vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Second Sphere Expansion - Damocles Gulf Crusade: The Imperium's response to such sedition was slow in coming, but when it finally arrived, was characteristically brutal. The T'au were condemned as a dangerous xenos species and the Damocles Gulf Crusade was launched to expel them from the region. The Imperial forces were vast, based around a dozen capital ships, and included nineteen regiments of Astra Militarum and five provisional companies of Space Marines made up from a dozen Chapters.The initial battles were stunning victories for the Imperium, as the power of their fleet and the suddenness of their attacks smashed isolated T'au outposts and eliminated outlying colonies. In a short period of intense conflicts, the T'au were pushed back across the Damocles Gulf, although in the later stages of this drive, the Imperium's victories were not so easily won. The planets from which the T'au were driven were subjected to harsh recriminations -- the Inquisition descended upon the remaining Human populations and meted out cruel punishments to those who had rejected the Emperor's tenets. Meanwhile, the crusade followed the retreating T'au across the Damocles Gulf, entering the territory of the T'au Empire itself.
Second Sphere Expansion - Dal'yth Defiant: The first sign of the invasion came from the scanners of Pra'yen, the outermost planet of Dal'yth Sept. After picking up unusual readings, the T'au switched to long-ranged optics and were shocked to see great rents opening in space, with the massive Imperial battleships and their supporting fleet emerging out of nowhere. Although the T'au fleet and Pra'yen's well-armed orbital station took a toll upon the vessels of the Navis Imperialis, the way was soon cleared for the Imperial Crusade to advance towards Dal'yth Prime.In the largest conflict of the war, Imperial forces landed upon Dal'yth Prime. In this case, they were not taking on a recently converted Imperial world or newly founded colony, but instead were treading upon a heavily populated T'au Sept world. The Imperial drop was contested by swarms of atmospheric fighters, but was eventually successful in establishing a beachhead. Soon, the Imperium's ground forces, with Titans and armoured formations as a spearhead, ploughed relentlessly towards the conurbation of Gel'bryn.The Imperial advance was stalled by storms of missiles raining down from beyond the hills. When units were detached to drive back the T'au spotters, they were instead engaged by jump troops protected by cloaking fields. Each time Imperial forces attempted to regain momentum they were met by the timely counter-attacks of the Fire Caste. Night was the worst, as under the cover of darkness T'au in advanced battlesuits made swift, hard-hitting strikes.With the T'au's superior optics technology major losses were inflicted upon the Imperial armour while suffering little damage in return. Mankind's elite Space Marines attempted to land behind T'au lines and regain the initiative, but they were defeated by teams of heavy Battlesuits whose formidable firepower quickly downed their transports.Despite their losses the Imperial forces continued their advance, and many sectors of Dal'yth were destroyed or evacuated in the fierce fighting. However, with more T'au reinforcements arriving at the front and the Imperial fleet's ability to hold orbit becoming tenuous, the Imperium's momentum was spent.Once the first news of the invasion of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth reached the ears of the Imperial Crusade's commanders, they were finally forced to withdraw, leaving much of their equipment behind. It is conceivable that the T'au could have encircled the Crusaders, but at the Ethereals' insistence the Water Caste opened a dialogue and agreed upon a truce, allowing the invaders an unimpeded retreat.
Second Sphere Expansion - Preparing For the Storm: After the great battle on Dal'yth, an uneasy peace descended upon both sides of the war-torn Damocles Gulf. Even as many in the Imperium readied themselves for another offensive, more pressing concerns called for a hasty redeployment of Mankind's gathered armies. The Imperium had demonstrated but a fraction of its power, and that had proven enough to hurl the T'au Empire backwards. Yet the T'au had also learned from the engagements, the Fire Caste gaining invaluable insight into Mankind's methods. They had fought a foe that was willing to absorb huge losses, like the Orks, but unlike the Greenskins the Imperial forces used a wider range of tactics and employed a much more impressive arsenal. In the aftermath, the Ethereals demanded a full study of Human captives and recovered Imperial equipment.The Earth Caste declared much of the technology to be inferior, and some was simply too unstable to contemplate using, such as Imperial plasma devices. There were some eye-opening discoveries however, and the Earth Caste was in absolute wonder over a Warp-Drive they obtained. With no knowledge or understanding of the realm known as the Warp, they found the strange apparatus utterly unfathomable. To their further frustration, the captured Humans that had operated it seemed to possess no actual understanding of its mechanisms either, running the equipment solely through the application of superstitious rituals and ear-splitting chanting.
