Karnak's Black Crusade

## Combatants

Imperium of Man

Chaos Warbands

Ynnari

Tyranids

Unaligned/Mercenaries

## Commanders

**Imperium of Man**
Inquisitor Klara Darveign
Captain Larsius Terentius

**Chaos Warbands**
Lord Karnak the Conqueror
Kraesus Tevorak the Dark Demagogue

**Ynnari**
Autarch Thalinia Narésiel
Farseer Lireia Narésiel
Corsair Princess Lyanna Narésiel
Void Dreamer Anatheia Telastren
Succubus Arinella Eranwyn

**Tyranids**
Hive Tyrant "Shredder of Heletus"
Broodlord "Shadow's Predator"

**Unaligned/Mercenaries**
Pirate Princess Elizabeth "Jackal" Alerin
Captain Anna "Hunter" Gunnarsdottir

## Strength

**Imperium of Man**
Scions of Ultramar
1st Macidus PDF

**Chaos Warbands**
World Eaters
Word Bearers

**Ynnari**
Craftworld Ithyl-Loc
Stardancer Corsairs
Cult of the Crimson Dance

**Tyranids**
Hive Fleet Grungir

**Mercenaries**
Phalanx Company

Karnak's Black Crusade is a conflict between the Imperium of Man and the forces of Chaos. It occurs through the early years of M42 in the Macidus system.

## Prologue

Karnak's Black Crusade was heralded by large-scale political protests across the Macidus system. Tired of the ruling class stripping them of their freedoms and hoarding the system's wealth for themselves, these protests soon escalated to riots and then open conflict against planetary governors, making them unable to deliver on the Imperial tithe. In response to this, the Inquisition deployed Inquisitor Klara Darveign to investigate the root cause of this rebellion against the planetary governors and get the system back in line. In truth, the seeds of revolution had been sown by Kraesus Tevorak of the Word Bearers to pave the way for Lord Karnak the Conqueror, Chaos Lord of the World Eaters legion, who had his sights set on the system as his next conquest against the Imperium of Man.

## The Black Crusade Begins

Shortly after Inquisitor Darveign took control of the system, her investigations led her to the forces of the Word Bearers, but her escort forces from the 1st Macidus PDF were ambushed by the daemonic forces of Tevorak and his Word Bearers. Under Inquisitor Darveign's stalwart leadership, the underprepared PDF, who were expecting to find a few dissidents as opposed to daemonic forces, put up a brave fight as the daemons set upon them. However, they were driven back and forced to retreat before Inquisitor Darveign could engage the Dark Apostle in single combat. Tending to their wounds, she swore that she would be the one to take the head of the traitorous priest.

This discovery led to the true start to the Black Crusade, as Lord Karnak the Conqueror entered into the system with his forces. As Imperials around her gazed up at the forces of Chaos in fear, Inquisitor Darveign kept her cool, for it was her job to root out and destroy the daemonic forces of Chaos and they had delivered themselves to her very doorstep. Though her heart beat quicker at the prospect of so many heretics to destroy, she remained pragmatic, contacting Captain Larsius Terentius of the Scions of Ultramar chapter of Space Marines. Her request for reinforcements was swiftly heard and the Scions of Ultramar dispatched their forces to bolster the Inquisitor's.

Karnak's Black Crusade had begun...

### Hidden Xenos Clash

It was not only the forces of Chaos who were undermining Imperial operations in the Macidus system. The Ynnari forces of the Song of Lileath had been operating on the planet for a while now, equally destabilising Imperial operations through swift hit and run attacks and targeted assassinations. They operated from the shadows, leaving no trace of their existence for the Imperials to find, just a string of corpses and burned out bunkers. It was clear to the Ynnari that neither Chaos, nor the Imperium could hold the system as the forces of Chaos had to be destroyed, but the Imperials in charge of the worlds were incompetent and lazy, leading to issues in the future.

However, they were not the only alien forces operating from the shadows and during an operation to steal resources from an Imperial resupply post, the forces of the Aeldari were set upon by a host of Genestealers. Though the Genestealers struck suddenly and without mercy, Farseer Lireia Narésiel had felt their presence and gave Autarch Thalinia Narésiel enough time to organise a defence. Grievously wounding Lireia's Seer Council in their initial assault, the Warlocks fighting to give their Farseer time to help orchestrate the counter-offensive, the Genestealers could not hold up against the ferocity of the Aeldari counter-attack as Warp Spiders and Dire Avengers poured monofilament and shuriken projectiles into the Tyranid beasts. The battle was swift, but the Ynnari were able to dispatch the forces of the Tyranids and complete their objectives, leaving long before the Imperials came to reinforce their lost resupply post, finding only Tyranid corpses in the dirt.

