmercy. The exact identity of theImperial forces that liberated thesystem is unclear, though this isfar from unusual in a regionwithin which uncounted millionsof soldiers are fighting, with morearriving every single day. That theliberators were Space Marines isknown, though the exact chapteris not. It was reported thatseveral chapters were fighting

within a short warp jump ofScelus in the days leading up toits liberation, including the NightWatch, the Subjugators and theHowling Griffons.

Nothing has been heard fromany Imperial forces in the area,and it is suspected by some that aSpace Marine Chapter has claimedScelus as its homeworld by rightof conquest. In the currentclimate, none in Imperial HighCommand would argue againstsuch a move.

SCEL

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Just as Dark Eldar raids beset theCadian system, the feral population

of Medusa was attacked andenslaved. The Iron Hands sent battle-brothers to train and lead thetribesmen, rather than send entireunits. Thousands of barbarians died,or were carried off, but the strongestof the tribes survived and the battlestrength of the Iron Hands was notsignificantly reduced.

This enabled the Iron Hands tocommit their full strength to battle

aboard their massive trackedfortress-monasteries. If this force didnot stop the traitor armoured forcesit was clear they would be able todestroy the lightly equipped feralauxiliaries at will. What resulted wasa massive tank battle in which the

Iron Hands withstood the assault ofover ten thousand tanks and thencrushed them with their counter-attack. Many Iron Hands had to beblessed with cyberneticaugmentation by the Iron Fathersthat day, but Medusa was saved.

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEMedusa 85% 93% Faithful

Caliban was the site of many bitterbattles throughout the war, and theDark Angels Chapter was forced todefend the ruins of their formerhomeworld against the

blasphemous hordes of theDespoiler, who were intent upondesecrating the holy ground. But,despite the vindictive campaign oflies and profanity conducted by theheretic known to his followers as‘the Voice of the Emperor’, whichwere seemingly designed to drawthe Dark Angels into pointlessbattles away from the main fronts,they did in fact prove invaluable inmany conflicts across the region –despite the generally held view thatthe Dark Angels fought exclusively

and selfishly for the ruins of Calibanwhile Cadia burned.

At the close of the war, Caliban isfirmly in the hands of the DarkAngels, its secrets safe, for now. TheVoice put much effort into sewingdisunity amongst the defenders of theCadian Gate, seeding doubt as to justwhat the Chapter was hiding amongstthe frozen ruins of its homeworld.

Having suffered the presence of theservants of the Ruinous Powers, theholy places of the Caliban systemhave now been reconsecrated by themost senior Interrogator-Chaplains ofthe Chapter, and it is clear that,whatever the result of the larger war,no devotee of Chaos shall ever againapproach within a light year of theCaliban system again.

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WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATECaliban 50% 100% Faithful

WARZONE INITIAL CONTROL OUTCOME STATEScelus 20% 95.4% Faithful

32 THE FINAL HOURS

IThe lance beam tore through themid-deck of the Bastion of Light,vaporising its plasma reactor in aheartbeat. The rear quarter of theship heaved as the colossal energiesreleased tore her apart in an explosionthat lit up the darkness of spaceabove Cadia with oxygen-rich flames.Admiral Quarren watched its demisethrough the viewing bay of hisbattle-scarred flagship, Gathalamor,and felt what little chance of victorythey had had in this battle slip away.Over a dozen Imperial vessels werelittle more than blazing hulks driftingin space and they had barelyscratched the surface of the corruptedBlackstone Fortress. The Eldar shipshad taken a savage beating, their alienmagicks unable to protect them fromthe horrendous amount of firepowerdirected against them. Two listeddrunkenly, their curved foresailssagging and broken across theirripped hulls and a third blazed fromprow to stern. But the fourth…whoever its captain was, Quarren hadto admit he was a master ofmanoeuvre, slipping through thedeadly barrages from the Chaos fleetlike liquid. Men and ships of theImperial Navy were dying to give theEldar ship the opportunity to closewith the Blackstone Fortress, andQuarren just hoped their sacrificewould not be in vain.

IIEldrad Ulthran, Farseer of Ulthwé,felt utterly blind, senses attuned tothe whispers of futures not yet bornrendered mute by the encroachingdarkness. He could sense nothing ofthe future and his sudden impotenceleft him feeling cold and alone. Wasthis how the Mon-Keigh felt all thetime? How could they stand to livein such blindness, stumbling towardsthe future with no possible idea ofwhat awaited them? For a briefsecond he was moved to pity thissightless, upstart race, beforeremembering the injustices they hadinflicted on his race; the unthinkingxenocidal massacres, the theft ofEldar Maiden worlds and thearrogance to believe that the galaxywas theirs to do with as they wished.The Isha’ra rocked with nearbyexplosions from ordnance launched by

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alike, struggling atop blood-slickramparts, bullets and lasboltsricocheting around him as therockcrete of the firing step rushedup to meet him and slammed intohis face. He rolled onto his back,realising he was lying on the groundas he felt warm blood pool beneathhim – though he could feel no pain.

