Necrons - Recent Events: In the 41st Millennium, Humanity is widespread throughout the stars of the galaxy and encounters the Necrons with some frequency, but there is no mechanism by which the experiences of one embattled world can be shared with the wider Imperium of Man. Even if there were, by what means would the data be catalogued? Hundreds of Human colony worlds are depopulated or destroyed every standard year, and if their fates are noted at all by the Administratum, the cause of their demise is rarely discovered. There is no single repository of information in the Imperium, no established central historical record -- in a galaxy-spanning civilisation so shrouded in ignorance and superstition, it would be remarkable if it were otherwise.Some Imperial scholars hold that the slaughter of the Sisters of Battle stationed at Sanctuary 101 in 897.M41 represented the first contact between Mankind and the Necrons. Such individuals do so in ignorance of the many millions of encounters that, though predating the Sanctuary 101 event, went entirely unremarked upon because no one survived to make note of them, the records were lost or deemed mythic, or simply took place on a world where the inhabitants made no distinction between differing alien perils. More so, it displays the classic arrogance of those who assumed that the boundaries of their knowledge are, in fact, the boundaries of reality.What follows is a list of the most pertinent recent events in the history of the reawakened Necron species and its encounters with the other intelligent cultures of the galaxy in the 41st Millennium:666.M41 The Yuctan Incident – The Yuctan System was a sparsely inhabited Imperial star system close to the Eastern Fringe, and the site of the first naval encounter between the Necrons and the Imperial Navy in 666.M41. A minor Imperial fleet of 6 escort ships and 1 light cruiser were destroyed, with the only survivor being a single Cobra-class Destroyer. By the time a full Imperial fleet could be dispatched to the region to deal with what is now called the Yuctan Incident, the Necrons had disappeared, and the system was found devoid of all Human life. Although similar and unexplained events had taken place up to this time, the incident at Yuctan was the first fully documented account of a Necron "harvest" of a populated world, as they sought fresh subjects for their research into "apotheosis," the restoration of their consciousness to organic bodies.ca. 744.M41 The Return of the Silent King - The long-lost final Silent King of the Necron Triarch, Szarekh, enters the bounds of the Milky Way Galaxy once more. Having encountered the Tyranids in the intergalactic void, he recognizes the threat they pose to the Necrons' apotheosis -- if the Tyranids devour all organic life in the galaxy, the Necrons will never find living bodies to house their consciousnesses once more. Thus does the Silent King break his self-imposed exile with the goal of marshalling his people against this new threat. However, the Silent King has not anticipated the torpor in which the majority of the Necrons still lie. Many Tomb Worlds have been destroyed over the aeons, others still slumber and most of those that have awoken are still disoriented or somehow damaged. The Silent King is therefore forced to re-evaluate his plans. Working with the surviving Triarch Praetorians, he begins a pilgrimage across the galaxy, stirring those Tomb Worlds yet to revive, and speeding the recovery of those Tomb Worlds already awake. It is the Silent King's wish that the younger races' flawed attempts to destroy the Tyranids do not simply feed the invading hive fleets beyond the point where even a united Necron people have any hope of victory.781.M41 Storm Clouds Gather - After long years of preparation, Imotekh the Stormlord assumes control of the crownworld of Mandragora as the phaeron of the Sautekh Dynasty and begins his conquest of the galaxy.793.M41 Raid on Solemnace - Following the onset of Hive Fleet Behemoth's assault on the galaxy and its defeat at the Battle of Macragge, the xenobiologists and Inquisitors of the Imperium are left with many questions that require answers. One such question brings Inquisitor Helynna Valeria to the ghost world of Solemnace, seeking an explanation for why that world had gone untouched when all other planets in the hive fleet's path now lie destroyed and consumed. Nothing could have prepared Valeria for what she finds in the silent darkness beneath Solemnace's pitted and barren surface: endless catacombs filled with highly advanced xenos technology, long-lost artefacts from the Imperium's history and gallery after gallery of intricate life-size holographic sculptures laid out in silent tableau to commemorate historic scenes. Valeria's party is briefly awestruck by what they discover, but then the entire Tomb World comes to angry life. Wave after wave of Canoptek Scarabs and Necron Warriors descend from all sides and the still air is filled with the whine of discharging Gauss Weapons. Seeking to regain the initiative for her beset Acolytes and followers, Valeria