### The Scions of Ultramar Arrive

Whether poor luck or simply the intelligent will of the Hive Mind, the Scions of Ultramar arrived beset by Tyranids. Their entry into the system coincided with the arrival of a splinter fleet from Hive Fleet Grungir and the two forces clashed in space above Macidus II. The Astartes vessels were able to pull away from the Tyranids, but they were pursued relentlessly even as they made planetfall.

Organising their defence, Captain Terentius himself led the counter-offensive into the attacking Tyranids lines, leading from the front with his Bladeguard and supported by squads of Intercessors as they charged through the jungles of Macidus II; however the swarm was far too numerous for his forces to fight against and even he fell amidst his warriors, overrun by countless Hormagaunt and Termigant beasts. The battle would've been his last were it not for the artillery of a nearby city, the Earthshaker cannons of the 1st Macidus PDF's Basilisks carving swathes from the Tyranid lines and allowing the Scions of Ultramar to retrieve their wounded as the Tyranids fell back to lick their wounds, though the dead had to be abandoned to the Hive Mind as the swarm claimed that area of the jungles. Their first battle to reinforce Inquisitor Darveign's position had been a gutting defeat that Captain Terentius vowed never to let happen again as the chapter's Apothecaries tended to his many wounds.

### Plot of the Governors

Before conflict engulfed the system and, more importantly, before the arrival of Hive Fleet Grungir, the planetary governors had not sat idle as their positions of power were stripped away by the zealous Inquisitor Darveign. They had met in secret, lamenting their loss of power and coming up with ways to regain their status and continue to live their lives of luxury. Chaos couldn't be trusted and Inquisitor Darveign would likely never return them to the old status quo, so they sought external assistance, sending out a request for the services of the renegade mercenary band known as Phalanx Company, the combined forces of Jackal Company and the Star Spectres Space Marine chapter. Having stowed away vast fortunes in the event this happened, they offered payment for the mercenaries to drive out the invaders and restore them to their positions.

The mercenaries arrived in system covertly and set about making a threat assessment, quickly discovering the taint of Chaos that was only reinforced as they witnessed the arrival of an old enemy, Lord Karnak the Conqueror. Princess Elizabeth Alerin, otherwise known as the "Jackal", represented the mercenaries through the negotiations personally and demanded an extortionate price from the governors, including a large chunk up front, a price they would not normally wish to accept. However, whether due to their current situation, their desperation or Princess Alerin's unnatural charisma, the planetary governors agreed and a deal was formed.

However, Karnak was tracking the movements of the planetary governors and assaulted the position of the meeting. Relishing the thought of meeting her hated foe in combat, Princess Alerin gathered her forces and set to defend the location. The forces of the World Eaters charged towards her and the mercenaries of Jackal Company, but the lines held, salvo upon salvo of lasgun fire and explosive ordnance sent into the charging berzerkers. As the Chaos Space Marines crashed into the lines of the mercenaries, they fell back and Karnak realised his assault force lay dead around him as a lascannon tore through his armour. Princess Alerin's only disappointment was that she was unable to finish the job as Karnak limped from the field of battle. The first battle between Phalanx Company and their hated foe was a resounding victory.

### Striking at the Great Enemy

As the factions started to engage each other across the system, the Ynnari forces of the Song of Lileath continued to prowl in the shadows, watching and waiting for their time to strike at targets of opportunity. Bolstered by his victory over Inquisitor Darveign, the Dark Apostle Kraesus Tevorak had deployed his mutant cultists and daemonic Warp Talons to scout an abandoned village on Macidus III. With Rangers stalking them, Autarch Thalinia Narésiel deployed her forces to intercept and a force of Dire Avengers in a Wave Serpent transport reinforced the Rangers and struck at the Word Bearers. The daemons and mutants proved resilient to the initial barrage of firepower and engaged the Ynnari in close combat, catching the Rangers off-guard, though the Dire Avengers managed to hold their ground and push back.

