Aunubari Dynasty

*"It has been said that if you listen closely enough, deep within their cold everlasting bodies, you can hear the screams of a being who is tormented by the void that was once their soul. Should one survive long enough to do so with a warrior of the Aunubari, all you will hear is the silence of the grave."*

## Early Beginnings

Even for the Necrontyr the Aunubari, originally named Babi, were a death obsessed culture. Situated on the equator line of the Necrontyr home world they were wracked by constant solar radiation leading to a short lifespan filled with agony and pain. So it was that to find purpose in their life, they devoted themselves to death, forsaking their name and giving themselves wholly to their death god Aunu and becoming the Aunubari mortuary cult. All were equal unto death, so many of the Necrontyr caste customs held little sway over the Aunubari, much to the other dynasties frustration. However, what they lacked in political tact, they made up for in their engineering ability. It was the Aunubari who built the most grand sepulchers and tombs to usher the living into the ever after. Eventually they were called upon by all other Necrontyr dynasties to build tomb complexes that would outshine any of their rivals. But time changed the Necrontyr race, and with it, the Aunubari. As technology advanced so must the builder, and where many dynasties involved themselves in wars of Secession, the Aunubari studied the universe, becoming a technological marvel that wrought silent fear in the other kingdoms. Not that many would dare openly say so.

## The Coming of Aunu, The Pale One

<Stub Article>

* Pale one told the Aunubari their souls would be taken (they were going to their death god and given eternal life in their new metal bodies)
* Nightbringer turned himself into the other mortal races death god, but the Pale One is the representation of the Necrontyr death guard, unbending, stern, but quiet, just like how their bodies would slowly whittle by the radiation.
* The bodies of the Aunubari are particularly durable and able to mend themselves better to their status as great engineers.

When biotransference began some hesitatingly moved forward. Others openly rebelled. However, in biotransference the Aunubari saw not the gift of eternal life that others did. To them, the act presented itself as the final journey into the afterlife so that they might finally meet the god they had spent millions of years worshiping. So it was that when the bio-furnaces roared to life, not one follower of the Aunubari thought twice. Not one looked back.

## The War in Heaven

<Description of how the Aunubari were particularly ruthless in their singleminded want to destroy all life and deliver it's soul to the Pale One>

## Rebellion and The Great Sleep

With the Old Ones finally defeated the Silent King began his revenge upon the C'tan. Under the control of the command protocols implemented during biotransference, the Aunubari were forced to turn upon The Pale One. In arrogance it raged against its new attackers until it was too late. Great weapons of war were brought to bear against Anu and eventually the C'tan was shattered irrevocably, but in the last moments in silent acceptance of the beliefs the Aunubari had so long held in it, The Pale One enacted the perfect revenge. Just before the final blow it severed the command protocols of the upper caste of the Aunubari, granting them back their free will. So it was that the Aunubari looked upon their broken god and despaired.... then raged. As the Silent King prepared his people for the great sleep to escape the Enslaver Plague ravaging the galaxy and the machinations of the young Aeldari, the Aunubari began a full scale rebellion against the Triarch. Several dynasties were outright destroyed from the inescapable destruction of the Aunubari until a final battle between the Silent King and Phaeron <name> upon their home world of <planet name> in a desperate gamble to end the rebellion so that the the Great Sleep could begin. However the Silent King did not destroy his enemies outright. The Royal Court, especially ones as knowledgeable and powerful as the Aunubari are not easily replaced since much of their race had been effectively lobotomized by biotransference and the legacy of the Aunubari was not one to be lightly ignored. So it was that the Silent King had the Phaeron and Lords forcibly entombed against their will, implanting bio-code to override the rebellion in their thoughts and giving control of the Aunubari legions to the Silent King so that he could direct them in their absence. With the Aunubari now put into stasis the Silent King changed their awakening parameters so that, unlike the rest of the Necron race, they would not awake unless dire circumstances absolutely forced them to defend themselves.

However the Silent King underestimated <phaeron>. Thinking he could once again control the emissaries of Anu was a fateful gamble that would not work twice. <Phaeron> implanted within himself counter code that upon the reanimation of himself and his lords would grant them their minds free of control so that they could rouse the rest of the Aunubari and once again act as death itself to all who would shun the gifts of the afterlife and deliver everything with a soul to The Pale One.

<Add section about how the Aunubari were tasked with developing and building the stasis crypts for all other necrons, thus leading to their crypts being particular well built>

## First Stirrings and The Siege of Nine Heavens

### Siege of Heaven

In late M39 the planet of Nine Heavens, came under siege by the forces of Chaos. Iskar Prothem, in search of new war machines to supply to nearby Chaos factions in return for any aerotech he could get his mechandrites on, sought to conquer the Knight world. The initial attack was incredibly successful in establishing a permanent stronghold in Hive Minos and launching a planet wide campaign that left the entirety of the Knights of the Nine engaged, House Minos itself, fighting a brutal tactical withdraw preserve their lineage and forge a blockade to attempt to stem some of the chaos reinforcements.

The Imperium, however, did not sit idly by. Given the strategic importance of the Knight Houses and production facilities of Nine Heavens, reinforcements were quickly deployed. The first being Inquisitor Daedalus and his warband were nearby, ready to lend aid to the besieged planet.

By the grace of the Emperor, Watch Captain Nalar of Watch Fortress Khaermor was already stationed on the planet for other reasons #Add Link to the Fall of Watch Fortress Kahemor here#. They also received Deathwatch reinforcements by Kill Team <Name>.

Daedalus himself would take command of the land battle and lead an assault on Hive Minos, whereas the Deatchwatch would infiltrate into the Hive, seeking out Iskar, in an attempt to behead the beast.

### Best Laid Plans

Unfortunately for all factions involved, none of their plans would proceed as expected, for Nine Heavens had been built atop another civilization that disappeared aeons ago. Beneath the earth slumbered a staging outpost of the Aunubari Dynasty and due to the battle raging upon the planets surface, even the strict reanimation protocols keeping the Aunubari in stasis recognized a potential conflict that could result in the entire crypts destruction. So it was that the Aunubari began to wake from their long sleep.

Iskar, ever the pragmatist, decided to abandon the planet, and with it, the Chaos Warbands he enlisted to attack it. However, he left several of his tech-slaves with the hopes of capturing a Necron specimen for further study. While this did not prove possible due to the Necron destruction protocols, the appearance of this new technological enemy made his mechanic mind flutter with all the possibilities.

The Imperium however, had no such plans of abandoning the planet. Though the face of the enemy changed, the plan remained the same. Daedalus continued to wage a desperate battle of attrition with the awakening legions, while beneath the surface, Kill Team <name> continued to search for the entrance to the stasis crypts.