leads a charge against the shadowy figure orchestrating the carnage. Sighting carefully, Valeria unleashes a pulse from her Graviton Beamer that reduces the Necron Lord to mangled and fused scrap. Yet moments later, an identical figure emerges from the darkness, hale and undamaged. This time Valeria plunges the Dagger of Midnight's blade into her adversary's heart, yet even as her opponent's sparking frame sinks to the ground, another identical Necron Lord strides forwards, trampling the now-faceless ruin at her feet. With that, Valeria orders a retreat back to her team's waiting shuttles. Only a handful of the Acolytes survive to reach their destination, and they do so empty-handed. Much to Valeria's disappointment, the Tomb World of Solemnace keeps all of its glorious secrets. Sometime after the conflict, Valeria received a personal hyperscroll message from Trazyn himself, thanking her for sending five regiments of Catachan Jungle Fighters to add to his galleries. Accompanying the message as a return gift was a Hyperstone Maze, one of a series of Tesseract Labyrinths constructed at the height of the Charnovokh Dynasty. It is unknown what became of this gift thereafter.798.M41 The Siege of Somonor - Imotekh the Stormlord and the forces of the Sautekh Dynasty repel a war host of Asuryani from Craftworld Alaitoc commanded by Farseer Eldorath Starbane from the minor Tomb World of Somonor during the campaign later known as the Siege of Somonor. Following the campaign, Somonor agrees to join the Sautekh Dynasty's growing empire. Starbane is the only survivor of the assault, and he is sent back to Alaitoc but with one hand amputated by Imotekh as a reminder of his defeat. The Asuryani of Alaitoc prepare to launch a major assault on the Sautekh Dynasty.799.M41 The Unexpected End of WAAAGH! 'Eadcrumpa - Big Mek 'Eadcrumpa leads his Ork WAAAGH! to the newly awakened Tomb World of Suranas. After initial skirmishes prove his still lethargic Necrons to be no match for the Orks, the Necron Lord Nepthk strikes a pact with 'Eadcrumpa. In exchange for several dozen functioning Doomsday Cannons, 'Eadcrumpa agrees to leave Suranas and seek plunder elsewhere (whilst secretly resolving to return to Suranas at a later date). Three solar months later, when the WAAAGH! descends on the Imperial Agri-world of Eden Prime, 'Eadcrumpa is unable to resist his urge to investigate the Doomsday Cannons' systems. One breached containment core later and 'Eadcrumpa, his WAAAGH! and the planet of Eden Prime are erased from existence.805.M41 The Ruin of Morrigar - A battle between hive gangs on the Imperial Hive World of Morrigar inadvertently awakens the Necron Tomb hidden there. All contact with Morrigar by the Imperium is lost shortly thereafter. When the Astra Militarum's 207th Cadian Shock Troops regiment makes planetfall six solar months later, there is no trace of any inhabitants, Human or otherwise. Before the Imperial Guardsmen can leave Morrigar, the nomadic Necron warlord, Anrakyr the Traveller, arrives. Assuming the Humans are responsible for the apparent destruction of the Tomb World, he launches an attack that leaves his own forces decimated and the Cadian 207th utterly eliminated.813.M41 Escape from Cano'var - At Nemesor Zahndrekh's instruction, the Necron armies of the Tomb World of Gidrim invade the T'au world of Cano'var, routing the planetary defenders after two standard weeks of campaigning. The Necron victory is short-lived however. A demi-company of White Scars Space Marines, led by Kor'sarro Khan, arrive on Cano'var, pursuing a now-obsolete punitive mission against the previous T'au inhabitants. As overwhelming volley of Gauss weapon fire destroys the White Scars' Thunderhawks moments after they land, leaving Kor'sarro and his battle-brothers to fight a bold, but doomed, series of hit-and-run battles. Almost all of the White Scars are slain on Uzme Plateau, but Zahndrekh commands that Kor'sarro Khan be spared and imprisoned. So does Kor'sarro begin a peculiar period of captivity beneath the surface of Cano'var. Zahndrekh treats him with honour, through few of the other Necron Lords even acknowledge his presence. At a bizarre feast, where food is placed before Zahndrekh and his court but goes uneaten, Kor'sarro learns he is but one of a dozen prisoners. With the desire for freedom outweighing any ranklement or rivalry, Kor'sarro and the other captives conspire to escape. The Necrons are slow to react and so the breakout goes well at first. Only when Vargard Obyron takes command do things go badly for the escapees. Several of the fugitives are slain by Obyron's Warscythe, leaving only Kor'sarro and an Asuryani Ranger by the name of Illic Nightspear to fight on, and the latter swiftly receives a blow that sends him sprawling from the fight. Thus does the battle devolve into a duel atop bleeding bodies and broken machines. Kor'sarro's sword is quicker and guided by a desperate fury, but Obyron's undying machine body repairs any damage within only moments. Little by little, Kor'sarro tires, and the sweeping Warscythe comes closer to