Holding out until the rest of the strikeforce arrived, the Dire Avengers were able to consolidate their position while Thalinia led her Warp Spiders to hunt down the remaining forces. Thalinia herself peeled off from her Warp Spiders to find the Dark Demagogue himself, the daemonic priest of Chaos dedicated to the Great Enemy. Finding him lurking behind a building, having left the immediate protection of his Possessed bodyguard, Thalinia levelled her fusion gun and fired, dropping the Dark Demagogue in a single shot. However, she was forced to fall back to avoid the vengeful attacks of the Possessed. As the dust settled, the Word Bearers had taken significant losses, however they had successfully secured the location, forcing the Ynnari to fall back, conceding the ground to the forces of Chaos despite their comparatively minor casualties.

### Wanton Slaughter

It didn't take long for the Tyranids to prey upon the forces of Chaos as the conflict yet escalated. However, as the swarm closed on Karnak and his World Eaters, he relished the chance to prove himself against an innumerable foe. He met the alien cunning with sheer brute force, crashing into their lines and carving a path through to their leader beasts.

The battle was over quickly, with Karnak himself taking the head of the Tervigon beast as a trophy, as the forces of Chaos left the battlefield slick with alien ichor. Countless Tyranid beasts had been slain and the swarm had been stopped in its tracks by Karnak's sheer ferocity. The spawning pools would be busy replenishing the numbers lost.

### Woes for the Scions of Ultramar

Falling back from the swarm and attempting to gain a foothold, the Scions of Ultramar were set upon by the Broodlord "Shadow's Predator". Stalking them through the jungles, Genestealers ambushed the beleaguered Space Marines. The Scions of Ultramar fought valiantly, but against such cunning and ferocity in equal measure they were forced into a hasty retreat with many Intercessors giving their lives to ensure the rest of the battle group could escape from the ambush.

The Scions of Ultramar were starting to feel their losses and were yet unable to link up with Inquisitor Darveign and her PDF troops who were also fighting valiantly against the many forces that sieged their worlds.

### A Blasphemous War Ritual

The forces of Jackal Company, having seen how the forces of Chaos and Tyranids ran rampant over the system, realised they were in this for the long haul if they wanted to receive their rather extortionate payment. Princess Alerin considered many times just leaving the system to its fate and absconding with the payment they had received up front, as well as whatever they could loot. However, they had taken a job and honour dictated they saw it through to the end. The renegade mercenaries dug in as the princess set up the site for an ancient Illyrican battle ritual, readying her warriors for the combat to come and appealing to their gods for protection.

Sensing the heretical ritual, Inquisitor Darveign led her PDF troops to investigate, expecting to find the forces of Kraesus Tevorak and his Word Bearers, however she was surprised to find unknown forces. She did not know who these people were, but to the puritan Inquisitor, she would ask those questions later, preferably after she captured the leader of this warband alive for interrogation. She pushed forwards, two conscript platoons leading the charge, encouraged by both the bolt pistol of Commissar Carver and the steely gaze of Inquisitor Darveign. They opened fire on the heretics, inflicting many casualties as she hurtled towards their position. However, she was unable to combat the psychic might of Princess Alerin, who managed to enact the ritual while Jackal Company covered her, a long, arduous firefight taking place among the ruined buildings.

While the ritual was a success, it looked as though the forces of the 1st Macidus PDF would force Jackal Company to fall back and abandon their wounded to the mercy of the Inquisitor. Unwilling to leave her troops to their fates, Captain Anna "Hunter" Gunnarsdottir led Lieutenant Njala "Big Band" Torvaldsdottir on a mission to take back ground themselves, inspired by a similar showing from Lieutenant Bruce "Iron Jaw" Cavaleri on the opposite flank. The Imperial commanders, outside of Inquisitor Darveign and Commissar Carver, stood in their army's back lines, leading from the rear from relative safety and Captain Gunnarsdottir was not about to lower herself to their standards. The pair charged forwards, meeting Commissar Carver in combat in the ruined streets. While he badly wounded Lieutenant Torvaldsdottir with his power sword, the two cut him down in response, establishing a forward position themselves. Similarly, Lieutenant Cavaleri had managed to lead a counter-attack on the other flank with the help of the scout walkers "Hammerers", who destroyed the last armoured sentinel, engulfing Inquisitor Darveign in it's explosion.

Jackal Company was battered, but not beaten. With the officers taking forward positions, the PDF were forced to withdraw, allowing the renegade mercenaries to recover their dead, take captives and ensure the ritual was well and truly finished.