Second Sphere Expansion - The Advance Continues: In the wake of their war with the Imperium, Aun'Va stood up in the High Council of Ethereals and voiced his concerns. He implored the Ethereal Supreme, Aun'Wei, then in the twilight of his days, for the rights to reclaim T'au losses. The T'au harbour an unquenchable confidence in their own destiny and are determined that their methods are the best. However, after their long retreat across the Damocles Gulf, and their firsthand experience with the formidable forces of the Imperium, many of the T'au were filled with self-doubt.This was not a species that had tasted defeat before, in any of their prolonged endeavours. Aun'Va argued that without action, cracks would form in the foundation of their carefully orchestrated beliefs -- and this must not come to pass. Sensing the truth of this, the ancient Ethereal nodded, leaving the details for Aun'Va to organise.Aun'Va knew that those worlds disenfranchised by the Imperium could be manipulated, and from communications intercepts, he knew that the sectors around the Damocles Gulf could expect no further reinforcements. Therefore, Aun'Va ordered the Fire Caste to again cross that shifting barrier in space, the burgeoning T'au Empire stretching again into Mankind's realm, this time to reclaim their recently lost colonies. Although he had some reservations about his choice, Aun'Va elected O'Shovah to head the military aspects of the reclamation effort.A protege of the legendary Commander Puretide, O'Shovah was a dynamic and strong-willed leader who had risen to fame during recent campaigns against the Orks. The young commander's tactical brilliance had already earned him the name of Commander "Farsight" -- for he was able to anticipate and exploit an enemy's course of action as if he already knew the foe's full battle plan. Initially, Aun'Va's choice proved correct -- every planet marked for reconquest was quickly taken. With much of their armed force called away to war on other fronts, the Imperium's remaining defenders stood no chance against the devastating close-ranged strikes and bold thrusts that were Commander Farsight's signature tactics. The whole T'au Empire cheered with news of each of his victories.
Second Sphere Expansion - A Parting of the Ways: With a single T'au world left to recolonise, Commander Farsight was drawn off-mission by his age-old enemies, the Orks. What started as swift raids to repel the Greenskins the T'au found probing the edges of the newly recaptured space soon turned into a prolonged war against sizable conglomerate of Ork klanz who travelled aboard crude asteroid bases known as Roks. In time, O'Shovah's forces cut deeply into the Ork invasion, chasing the ruling warboss to a nearby "artefact world", a forlorn place long abandoned by the Imperium. Its name was Arthas Moloch, and there, Farsight's forces were engaged by a savage, yet unidentified enemy, while the Orks escaped in the confusion.Little was reported from the battle, save that all the Ethereals that had been accompanying the expedition were slain during the combat and that their mysterious foe had disappeared, leaving Arthas Molach desolate once more. Undaunted by his losses, and despite direct orders to return, Commander Farsight refused to join the other forces of the T'au Empire. Instead, he led the remnants of his army back onto the Orks' trail. They were soon beyond communication range, passing further from home than any T'au had before.The T'au Empire sent many messages via the chain of communications beacons, accelerator relays on the ends of the system broadcasting their messages deep into the unknown space that the T'au expedition had disappeared into, but no response came back. It was possible that the vastness of space or some strange interference prevented the messages from reaching their recipient, but after many Terran years passed with no reply, it was eventually deemed that the expedition was lost.The T'au Empire mourned the loss of one of their most illustrious commanders. Years later, however, probes penetrated deep into the region where Commander Farsight had last been seen and beamed back ominous reports: O'Shovah yet lived, and had established his own colonies, known as the Farsight Enclaves, on the far side of the Damocles Gulf. This mysterious betrayal of the Greater Good still haunts the T'au Empire to this day.
Second Sphere Expansion - Attack from Beyond: During the period of consolidation in the wake of the Second Sphere Expansion, outposts alerted the T'au to an encroaching menace. It was Hive Fleet Gorgon that penetrated their realm, and although only a minor splinter fleet compared with some of the larger incursions that had entered the galaxy, the T'au had never faced a threat like that of the Tyranids -- an intergalactic alien menace whose voracious invasions stripped and devoured planets of all living matter.The Tyranids showed a remarkable ability to physically adapt -- evolving between battles to better counter the defenders. Against their onslaught, the T'au were forced to constantly alter their battle plans as new strains of Tyranid creatures morphed to overcome each advantage of tactics, terrain or technology that the Fire Caste employed. The Tyranids annihilated many holdings before grinding to a halt against the T'au's major defensive actions on the contested planet of Sha'draig. Although the planet was ultimately consumed by the Great Devourer, the aliens had been stalled long enough for the T'au to better prepare their defences at Ke'lshan Prime.In a strange twist of fate, the Sept world of Ke'lshan was first attacked by the forces of the Imperium. A fleet sent to aid in the Damocles Gulf Crusade over a hundred and fifty standard years earlier had only just emerged from the Warp. Faced with a common enemy, the T'au and Imperial leaders agreed to an uneasy truce. The Tyranids could not adapt to two forces acting in concert, and were eventually massacred, ending the threat of Hive Fleet Gorgon. The Human armies, too depleted to continue their previously planned assault, were allowed to retreat, bearing T'au honours given to them for their assistance. The Earth Caste of Ke'lshan immediately began to rebuild their battered Sept, the Ethereals telling them to prepare for the eventual return of one, if not both, of their previous invaders.