connecting with each swing. Finally, one of the Vargard's blows is too swift for the Khan to evade -- the Warscythe slices through his armour and deep into his flesh. Before Obyron can finish his foe, there is an intervention from an unexpected source. Unknown to either combatants, Zahndrekh has been watching the fight from afar and, impressed by Kor'sarro's skill and bravery, orders Obyron to stand aside and let him leave. Dragging the crippled Nightspear behind, Kor'sarro finally escapes to the surface, finds a still-functioning T'au spacecraft and leaves Cano'var far behind. Kor'sarro and Nightspear part ways shortly after, the Asuryani to his craftworld and the White Scar to Chogoris. Shortly after the Khan's return to his Chapter planet, Nemesor Zahndrekh and Vargard Obyron are added to the Scrolls of Venegance, their names to be put forward as possible quarry for the next Great Hunt of the White Scars Chapter.815.M41 Disappearance of Explorator Fleet 913 - Explorator Fleet 913 strays into territory controlled by the Tomb World of Gheden and is destroyed by the fleet of Nemesor Azderon. When the void battle is over, wreckage is set adrift in the projected territory of the Asuryani's Alaitoc craftworld. By the time three companies of Ultramarines come in search of the Adeptus Mechanicus' overdue explorator fleet, Azderon has long withdrawn, but the presence of Alaitoc's pathfinder vessels draw the Space Marines into a conflict with the Craftworld Aeldari, who they blame for the destruction of the Imperial vessels.824.M41 Return of Thaszar the Invincible - The shadow-shrouded Imperial world of Athonos is wracked by severe earth tremors. The cause remains a mystery until a colossal Tomb Ship captained by the Necron pirate king, Thaszar the Invincible, emerges from beneath the ground, shedding soil, rock and fragments of hab-block from its hull as it rises after sixty million standard years. The world's defences are, understandably, in disarray. Fortunately for the inhabitants, Thaszar has yet to realise that Humans are an intelligent form of life, and pays no more attention to the panicked defenders than h would to a nest of insects. The Athonosian planetary capital lies in ruins, but the rest of the planet survives relatively unscathed as the Tomb Ship heads into the stars, towards the Tomb World of Zapennec, the crownworld of the Sarnekh Dynasty that he will soon rule as phaeron, pausing only to obliterate a holo-stealthed Asuryani listening post hidden in near-orbit for millennia.829.M41 The Enslavement of Aryand - Necron Overlord Vitokh masterminds the invasion of the Imperial Hive World of Aryand. After a long and bloody siege, Aryand's planetary governor accepts Vitokh's terms and Aryand becomes a slave world in service to the Necron Altymhor Dynasty.831.M41 The Dissolution of Burr - After a long archaeological expedition on the mysterious planet of Phall, famed Explorator Benedict Draconis returns to the binary worlds of Burr. The Imperial planetary governor holds a banquet in Draconis' honour, which proves to be a fatal mistake when a swarm of Mindshackle Scarabs burst bloodily from the explorator's brain to feast on the governor and his guests. From there, the Mindshackle Scarabs multiply and swiftly infest Burr's military echelons. With his trap sprung and much of the binary worlds' defences thus under his control, the Necron Overlord Janzikh of Phall launches an invasion of Burr. Burr Major is the first planet to fall, thanks to recklessness on the part of its remaining Human defenders, but soon both worlds are firmly under Necron control. The dissolution furnaces roar day and night, and when Captain D'Estev and the Fire Lords Chapter's 5th Company finally arrived, all they can do is destroy Janzikh in retaliation for his deeds.857.M41 The Lazar Blockade - Seeking vengeance for the destruction wrought upon their 4th Company, the Silver Skulls blockade the Lazar System and attempt to purge the Necrons from its planets. Though the main Tomb World is overwhelmed and obliterated, the Silver Skulls are quick to regret their hasty assault, as secondary Necron bases throughout the system whir into life. Unable to admit defeat, the Silver Skulls dig in, and what should have been a simple exercise in reciprocity becomes a far more grueling campaign. Later, five Space Marine Chapters including the Death Spectres, Howling Griffons and the Silver Skulls blockade the Lazar System to purge the Necrons from its planets in vengeance for the damage suffered by the Silver Skulls 4th Company. The Space Marines overwhelm and obliterate the main Tomb World, however secondary bases throughout the system suddenly come to life. Rather than withdraw, the Silver Skulls dig in for a grueling campaign.859.M41 The Traveller Has Come - The nomadic Necron Overlord Anrakyr the Traveller arrives in the embattled Lazar System and immediately joins his forces to those defending against the Silver Skulls' and other Space Marines' onslaught. Necron victory is finally assured at the Battle of Dreadpeak, when Anrakyr's Pyrrhian Eternals spearhead an