Through the shattered parapet, hecould see tens of thousands – moreeven? – of the warriors of the enemymassing before the walls. Theystretched as far as the eye could seeand even as his vision blurred, heknew there was no way they couldstand before such a monstrous horde.But then he saw a miracle, a shininglight piercing the heavens that lit upthe clouds with a pure brilliance thatcould only be the fury of theEmperor come to punish thesetraitors that dared to defile Hisworld. He smiled and watched as arippling cascade of blazing lightdropped from the skies and touchedthe surface of Cadia, setting itssurface alight. White-hot fires leaptfrom the ground, a thousand metrehigh pillar of light that incineratedeverything in its path. Distant screamsechoed from far off and Escarno wepttears of joy as the kilometres-widecurtain of fire scorched the Chaosfilth from the surface of his world.They had held for long enough andhe smiled as he died, content toknow that he had done his duty.

IV“We’re finished…” said one ofCreed’s advisors, watching theincandescent curtain of fire searingits way towards the inner keep.Though tens of thousands of theenemy were dying, the lethal energywas slowly, but inexorably, movingtowards them. It would kill thoseopposing them, but it would destroythem also, and with them, the lastCadian bastion of the east.

Ursarkar Creed rounded on hisadvisor and snarled, “I won’t hearthat kind of talk, damn it. Anyoneelse voices an opinion like that andI’ll shoot him myself.”

“Sir,” said Jarran Kell, softly.“He may be right. If the xenos donot succeed soon, there will benothing left of Kasr Partox. Thelexmechanics calculate the energybeam will reach the walls of thekeep within the hour.”

Creed said nothing, his face setin an expression of grim resolve ashe stared across the blasted wastelandtowards the deadly beam that reachedfrom space to destroy his world.

“Come on,” he whispered, raisinghis head skyward. “Do not fail us…”

the Chaos fleet, but CraftmasterKaelisar was the best ship’s captain ofUlthwé and he deftly piloted hisvessel through the storm of fireunscathed. The corrupted Talisman ofVaul loomed before them, its twistedspires warped beyond the subtle gracecrafted long ago by Eldar hands.Hundreds of explosions burst aroundit as the combined Eldar and Imperialships fought desperately to reach theTalisman.

Behind Eldrad, a cabal ofWarlocks surrounded a swirling bluenimbus of light, weaving theirpsychic powers into one powerfullance of energy that sought to unlockthe ancient seals holding thewraithgate aboard the Talisman closed.Powerful wards held it shut, but nowthe Warlocks sought to undo thosewards and allow their Farseer totravel through the webway and boardthe Talisman. Even as he watched, adazzlingly bright light flared beneaththe Talisman, a blazing column thatspeared towards the surface of theplanet below.

“Hurry,” said Eldrad. “We arerunning out of time.”

IIILieutenant Escarno slumped againstthe rockcrete parapet of the Kasr’sbastion, feeling blood pouring fromthe gaping wounds in his side. Hefelt dizzy from blood loss andfatigue. On any normal engagement,he and his men would have beenrotated away from the front line, butthis was no normal engagement. Therewere simply no more men to feedthe war machine and any man capableof holding a gun stood before theenemy. The soldiers of the ImperialGuard had fought beyond the limitsof endurance and only theirdetermination to do their duty to theGod-Emperor kept them fighting.

Thudding booms marchedthrough the ruins of the outer Kasr,its bastions reduced to rubble byconstant bombardment from daemonicartillery. All that remained was theinner keep, its high adamantine wallsproof against anything the enemycould throw at it. The fightingaround him raged with undiminishedferocity as he collapsed to his knees,though the sounds seemed tinny andfar away. He saw comrades and foeBy Graham McNeill

www.eyeofterror.com 33

VIIEldrad felt his soul smothered withdarkness as he set foot on theperverted Talisman of Vaul. Heretched, feeling the corrupted heartof the Talisman thirst for his essence.Like a dark mirror of the spiritstone he wore around his neck, ithungered to drink his very soul andtorment it forever within itscrystalline depths. A handful ofWarlocks had managed to join him,two fighting to hold the wraithgateopen that they might escape. Wastedeffort, knew Eldrad, but he could notbring himself to tell them that.

He limped towards the centre ofthe chamber, a Warlock collapsingbefore him as his soul was drainedfrom his body by the corrupted,thirsting heart of the Talisman. Hepassed the corpse, little more than ashrivelled sack of bones, making hisway to where a great basalt walldisplayed the furious battle ragingoutside. The Imperial ships weretaking a heavy beating and it wouldnot be long before they wereannihilated. He squatted in the centreof the chamber, slowing his breathingas he entered a trance-like state thatwould allow him to commune withthe Talisman’s heart – the corruptedspirit stone at its centre. If he couldsomehow reach the part of it thatremembered the glory it had oncepossessed, then there was a chance. Achance, nothing more than that, butit was all he had.

VIIIAdmiral Quarren clutched the brassrail of his command lectern asanother impact slammed into the sideof the Gathalamor, red warning runesflashing and the sacristy bell chimingin alarm. Flames and smoke spewedfrom cracked vents and he could tellhis vessel was dying. Through theviewing bay, he could see predatoryChaos battleships closing with his

vessel and knew that this was theend. A shark-nosed enemy cruiserturned its prow towards theGathalamor and Quarren knew that asalvo of torpedoes was seconds awayfrom being launched.