Second Sphere Expansion - Second Sphere Expansion Septs: The Second Sphere Expansion of the T'au Empire began in 018.M39, under the orders of Ethereal Supreme Aun'Wei of the Whispered Wisdom. With new advances in propulsion technology and an already established stellar empire, the second expansion of the T'au Empire was marked by more contact with aliens and larger wars.Around 742.M41, the T'au Empire came into conflict with the Human Imperium of Man, who launched the Damocles Gulf Crusade in order to keep the Tau's expansion into Imperial-controlled space in check. The retreat of Imperial forces after their defeat marked the end of the Second Sphere Expansion. Of note are the T'au Septs founded by the actions of the Fire Caste's Commander Farsight during this period:Au'taal - Au'taal Prime is a verdant and beautiful Sept, where only honoured heroes of the T'au Empire can retire.N'dras - For reasons known only to the Ethereals, this once thriving Sept has largely been abandoned. Its remaining inhabitants are regarded as untrustworthy, quick-tempered, and of a brooding countenance highly unusual for T'au.Ke'lshan - Situated near the Perdus Rift, this Sept has suffered many invasions and is less trusting of aliens than other T'au. The Ke'lshan fleet and Fire Caste forces are only recently back to full strength after their clashes with Hive Fleet Gorgon. T'au from this Sept have grown mistrustful, solemn, taciturn, unfriendly and sometimes openly hostile to other intelligent alien species as a result of their experiences.Elsy'eir - A densely populated Sept with many moons orbiting its prime world, most of which are mined for the valuable ores used in the construction of T'au Battlesuits. This Sept is known for its poetry and artwork. Its citizens are considered intellectuals and well-respected for their creativeness by other T'au. The Earth Caste is dominant on Elsy'eir.Tash'var - A frontier Sept, those of Tash'var have been subjected to frequent Ork invasions and pirate raids. As a result, its people have become tenacious and hardy.Vash'ya - Known as the world "between spheres" the Sept was settled near the end of the Second Sphere Expansion, as it took a long period for the Earth Caste's terraforming machines to make the air breathable. Major Air Caste fleets and many defence platforms are docked around the Sept world.T'olku - T'olku is known for its many large Ethereal temples, as well as the alien institutes, where many alien ambassadors are brought to be instructed in the ways of T'au culture and society before being assimilated back into their respective homeworlds.
Second War for Armageddon - Second War for Armageddon: The Second War for Armageddon was the second of three massive conflicts between the Imperium of Man and the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka that took place between 941.M41 through 943.M41. The war was fought on the Hive World of Armageddon in the Segmentum Solar, where Ghazghkull Thraka launched an Ork WAAAGH! consisting of five separate Ork tribes in an attempt to seize the planet for themselves.Elements of three Space Marine Chapters were involved in the defence of Armageddon, including: the Blood Angels, Salamanders and the Ultramarines, along with dozens of regiments of the Astra Militarum, particularly the Armageddon Steel Legion native to the world, as well as a large contingent of Inquisition forces from the Ordo Xenos composed of Squat mercenaries. A notable effect of this invasion resulted in Ghazghkull earning the wrath of Commissar Sebastian Yarrick, who dedicated his efforts after the Second War to hunting down Ghazghkull, with little success.The main conflict lasted for only two standard years, but continuous combat took place between the Imperial forces and the Orks remaining on the world for another twenty Terran years until 961.M41. This war represented a colossal effort between both species for the control of a single, highly strategic planet. However, it would pale in comparison to the second attempt by Ghazghkull to take the world several solar decades later, unleashing the Third War for Armageddon.
Second War for Armageddon - Prior to the Ork Landing: The war may be seem to have begun on Armageddon in 941.M41, but it really began some nine standard years earlier in 932.M41. At this time, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka was a lowly Ork Boy in the Greenskin armies present on the planet of Urk. A Space Marine force from an unknown Chapter raided the planet in the hopes of disrupting the Ork forces there. During the battle, a bolter shell ripped into Ghazghkull's skull, causing massive brain damage and blasting off a good chunk of his cranium.He was luckily (or not) found by a Painboy known as Mad Dok Grotsnik who replaced that part of his cranium with a bionik device. Somehow this device may have enabled Ghazghkull's latent psychic powers, or he may just have been suffering from delusions. But whatever the cause, from then on he claimed to be in communion with the Ork gods, Gork and Mork.  Within six Terran years he had risen to control his tribe as its warboss in 938.M41, and one standard year later in 939.M41 he got his opportunity to lead a great horde of conquest, for the star around which his planet orbited was dying.There were severe solar flares causing many Ork deaths from the radiation, but fortunately a massive space hulk appeared in orbit around the planet. Whether this was dumb luck or a higher power believed Ghazghkull and his Orks worthy of survival, the warboss managed to convince the other four Ork tribes resident on Urk to follow him on his great WAAAGH! and unite under his rule as their warlord.While en route through the Warp the power systems on the space hulk failed, causing its Gellar Field to collapse several times. As a result, the Orks had to fight off hundreds of Daemons, providing them with extensive battle experience. One solar month before landing on Armageddon, the space hulk, designated Alveus Alpha Alpha Sextus by Imperial Administratum adepts, destroyed the defences of the Armageddon System, including its obsolete orbital satellites and small attack craft.Desperate astropathic messages were sent by the world of Armageddon's beleaguered defenders in the hope of acquiring aid against the huge Ork horde that was descending upon them. Three Space Marine Chapters began to organise themselves to go to Armageddon's defence but were not able to get to the strategically located Hive World before the Orks landed. A solar month later, the Orks disembarked as their space hulk slammed into the planet, initiating the primary campaign of the Second War for Armageddon on the day of the Feast of the Emperor's Ascension, 941.M41.