assault on the Silver Skulls' downed Battle Barge Argent Hammer. Though the Space Marines battle hard against the veterans of Pyrrhia, their efforts are undone when Anrakyr seizes control over the Battle Barge's still-functioning weapon batteries and turns their fury on the Imperial defenders. With their Chapter Master slain and their forces in disarray, the Silver Skulls are forced to withdraw their blockade of Lazar -- though they take great care to ensure that word of their defeat does not spread. His duty done, Anrakyr takes ship and heads out into the galaxy once more to aid the Necron cause.910.M41 The Storm Grows – Imotekh's campaigns are halted briefly by the Imperium's resolute defence of the Forge World Hypnoth. Astra Militarum and Space Marine reinforcements flood into the battle zone, and though they cannot achieve a lasting victory, they succeed in tying down the Necron assault for several months. Encouraged by the prophecies of the astromancer Orikan the Diviner, Imotekh finally breaks the stalemate by launching a series of attacks on Hypnoth's supply worlds Praedis-Zeta and Nyx. The first two raids perform entirely as expected, with the worlds laid to waste and their vital supplies destroyed or claimed by the Sautekh forces. However, an unforeseen Tyranid infestation on Nyx wreaks havoc amongst the Necron forces and threatens to completely derail Imotekh's entire campaign. Nevertheless, Imotekh rises to the challenge, weaving a strategy that manipulates the Tyranid swarm into venting its fury on the remaining Imperial defenders. With both sides thus distracted, Imotekh is able to extricate his remaining forces.911.M41 The Fall of Hypnoth – Sautekh Dynasty Crypteks succeed in introducing a mechanophage into the defence systems of Forge World Hypnoth, reducing its formidably armed bastions to helpless ferrocrete shells. Despite a valorous defence by the Flesh Tearers and Iron Hands Space Marines, Hypnoth is conquered by the Necrons within solar days.912.M41 - 926.M41 Assault of the Worldengine - A violent coup on the Tomb World of Borsis sees its introspective Necron Lord replaced by one of a more expansionist bent. Thus are the long dormant engines of the artificial Tomb World of Borsis fired into life once more, signalling the start of a Necron campaign that leaves much of the Imperium of Man's Vidar Sector in ruins. The massive mobile artificial Tomb World of Borsis, known to the Imperium as the Worldengine, was attacked in 926.M41 by 15 Space Marine task forces plus elements from the Imperial Navy, and even the mightiest weapons the Imperial forces could bring to bear could not harm it. Drop Pods and torpedoes could not penetrate its shields and it was impossible to lock on to with teleport beams. The Imperial task force tried twelve times to overwhelm it through sheer valour and firepower and was rewarded with a string of destroyed and crippled starships and millions of casualties. The Worldengine destroyed a third of an entire Imperial Navy battlefleet before the Chapter Master of the Astral Knights Chapter decided to ram the hideous planetoid with his Battle Barge, the Tempestus. It was only when the enormous Space Marine starship collided with the Necron construct's shields that they finally failed, allowing the Imperial forces to approach their target. A force of over 700 Astral Knights deployed from Drop Pods onto the Necron vessel's surface. For over 100 solar hours the Astral Knights fought against tens of thousands of Necron warriors and destroyed every flux generator, weapon forge and command node they came upon. Only after the Chapter had been reduced in size to the Chapter Master, Arthor Amhrad, and five battle-brothers did they succeed in their quest. Amhrad detonated Melta-charges that destroyed a vast Necron tomb complex that housed many of the Worldengine's command arrays which brought down the vessel's impenetrable Void Shields and also silenced the machine's weaponry. This allowed the Imperial Navy's starships to destroy the Worldengine with Cyclonic Torpedoes. After the battle, as the Adeptus Mechanicus picked over the remains of the destroyed Worldengine, the Ultramarines retrieved the twisted wreckage of the Tempestus and placed it amid the ruins of Safehold, the planet that had been the last victim of the Worldengine. The 2nd and 4th Companies of the Blood Angels had been amongst the Astartes task forces dispatched to the Vidar Sector to assist their fellow Space Marines against the threat posed by the Worldengine. After the sacrifice of the Astral Knights lead to the final destruction of the Worldengine, Captain Donatos Aphael of the 2nd Company proposed that an Imperial shrine be erected upon the world of Safehold in eternal memory of the Astral Knights Chapter. The shrine consists of seven hundred and seventy-two arbalstone statues, one for every Astral Knight battle-brother that died stopping the Worldengine, that stands a silent vigil within the dead heart of the Tempestus. From that day forth, 2 Blood Angels of the 2nd Company, and battle-brothers from nearly a dozen other Chapters, are