But then a series of ripplingexplosions blossomed along the flanksof the Chaos ship and portions of itshull were ripped from its structure asflaring bolts of lightning enveloped it.Confused, Quarren shouted, “Wideaperture on viewing bay!”

Seconds later, he saw a sightthat he had never expected to see inall his years with the Imperial Navy.Huge, silvered ships, shaped likecrescent moons swooped across theChaos battle line, crackling bolts ofenergy hammering the Chaos vesselswith devastating close-range firepoweras they raced towards the Blackstone.Quarren’s heart skipped a beat as hesaw enemy ship after enemy shipreduced to wreckage by theunexpected arrivals. Quarrenrecognised the alien ships from thebriefings he had attended at CypriaMundi. Necrontyr. He knew themfor the deadliest enemies, yet herethey were attacking the Chaos ships!

IXCenturies of malice and hatred filledEldrad’s mind. Centuries of pain,torment and anguish. The heart ofthe Talisman burned with rage atwhat had been done to it, and as heopened his mind to its pain, heknew that he had made a gravemistake in attempting to reach out towhat had once made this ancientTalisman Eldar. The anguishedremnants of the Talisman’sconsciousness had long since died,replaced with a vile, hateful core ofever-thirsting darkness, and as itreached out to claim him, he realisedin horror that it was no randompower of the Dark Gods that hadcorrupted the Talisman. It was the

power of She Who Thirsts, TheGreat Enemy… Slaanesh.

Eldrad tried to free his spiritfrom the Talisman, but it was alreadytoo late. The darkness reached out toswallow him and his soul wasdragged screaming into the depthlessheart of the Blackstone Fortress forall eternity.

XUrsarkar Creed stood on the shoresof the Caducades Sea. He hadwatched with heavy heart as thedazzling beam of light from theheavens destroyed the last remnantsof Kasr Partox. Its proud walls hadcollapsed in a blazing pyre, smokebillowing into the sky from thedestruction of the fortress asintolerable heat advanced towards theshoreline. Though the beam had sincevanished, the day here was lost, anyfool could see that. All that was leftto them was vengeance. The Eldarhad been obliterated and the alienships that had unexpectedly come totheir aid were gone; wiped out in aninstant by the Blackstone’s terrifyingdefences. Admiral Quarren hadinformed him that victorious Imperialships from other sectors were evennow converging on Cadia, forcing theBlackstone to disengage – though thedamage it had inflicted beforedeparting was incalculable.

“Sir,” called Jarran Kell, fromthe open hatch of a Valkyrie flyer.“We have to go.”

“We lost…” said Creed, his voicehollow and flat.

“This time,” replied Kell, “butthere will be other times, sir. KasrGallan still stands and while we live,we have hope. The Emperorprotects.”

“Aye,” agreed Creed. ‘TheEmperor protects…”

Creed took one last look at theruins of his fortress and turned tojoin his soldiers.

VAn explosion of psychic energylashed around the bridge of theIsha’ra, crackling arcs of lightningleaping from the cabal of Warlocksand felling them with powerfulpsychic backlash. Eldrad clutched hishead, gritting his teeth in pain asthe screaming darkness of the long-sealed webway portal rushed free ina wash of shrieking souls. Ahowling gale of warp-spawnedenergies rippled from the rent inspace, smashing delicate wraithbonecolumns and tearing gracefullycurved panels free from the walls.Eldrad picked himself up as thescreeching subsided and saw a darkedged ripple of energy gentlyspinning in a circle of dazedWarlocks. Some, he saw, werealready dead, their spirit stonescracked and dark and he felt a greatsadness at the thought of their soulsdevoured by the Great Enemy.

He glanced over his shoulder,seeing the Talisman’s deadly beamstill blazing in space, a column ofunimaginable power that would scourthe surface of the Mon-Keigh planetbare of life. He limped across thebuckled deck of the Isha’ra,shouting, “Warlocks! With me!”before plunging into the newlyreopened wraithgate.

VIThe walls were abandoned, thestonework first vitrifying, thenmelting as the fiery beam sweptslowly onwards. Where it had passed,the ground was nothing more thanmolten slag, smoking and dead,barren forever more. The outer wallsof the keep were gone, its proudtowers and barbicans sliding fromthe walls like wax from a candle,and Ursarkar Creed knew he hadfailed. They could not hold KasrPartox and the only option left tothem was retreat. The Commissarstalked of dying to a man, but Creedknew that while there was still achance to resist, they would not beneedlessly sacrificing themselves. Theorder to pull out had been givenand the soldiers of the Guard andthe Space Marines were pulling backto the docks and loading bays at theshores of the Caducades Sea, readyto make for Kasr Gallan to standonce more.

Crushing disappointment settledover him like a shroud and hecursed the name of the Despoiler.He cursed the Eldar seer for givingthem hope and, most of all, hecursed himself for his own failureto defeat the Emperor’s enemies.