Second War for Armageddon - The War Begins: After the Orks landed, a massive Warp storm formed around the Armageddon System, preventing Imperial reinforcements from aiding the beleaguered Human forces on the planet. The Ork horde split off into their five separate tribes, and two of them were sent into the planet's northern reaches to take hold of the western half of the world's main sub-continent, a region called Armageddon Prime.Herman von Strab, the Imperial planetary governor and Overlord of Armageddon, was ignorant of the threat posed by the Orks. There were several warnings of the encroaching danger, including readings of the Emperor's Tarot and Chartist Captains' warnings of disturbances in the Warp for several solar months before the space hulk's arrival in the Armageddon System, but von Strab ignored them all. Only after the Orks landed did any real astropathic distress signal leave the planet, and only due to the foresight of Commissar Sebastian Yarrick of the Officio Prefectus, who was seconded to the Astra Militarum regiments of the Armageddon Steel Legion.Von Strab banished Yarrick to Armageddon's Hades Hive for countermanding his orders to not request aid from the Imperial authorities. Hades Hive was located on the sub-continent of Armageddon Secundus, the name of the eastern half of Armageddon's primary continent. Von Strab decided he could take on the Orks with his available forces from the world's Planetary Defence Forces (PDF).The populations of Armageddon Prime formed into defensive units and fortified a defensive line around their hive city homes but were pushed further and further back by the unstoppable Orks. Piecemeal attacks were ordered by von Strab which only led to the deaths of more Humans. Commissar Yarrick ordered shuttle runs to help arm the north, the Imperial pilots skipping out of the atmosphere and back in again before the Orks could intercept them. Many pilots died as their vessels were destroyed, the remains falling back to the planet in flaming chunks.Von Strab hastily relocated his command centre to Hive Tartarus in Armageddon Secundus, knowing that the northern regions of his world would fall to the Orks no matter what he did. The location of three of the Ork tribes that had invaded the world were unaccounted for but von Strab believed they were being held in reserve by the Greenskin warlord.Princeps Prime Kurtiz Mannheim, the commander of the Adeptus Mechanicus' Legio Metalica Titan Legion that was temporarily stationed on Armageddon, advised von Strab to prepare for an attack from these three tribes. Von Strab ignored him, believing they remained held in reserve, and that they would never be able to cross the equatorial jungle region of the world at the centre of the peninsula that separated Armageddon Prime from Armageddon Secundus. Von Strab then intended to launch a mighty counterattack, leading from the fore and reaping the glory.
Second War for Armageddon - The Real Fight Begins: Two solar days later, the Orks invaded Armageddon Secundus just as Princeps Prime Mannheim had predicted. It was the Season of Storms on the world and the many volcanoes of Armageddon erupted, sending black clouds high into the sky. Massive armoured columns of Orks charged through the thin Imperial lines, and two tribes moved east of the Palidus Mountains toward Hive Hades and one to the west of the mountains to Hive Helsreach.Von Strab ordered his Titans, under Mannheim's command, to attack and wipe out the Orks. Mannheim protested that they should wait and fight a holding action, but von Strab screamed that he needed no help. Mannheim was under an oath to act as von Strab ordered him to, and as such he gathered his Titan Legion and said goodbye to his family.The great Titans strode forth into the fray, and massacred thousands of Orks, but the huge number of Ork Gargants present at the heart of the WAAAGH! demolished even the powerful Imperial Titans quickly. Mannheim, realising his allies would soon be overrun, led the Legio Metalica and its Skitarii escort against a wave of Ork Titan-class threats and six million Ork infantry. After slaying an Ork Gargant in a grueling duel, Mannheim ordered his badly wounded Titan Steel Hammer to self-destruct, his sacrifice killing another two Gargants and burning out the heart out of the Ork offensive in the process. Mannheim was posthumously awarded the Emperor's Star for his valour.Without the potent power of the Titan Legion to keep the Ork horde at bay, the remaining Imperial forces now fell back, establishing defensive lines along the many rivers of Armageddon Secundus, including the Stygies River in the west and Diabolus River in the east. When the storms abated the Orks drove south, crushing the defences and sweeping into Hive Infernus. Demoralised, the officer in charge of the defence of Hive Infernus shamefully surrendered it to the Greenskins without a fight. The refugee columns, hundreds of kilometers long, trekked across the deserts of Armageddon and were harried by Ork Speed Freek biker units, herding them back to Hive Infernus to work as slaves in the Ork warmachine.