always assigned to stand guard over the memorial, which is considered a singular honour for the Astartes that fought beside them for the last time.930.M41 Battle of Schrödinger VII – In 930.M41, the forces of the infamous Necron Overlord Imotekh the Stormlord, phaeron of the powerful Sautekh Dynasty, descended upon the frozen plains of the Imperial Ice World of Schrödinger VII. The Necrons drove the local defenders to the shelter of the labyrinthine cryonite mines, but were unable to prevent the planet's astropathic choir from dispatching a distress hymnal. A counterattack swiftly arrived in the form of a Black Templars strike force under the command of Marshal Helbrecht. Imotekh was not caught by surprise so easily, and had already shifted his undying Necron armies into a formidable defensive configuration. Helbrecht led the assault, intended as a crippling alpha strike, but was instead blunted by a series of impeccably-planned Necron ambushes on the Space Marines' Drop Pod and Thunderhawk drop zones. As the frozen caverns echoed to the roar of explosions, scores of Black Templars and Necrons alike were hurled into rivers of molten cryonite. Eventually, Imotekh and Helbrecht met in single combat atop the stalactite-heavy span of an ice bridge. In the battle that followed, Helbrecht, driven by zeal and hatred of the xenos, dealt Imotekh a dozen ruinous blows, but each time the phaeron's living necrodermis was able to quickly repair in a matter of seconds. Despite being the better swordsman, Helbrecht failed to land a truly crippling blow on his opponent, and as the duel drew on, the marshal finally collapsed under the assault of the Necron Overlord, blood flowing from a score of serious wounds. However, instead of finishing off his opponent, Imotekh brought his Warscythe down and merely severed Helbrecht's right hand to remind the marshal of his "much-deserved defeat." Helbrecht roared in fury and pain as Imotekh pitched him off the ice bridge to the frigid cavern floor far below. The surviving Black Templars quickly rallied to their fallen marshal's side and made a fighting retreat, leaving Schrödinger VII in the Stormlord's hands. Following this humiliating defeat, Helbrecht swore an Oath of Vengeance against the Necrons in general, and Imotekh in particular, vowing that the next time they met, only one would leave the battlefield alive.955.M41 Alliance at Devil's Crag - The Silent King Szarekh reluctantly joins forces with the Space Marines of the Blood Angels Chapter to defeat a Tyranid splinter fleet. Commander Dante and the 3rd Company of the Blood Angels Chapter battled against the Necron legions of the Silent King amidst the dusty wastes of the world of Gehenna. For three solar weeks, neither side could seize the upper hand, with Dante's tactical brilliance stretched to its limits in countering the time-space manipulations of the Silent King. The stalemate was broken only when a Tyranid splinter fleet entered orbit, forcing the two armies to break off hostilities and fight the common foe. The impromptu alliance proved to be the Tyranids' undoing. Following the final battle at Devil's Crag, Dante and the Silent King went their separate ways, both forces too battleworn to guarantee victory over the other, and, at least for the Blood Angels, the idea of turning on those they had so recently fought alongside, proved rather distasteful.970.M41 The Hall of Swords - The Emperor's Swords Chapter of Space Marines, the second to bear that name, is destroyed when a Tomb World awakens beneath their fortress-monastery on the world of Bellicas. Those forces isolated outside are swiftly overwhelmed, but the fate of those within is far grimmer. Subverting the systems of the fortress-monastery, a conclave of Crypteks shut down the defences and entomb the Space Marines within their own citadel. Seeking sport from their captives, the new rulers of Bellicas take it in turns to lead waves of Necron Warriors through the shadowed galls, each with the aim of accruing more kills than his peers. Though the Space Marines fight with determination and never once surrender to terror, after three weeks the contest goes to the Necron Lord Trakesz for his personal decapitation of Captain Arnoc Voreign.973-974.M41 Damnos Incident - By some fateful quirk, the Necron tomb on the Mining World of Damnos wakes swiftly to full function in 973.M41; overwhelming the Human settlers and repelling a counterattack by the Ultramarines 2nd Company in 974.M41. The Necrons of Damnos then proceed to awaken their Dolmen Gates and reconquer a crucial spar of the Webway, driving out the Asuryani who had reclaimed its paths during the Great Sleep. With their Webway access restored, Necron raiding parties from Damnos reach out across the Ultima Segmentum of the Imperium of Man, leaving carnage in their wake.985.M41 Fall of the Inevitable Conqueror – Marshal Helbrecht would get a chance at fulfilling his Oath of Vengeance after the events on Schrödinger VII, when his Crusade fleet detected Necron activity around the Sautekh Dynasty's coreworld of Davatas in 985.M41. Moving