Second War for Armageddon - Imperial Reinforcements Arrive: Meanwhile, as the siege of Hades Hive continued, Ork columns surged south from Hive Helsreach and Hive Infernus, heading for Hive Acheron. Acheron seemed to be the last bastion of Human resistance on the planet, and the Acheronians steeled themselves for the onslaught to come.As they looked out of their ocular monitors they could see the Orks slowly advancing on their position. The only support they had from Overlord von Strab were his happy thoughts and the twenty members of his personal guard whom he most disliked. The Orks stormed forward and quickly overran the outer hive, beginning the siege of the hive city's core. The hive governor refused to surrender and made a passionate speech to his people to increase their morale and fighting spirit, but it was all for naught. The Orks, confident of victory, charged headlong into the hive. Suddenly, out of nowhere, massive explosions rent holes in the Orks' advance columns. The ramshackle vehicles of the Orks were thrown into the air like so much chaff and the inhabitants of Hive Acheron looked on in amazement as what was an unexpected orbital bombardment continued.Imperial aircraft filled the skies as Thunderhawk gunships dropped squads of the Adeptus Astartes off in the path of the Orks. The Emperor's Angels of Death had finally answered the stricken Hive World's call for aid. Surprised by this turn of events, the Orks reeled back while the Space Marines continued to deploy. The mortal defenders of the hive came out to aid the Space Marines. For the first time in the war, the Orks suffered a defeat on the battlefield.The Space Marines quickly set up a base of operations. Overlord von Strab protested their arrival, saying he had everything under control, but the Force Commander of the Blood Angels Chapter's forces, Commander Luis Dante himself, announced he was taking control of all Imperial military forces remaining on the planet. He ordered that von Strab be put under house arrest while awaiting trial by the Adeptus Arbites for negligence, assassination and murder. Von Strab sought to escape his fate in a Land Speeder which was later found wrecked, but his body was never recovered.Meanwhile, to the north, Warlord Ghazghkull was massing more and more Greenskin forces to assault Hive Hades. Due to the duration of the Orks' assault, food eventually ran out in the hive. Food parcels came from elsewhere on the world to the north to the south, reversing the previous flow of supplies from Hades to other regions under siege. Yet the people of Hive Hades suffered from a feeling of dread and impending doom. Not even Commissar Yarrick's herculaean efforts could raise their spirits.
Second War for Armageddon - Victory in Sight: Lord Commander Luis Dante tried a desperate gamble to capture Ghazghkull by dropping the Blood Angels in behind enemy lines and assaulting his headquarters; unfortunately, Ghazghkull was touring the front lines at the time. The Space Marines' assault, however, did manage to cause serious damage to the Ork spearhead.In the battle to retake Hive Tartarus, the titanic forces of Orks and Imperial troops clashed in hand-to-hand combat in what would be some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Space Marine strike forces constantly harried the Orks inside the hive. Time after time, the Orks attempted a breakout, but were pushed back by the narrowest of margins.In the end, the Orks ran out of food and ammunition and resorted to fight or die tactics, each of them using knives and rocks to attack the Imperial forces. Eventually the Orks were wiped out to the last Greenskin. It is said that Ghazghkull himself fell, taking a bolter shell to the bionik portion of his brain, but if so, his body was never found. In truth, as would become all too appreant later, the warlord had survived the fall of Hive Tartarus to trouble the Imperium yet again.For all intents and purposes, the Second War for Armageddon was over with the fall of Tartarus and the loss of the WAAAGH!'s leader. The Ork invaders were forced back after having their leader apprarently slain in combat and half their army wiped out. The surviving Orks were pushed back into the Equatorial Jungles between Armageddon Prime and Armageddon Secundus, where they slowly devolved into a feral state as their reserves of advanced technology collapsed. From the moment Tartarus was retaken by Imperial forces, victory for the Imperium in the conflict was at last assured and Armageddon would remain a Human-controlled world.
Second War for Armageddon - The War in the North: While the war was reaching its conclusion in the south with the Imperial attack on Hive Tartarus, the fighting on Armageddon Prime intensified after the landing of the Space Marines in Armageddon Secundus. When the Warp storm surrounding the Armageddon System had finally lifted, a vast contingent of mercenary Squats landed to the north under the command of Inquisitor Horst of the Ordo Xenos. He had been fighting on the Mining World of Golgotha, a planet controlled by the Leagues of Votann, where he had earned the service of the Squats for his aid, and when they arrived at Armageddon, they were directed to the north to aid the Imperial defences there.After the defeat of the Orks at Hive Tartarus, Horst led the Squats, known among themselves as "Kin," in a massive offensive push that forced the defeated Orks back to the Equatorial Jungles between the two primary settled regions of Armageddon's main continent. The Squats made full use of their famed Land Fortresses against their most hated foe, lumbering across the planet blasting their huge cannons at the Orks fleeing ahead of them.
Second War for Armageddon - Imperial Victory: An Imperial relief force was finally sent north to Hive Hades including forces from all three of the Space Marine Chapters -- Blood Angels, Ultramarines and Salamanders -- that had ultimately sent contingents to Armageddon aid the Imperial defenders once the Warp storm abated. Unfortunately, just before they arrived, the hive was finally overrun by the Orks. Only a few of the Humans within Hive Hades survived, including the battered Commissar Yarrick, discovered by their Astartes rescuers surrounded by dozens of Ork corpses.In the west, a wave of Ork reinforcements arrived, hoping to push back to Hive Tartarus and break the back of the renewed Imperial resistance. The Imperial forces defending the western regions had been stripped for the attack on Hive Hades and were easily overrun. Ghazghkull, evidently having returned from the dead, led this last ditch attempt by the Orks to conquer the planet.The Greenskin offensive succeeded in pushing through the Imperial defensive cordon that had been established at the Skeletus River. For a while it looked like the Orks might succeed, but they were eventually pushed back to Armageddon Prime through a concentrated effort by the forces of the Space Marines. Sporadic fighting continued off and on for another dozen Terran years, but the Orks eventually took such losses that they were forced to retreat back to their newly constructed voidships and eventually escape the system in 961.M41.