swiftly to intercept, Helbrecht rejoiced when their quarry was identified as the Inevitable Conqueror, Imotekh's Cairn-class Tombship and the Sautekh flagship. Moving in with all haste, the Black Templars' battle barge Sigismund managed to land crippling broadside blows on the Inevitable Conqueror's propulsive array, stranding it in place. Intending to get his revenge on his opponent personally, Helbrecht ordered an immediate teleport and boarding torpedo assault upon the Necron tombship. Within minutes, the decks of the Inevitable Conqueror were swarming with vengeful Black Templars Astartes. Alas, Helbrecht would not even get the satisfaction of seeing his opponent: while Imotekh's pride urged him to fight, logic won out, and the Stormlord teleported himself and many of his most valuable assets away from his flagship to his unengaged escort ships. The Necrons immediately accelerated away from the fighting and made good their escape. Fuming with impotent rage, Helbrecht could only gain a meagre measure of satisfaction from ensuring the total destruction of the Inevitable Conqueror by personally setting his foe's beloved flagship on a collision course with the closest star and blasting to smithereens those other Necron spacecraft too slow to flee. The frustrated Helbrecht reaffirmed his Oath of Vengeance, swearing once again that he would see Imotekh dead once and for all. Those Black Templars with some familiarity with the undying Necrons fear that their marshal has bitten off more than he can chew. While Helbrecht is certainly capable of besting the Necron phaeron in single combat, preventing the undying mechanical fiend from teleporting to safety and destroying Imotekh outright may prove to be an impossible feat for a single Chapter of Space Marines, no matter their zeal.991.M41 - 999.M41 Orphean War – Having reached their intended strength, the Maynarkh Dynasty attacked the Imperial Orpheus Sector on the edge of Segmentum Tempestus. The attack was proceeded by a communication black-out which left the Orpheus Sector cut in two. The Necrons advanced in two distinct lines of battle: one invading the sector from the Outer Darkness, with a second entering the sector from the galactic South and the territories of the former Leyak Sector. Unable to call for help, the entire Eastern half of the Orpheus Sector succumbed quickly, with only the Space Marines of the Angels Revenant Chapter putting up a true fight, but even their sacrifice was not enough to stop the xenos' advance. A hundred solar days after the Maynarkh offensive began, the silence was broken and a tide of astropathic warnings and distress signals reached the Orpheus Sector's capital world, Amarah Prime. Only now realising that it had come under attack, the Imperium mobilised its vast armies, which could not prevent the Drucillan Sub-sector from being overrun. Led by their greatest Nemesor, Maktlan Kutlakh, the Necrons inexplicably stopped their advance after a hundred solar days; as tradition demanded it, their enemy would be given two cycles of the ancient Necrontyr moon to prepare themselves to meet their death. The Orpheus Sector's Imperial governor, Calibor Laan, used this time to turn his world, Amarah Prime, into a fortress, stripping other worlds of their defences and transferring them to Amarah. Crusading forces and reinforcements allotted to the purge of the Chaos-riddled Chemarium System were rerouted to Amarah, including armies drawn from the Necromundan Regiments and the fearsome Death Korps of Krieg of the Astra Militarum. Most importantly perhaps, an entire Space Marines Chapter, the Minotaurs under their Chapter Master Asterion Moloc, joined the defenders of Amarah. And yet, this stronghold of Imperial might was laid low in a single solar day, when the Necrons almost entire destroyed the powerful battlefleet defending Amarah and landed their troops unopposed on the surface. Had it not been for the desperate counterattack of the Minotaurs' Chapter fleet and the stoic resistance of the Death Korps, total victory would have been achieved. Yet through great sacrifices and bloody determination, Asterion Moloc faced Kutlakh on the bridge of the Matklan's flagship, the Cairn-class Tomb Ship Dead Hand. The Minotaurs' Chapter Master and his elite 1st Company Veterans succeeded in wounding Kutlakh, before being sucked into the void. Having not anticipated this level of stubbornness among their foe, the Necrons retreated with something akin to respect for this vermin which had settled upon their worlds. For the Imperium, however, the losses of the Battle of Amarah proved so severe that the sector had to be abandoned and officially dissolved as a Sector Imperialis. The fighting, however, continued as the Undying Legions progressed to the galactic west and the Imperium tried to salvage what it could from the remains of the Orpheus Sector.999.M41 Carnac Campaign - The Necron Overlord Anrakyr the Traveller arrives on a planet he supposes to be the Tomb World of Carnac, only to find it infested with Aeldari Exodites. Realising that the tomb, if it remains, will