Second War for Armageddon - Aftermath: The Second War for Armageddon was over and the Emperor's forces had prevailed despite the savage and bloody fighting, yet the warlord Ghazghkull harboured nothing else in his heart but a desire for a rematch -- a rematch that would come fifty-seven standard years to the day after the start of the Second War.
Second War for Armageddon - Nomenclature: Due to the fact that the history of the First War for Armageddon against the great Chaos incursion led by the World Eaters Daemon Primarch Angron was entirely suppressed by the actions of the Inquisition, most of the Imperium, and the citizens of Armageddon itself, considered the Second War for Armageddon to actually be the First War for Armageddon, rather than the second.
Secondary Heart - Secondary Heart: The Secondary Heart, also called the Maintainer, is the first and least difficult of the 19 Astartes gene-seed organ implants a Space Marine Neophyte receives to transform him into a full Astartes. It resembles a smaller version of the human heart and is implanted in the chest cavity and connected to the rest of the Neophyte's circulatory and pulmonary systems near the original heart.Its function is to enhance the performance of an Astartes by supplying more oxygen and nutrients to the muscles by increasing blood flow well-beyond that capable for even the most fit normal human being.The Secondary Heart can often save an Astartes' life in combat. In the event of combat damage to or failure of the Space Marine's original heart, the Secondary Heart is usually capable of pumping enough blood through the Astartes' circulatory system to maintain survival until he can be treated by the Chapter's Apothecaries.
Sect of the Red Echo - Sect of the Red Echo: The Sect of the Red Echo, or simply the Red Echo, is a thrallband of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion led by the Sorcerer Lord Daedophet the Red Echo. Down the millennia, Daedophet has drawn other Thousand Sons Legionaries to his banner, eventually forming his own thrallband. It is said that the Red Echo are constantly haunted by eerie harmonies -- whether this is the music of the spheres, the plainsong of old Prospero or the lingering screams of their victims, is unknown.Though their leaders were once known for their forbearance, the Sect of the Red Echo has carved a gruesome warpath since falling to Tzeentch, with haunting screams following wherever they go. Some amongst the Thousand Sons' Cult of Time interpret these screams as the dying, echoing cries of their victims, others as the mad harmonies of the Warp itself.
Sect of the Red Echo - Warband Colours: The Red Echo thrallband's colours are azure trimmed in gold. Crimson and cream robes, along with golden tabards, are often worn by members of this thrallband.
Sect of the Red Echo - Warband Badge: The Red Echo thrallband's sigil is a golden Cult of Knowledge symbol centred upon a field of azure and trimmed in gold.
Sect of the Red Echo - Sources: Codex Heretic Astartes - Thousand Sons (8th Edition), pg. 21War Zone: Fenris - Wrath of Magnus (7th Edition), pg. 135
Sectai Prosperine, The - Sectai Prosperine, The: The Sectai Prosperine are a thrallband of Heretic Astartes of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion. They were born of individual Thousand Sons sects that banded together in order to reap the benefits of their combined knowledge and power.
Sectai Prosperine, The - Warband History: The Sectai Prosperine was originally a gathering of minor sects hailing from the fringes of the Thousand Sons hierarchy. In an effort to increase their knowledge and influence alike, the sorcerers leading these sects banded together as a single organisation, relegating their personal heraldry to symbolic runes and donning the azure, gold and purple of lost Prospero's ruling caste.In combining their efforts, they surpassed all but the greatest of their rivals in terms of power. They now consider themselves the inheritors of Prospero's true legacy, embracing that planet's dark fate instead of running from it as have many of their kin, and believing the destruction of their former homeworld imparted to them knowledge that would otherwise have remained hidden had they not becom e true devotees of Tzeentch.
Sectai Prosperine, The - Warband Colours: The Sectai Prosperine thrallband colours are azure trimmed in gold. The runes upon the tabards of the Sectai Prosperine are laden with meaning, but the colours beneath are often of simpler significance. They hark back to the time when the Sectai was comprised of three autonomous factions -- white for the Learned Mysticae, purple for the Brethren of the Amethyst Sun, and pale green for the Bringers of Spiritual Dawn.The purple colouration common to the Sectai is so widespread it has become part of the macro-cult's identity. Those Chaos Cultists and mutants that serve its sorcerers will often dye their robes or paint their flesh purple. It has been known for entire thrallbands to change colour at the whim of their Tzeentchian masters.
Sectai Prosperine, The - Warband Badge: The Sectai Prosperine thrallband's symbol is a yellow-coloured sigil of the Cult of Knowledge centred upon a field of azure and trimmed in gold.
Sectai Prosperine, The - Sources: Codex Heretic Astartes - Thousand Sons (8th Edition), pg. 23War Zone: Fenris - Wrath of Magnus (7th Edition), pp. 126-127
Sector - Sector: A sector is an Imperial astrographical and political division of space that is one of the constituent territorial units of a segmentum of the Milky Way Galaxy. The size of a sector varies according to local demands and stellar density.A "typical" sector, if such a thing could be said to exist, might encompass 7 million cubic light years, equivalent to a cube with sides almost 200 light years long.Sectors are divided into a variable number of sub-sectors, each usually comprising between 2 and 8 star systems within a 10 light year radius (some may encompass more systems -- others only 1).This size is governed by the practical patrol ranges of Imperial starships. Because sub-sectors are divisions of worlds (rather than volumes of space) there are vast numbers of star systems within each sector which do not fall officially within a sub-sector. These are referred to as "inter-sectors" -- and are commonly better known as Wilderness Space, forbidden zones, empty space and frontier space.Inter-sectors may contain gas or dust nebulae, inaccessible areas, alien-inhabited star systems, unexplored systems, uninhabited systems and uninhabitable worlds.Each sector has an Imperial Navy battlefleet assigned to the task of safeguarding it, and the battlefleet is generally named after the sector it is assigned to (i.e. Battlefleet Gothic is located in the Gothic Sector, Battlefleet Cadia is located in the Cadian Sector, etc.).
Sector lord - Sector lord: A sector lord, also called a sector governor, is an Imperial noble who serves as the governing Imperial Commander of an entire sector and/or sub-sector of Imperial space. Most sector lords are also the planetary governor of their sector's capital or most important world. The duties of a sector lord, who are usually formally addressed as "Lord Sector," or "Lord" and then the title of their governed sector or sub-sector such as "Lord Calixis," are similar to those of a planetary governor, but encompass multiple star systems or multiple sub-sectors.Sector lords themselves come from a variety of backgrounds including the Imperial nobility of their region of space or even from the high-ranking prelates of the Ecclesiarchy such as a cardinal.
Sector lord - Notable Sector Lords: Marius Hax - Marius Hax was the sector lord of the Calixis Sector who ruled from the sector capital world of Scintilla, of which he was also the planetary governor.Morst Bolifax - Bolifax was a cardinal of the Ecclesiarchy and the sector lord of the Veritus Sub-sector in the Segmentum Solar.
Sector Solar - Sector Solar: The Sector Solar, also called Sol Sector, (pronounced SOLE) is a sector of Imperial space within the Segmentum Solar. The Sector Solar is the very heart of the Imperium of Man and the oldest sector of space within its demesne.Terra, Luna, and Mars are all located in the Sector Solar, as was Cthonia, the ancient homeworld of both Horus and the Sons of Horus Legion.The Sector Solar is guarded by Battlefleet Solar, the largest and most powerful segmentum battlefleet of the Imperial Navy.
Sector Solar - Notable Sub-Sectors: Sub-Sector Solar - The sub-sector of Sector Solar known to be home to the worlds of the Sol System.
Seculos Attendous - Seculos Attendous: Seculos Attendous is a minor Radical faction of the Imperial Inquisition that maintains that the religious beliefs spread and enforced by the state church of the Ecclesiarchy across the Human-settled galaxy is hampering and holding back Humanity from advancing, and therefore they seek to reduce its political power and influence wherever and whenever possible. The Inquisitors of this sect do not object to the worship of the Emperor as a god, only to the oppressive means wielded by the Ecclesiarchy to spread and maintain absolute loyalty to its doctrines.Inquisitors of this sect believe that the hulking dogma and Imperial Creed doctrine of the Adeptus Ministorum is slowly corrupting Mankind and hampering its growth and capacity for real advancement and renewal, and that the light of the Emperor does not need the oppressive hand of the Imperial Cult's bureaucracy to reach those who wish to embrace it. As yet, the faction has remained very quiet about its intentions and goals, no doubt to avoid immediate censure and the risk of excommunication.The operations of this faction are twofold. First they seek to twist the Ecclesiarchy's power from within, making small alterations in its operation that will ultimately help to weaken its power over the masses, while still maintaining the populace's firm faith in the God-Emperor and His glory. The second is managing the state church's contact with new worlds and remote frontiers, places where a freer, more natural worship of the Emperor is easier to perform.In both cases, the faction must tread very lightly, as the power of the Ecclesiarchy is not to be casually trifled with and should even the barest hint of its subversion come to light retribution would be swift and final.
Secutarii - Secutarii: The Secutarii, also known as the Corpus Secutarii, are Tech-Guards: cybernetically augmented warriors that serve in the armies of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Although they share many common roots with the Skitarii that form the bulk of the Adeptus Mechanicus' cybernetic armies, the Secutarii play a very different role on the battlefield, for they serve as support infantry for the Titan Legions of the Collegia Titanica.As much warriors as guards, the Secutarii are entirely devoted to the protection of the Titans under their care, which is why they are also known as the "Titan-Guard."