be buried too deep for him to awaken it before the Exodites can themselves summon aid, Anrakyr entreated the Necron Lords and Overlords of other Tomb Worlds for aid. Reinforcements swiftly arrive from Mandragora, Gidrim and Trakonn, through the most unexpected of all is a contingent from Solemnace, led by Trazyn the Infinite himself. All this takes time, however, and by the time the Night Scythe fleets deploy the invading forces, the armies of the Alaitoc craftworld stand side-by-side with the Carnac Exodites. Guided by the prophecies of Farseer Eldorath Starbane and the strategies of Illic Nightspear, the Aeldari attempt to stall the Necron invasion with a series of hit-and-run attacks. Their aim is to sever the command structure by destroying Anrakyr and his closest allies, but the Pyrrhian lord manages to subvert the prophesies of the Farseer through the astromantic analyses of Orikan the Diviner. Though Orikan's divinations are by no means as focussed as those of Eldorath Starbane, they are sufficient to tangle the skeins of fate and leave many details of the campaign beyond the Farseer's reach. So it is that Pathfinders arrive at what they thought to be Anrakyr's location, only to find him long gone and squads of Deathmarks waiting in ambush. After several inconclusive battles on Carnac's verdant plains, Anrakyr forces the Aeldari to engage in a head-to-head confrontation by marching on the Exodites' World Spirit shrine. As the tireless Necron legions advance upon the walls, Doom Scythes duel with elegant Asuryani fighters in the skies above. Deathmarks ply a deadly trade of ambush and counter-ambush with Alaitoc Pathfinders, and all the while Flayed Ones prowl the flanks, pouncing on any Aeldari foolish enough to show even a momentary sign of weakness. The two sides are well-matched, with Necron hardiness countered by the Aeldari's tactical precision. Victory finally falls to the Necrons when Carnac's tomb unexpectedly begins to awaken, stirred from dormancy by the tumult above. With Necron reinforcements now starting to trickle into the campaign, the Aeldari -- Asuryani and Exodites alike -- have little choice but to abandon Carnac and its World Spirit to their ancient enemies. Anraky is grimly jubilant in the campaign's aftermath, and gladly accedes when Trazyn requests the entire World Shrine for his collection as spoils of war. For his part, Orikan requests no trophy or payment for his part in the victory, and merely hopes that when the flush of victory fades, no one thinks to question the convenient coincidence of the Carnac tomb's awakening.999.M41 Second Battle of Damnos -  	 	<a href="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/5/57/WarZoneDamnosTesseractVaultAssault.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20200425195740" class="image"><img alt="WarZoneDamnosTesseractVaultAssault" src="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/5/57/WarZoneDamnosTesseractVaultAssault.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20200425195740" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="250" height="88" class="thumbimage" data-image-name="WarZoneDamnosTesseractVaultAssault.jpg" data-image-key="WarZoneDamnosTesseractVaultAssault.jpg" data-relevant="1" data-src="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/5/57/WarZoneDamnosTesseractVaultAssault.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20200425195740"></a> 	 		 			 		 		 		 			Imperial forces focus their fire upon the Tesseract Vault holding a C'tan Shard of Yggra'nya during the Second Battle of Damnos in 999.M41. 		 	  Despite the Inquisition's efforts to suppress all knowledge of the Necrons' reemergence into the galaxy, the Imperium's faith in its military supremacy was shaken by the news that spread across the galaxy after 974.M41 that these xenos had overcome both the Imperial Guard and the Ultramarines at Damnos. Eventually, reports of the loss of Damnos made their way to Terra, where both the Fabricator-General of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the High Lords of Terra decreed that the Ultramarines must return to Damnos and eradicate the Necron threat once and for all. Twenty-five standard years after the Damnos Incident, in 999.M41, this Imperial order was brought to Macragge by the experienced Deathwatch strike team led by Squad Lazarius. Chapter Master Marneus Calgar was not pleased with the Imperium's decree, for he knew that his 2nd Company had faced only a fraction of the awakened Necrons on Damnos a quarter of a Terran century before. Once they returned to Damnos, the Ultramarines would face the entire strength of a Necron Tomb World and risk the deaths of hundreds of the Chapter's Astartes. Yet, Calgar knew that the High Lords of Terra were right and that the Necrons on Damnos must be defeated if the Imperium was ever to know peace in the face of the growing Necron threat. With the record of the Ultramarines stained by the action on Damnos, it was their duty to banish the ghosts of the past. Upon hearing Calgar's announcement that the Ultramarines' 