Secutarii - Creation of a Secutarii: Similar to the Skitarri, Secutarii undergo a high level of cybernetic augmentation, with the majority of their organs either replaced by bionics or enhanced through other implants of circuitry, bio-plastic and metal. This augmentation is not only designed to improve their capacities in combat, but is also perceived as a manifestation of their faith in the Omnissiah, each augmentation bringing them closer to the perfection of the living avatars of the Machine God: the Titan-engines in whose shadow they serve.The Titans they protect are also the focus of many rites of veneration and submission which the Secutarii hold daily. Whilst the modifications of their form, the configuration of their armament and the variety of their cybernetic implants vary greatly, the Secutarii all share one common augmentation which the Skitarii are bereft of: the Kyropatris Field Generator. This obscure protective device visually resembles a backpack, but the Kyropatris Field Generator is actually fully incorporated into a Secutarii's ribcage and chest cavity.
Secutarii - Forces of the Secutarii: Secutarii Axiarch - In the field, larger Secutarii forces are commanded by officers known as Axiarchs. Perhaps unsurprising for such an obscure and arcane organisation as the Adeptus Mechanicus, the process of selection for becoming an Axiarch involves more than merely rewarding meritorious service or recognising skill on the battlefield. Without exception, Secutarii Axiarchs undergo further cybernetic augmentation to the point that very little flesh remains, becoming stalwart, unflinching and nearly indestructible warriors who have little in common with unaugmented humans.Secutarii Hoplite - Secutarii Hoplites form the rank-and-file troops of the Titan-Guard. They are infantry units specially equipped, designed and augmented to defend against heavy infantry assaults. The Secutarii's martial traditions are derived from the ancient arts of war of pre-industrial Terra, their interlocked Kyropatris Field Generators and Mag-Inverter Shields rendering them impervious to even the heaviest concentration of firepower. Be it as dispersed lines of skirmishers or as densely-packed infantry ranks, they form the proverbial anvil upon which the lesser enemies of the Titan Legions are broken.Secutarii Peltast - If the Secutarii Hoplite phalanxes are the anvil upon which lesser enemies are broken, the Secutarii Peltasts are the hammer. The Peltasts' tactics focus on the use of highly-concentrated firepower to saturate targeted areas and eliminate all resistance. The Peltasts also double as the Titan Legions' elite commandos, tasked with the recovery and rescue of Princeps and Moderati of fallen Titans. Their reputation is such that they are frequently petitioned by other Magi of the Mechanicum Taghmata to serve alongside their Skitarii.
Secutarii - Secutarii Weapons: The weapons of the Adeptus Mechanicus' infantry legions are some of the most dangerous in the galaxy. As efficient as they often are unsafe, they are powerful beyond mortal understanding, and have brought death to the galaxy for millennia. The weapons of the Skitarii and Secutarii are a strange amalgamation of ancient science, modern technology and baroque craftsmanship. Some may feature carved wooden gun stocks, bolt action breaches, whirring dynamos and elegant brass triggers which meld faultlessly with heat sinks, radioactive ammunition, lightning projectors and glowing fuel cells. They are the past and the present combined, terrifying in the devastation they cause and beautiful in their antiquated designs. This anachronistic combination is not due to the available materials or a desire for aesthetically pleasing weapons. Nor is it born of practicality; far from it. Trees do not grow on Mars (or any other Forge World, for that matter) and have not for thousands of standard years. Technological advances have made bolt action rifles obsolete and the dynamos that power many Skitarii weapons have been superseded by more conventional power sources.Yet the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus revere ancient technology. To them, the wargear and weapons designed during the Dark Age of Technology were the pinnacle of design and everything since is but a poor substitute. But these ancient weapons are not just superior: they are considered vastly superior, inspired by the Machine God Himself and, as such, regarded as sacred instruments of destruction. Hyet, in comparison to the average Skitarii, the Secutarii focus more on durability and defensive potency in their weapon load-outs to better endure the tempestuous and savage battlefield conditions where Titan-grade weaponry is unleashed.
Secutarii - Arc Weapons: Arc Weapons are powered by bulky permacapacitors shipped from Mars' Great Repositorium. Some of these zinc-plated blocks store energy from the days when the Imperium was young. They discharge with a loud crack, firing bolts of blue-white electricity that can fry a man's brain or overload a war machine's datacortex in a solar second.Arc Rifle - A rapid-firing Arc Weapon often used as a special weapon.Arc Pistol - A small pistol based on Arc technology.Arc Maul - The Arc Maul is at first glance a bludgeoning weapon designed to crush and pulp its targets. However, when activated, it becomes a rod of lightning like unto those wielded by the gods of Old Earth. Those struck by an Arc Maul often convulse themselves to death as the riotous energies playing across them take their toll.Arc Lance - The Arc Lance is the signature weapon of Secutarii Hoplite phalanxes and bears many resemblances to the far larger weapons carried by the Cerastus Knight-Lancer. An Arc Lance is essentially a close-combat weapon that delivers short-range blasts of coruscating electromagnetic energy which also gives it limited ranged capabilities. As it is usually carried in combination with a Mag-Inverter Shield, the lance's power and strength is further augmented by the kinetic energy absored by the shield, so that every shot fired at the Secutarii augments its offensive capabilities.