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th Companies, accompanied by elements of the 10th, would return to reclaim Damnos for the Emperor, Cato Sicarius smiled for the first time in solar decades. It is said that during the preparation for the assault, Sicarius trained so hard that he fought with the fury of a man possessed and even slept in the cage-vault. Before the solar month was out, Calgar's armies and fleets had been assembled and over 500 Space Marines stood ready for war. In addition, Sicarius was granted a Vortex Grenade by the Deathwatch Sergeant Davian Imocles, who was rumoured to be an old friend and former squad mate. The journey to Damnos was a perilous one, with Calgar relying on various ruses and distractions to get his warriors safely to the planet's surface. By the time the Necrons had spotted the true location of the Ultramarine warships, the Astartes fleet was in a position to launch their Drop Pods. The first wave consisted of unmanned variants designed to draw the fire of the Gauss Pylons. The second wave, however, represented the true assault, which brought hundreds of Space Marines as well as a number of vengeful Imperial Guard regiments to the heart of the Necrons' subterranean tomb complex. Their objective was to destroy the pyramidal complexes that controlled the Necron power grid and to do it before the Imperial forces were overwhelmed. However, one factor that they did not account for was the physical incarnation of a C'tan, a C'tan Shard of Yggra'nya, the World Shaper, held within a Tesseract Vault. It was determined that this vault was the true source of the Necrons' power and must be neutralized if the Imperial forces were to have any hope of victory. Despite the power brought to bear by the Imperial assault on Damnos, Marneus Calgar felt like a duelist being taken apart by a superior foe in the battle-cage. The xenos' battle logic proved impeccable, with its master intelligence anticipating the Ultramarines' every move and neutralizing each tactic they employed. Thanks to an energy shield emitting from the vault, every plasma volley and melta blast employed against the Necron Monoliths dissipated harmlessly or detonated prematurely before it could harm the constructs. Since the xenos had managed to analyze the Ultramarines' battle doctrine, Calgar realized he must attempt a completely unexpected strategem. Assaulting the ranks of the Necron Immortals, the Chapter Master jumped onto the metallic base of a malfunctioning Gauss Pylon and slowly pushed the war engine's crescent back until its viridian beam hit the energy shield of the floating necropolis. With a blinding flash of light, the energy shield protecting the tomb complex collapsed and the Tesseract Vault was broken wide open to reveal the enraged demigod imprisoned within. A giant cruciform of pure light rose above the Necron army, the remnants of the C'tan's energy cage still crackling around it. Roaring in exultation at its newfound freedom, the booming sound threw Ultramarines and Necrons alike to the icy ground and cracked the planet's crust. Its first victim would be the Necron Overlord, the Undying, which the star god crushed with ease by transforming the earth around his metallic form into an oversized fist. The Overlord phased out of reality, seeking to escape back to his subterranean lair. But deep underground, the surviving members of the Deathwatch's Squad Lazarius had reached their own objective. The Undying teleported back to his cabled sarcophagus right in front of the Deathwatch's eyes. Unfortunately for the Necron, the crack team of Astartes had replaced his revivification engines with melta charges and entropic destabilisers and proceeded to blast the Necron Overlord into atoms. Back on the surface, the xenos reeled from the loss of their leader and the artificially intelligent command programs that had governed their warriors' every action. Meanwhile, the unleashed C'tan lashed out in fury at both its Necron enslavers and the Ultramarines as Captain Sicarius duelled a Flayed Ones lord. After ramming his Power Sword into the powerful Flayed One's torso, Sicarius summoned twenty-five Terran years of anger and frustration into a final burst of strength. He unclipped the Vortex Grenade that had been given to him earlier and activated the weapon before throwing it at the enraged demigod hovering overhead. The grenade detonated and formed a spiralling orb of nothingness as its unstoppable force sucked the C'tan into the Warp before collapsing and winking out of existence. Sicarius felt a great weight lift in that moment, as he realised both he and the Ultramarines had been redeemed for their original failure on Damnos in the sight of the Emperor. Over the next few solar days, the Imperials eliminated the surviving Necrons with grim efficiency. Empty tomb complexes were collapsed or detonated under the guidance of the Deathwatch and the citizens of Damnos whom Sicarius had rescued solar decades before were restored to the world to reclaim it for their own.Unknown Date.M42 Third War for Damnos - The Third War for Damnos began when an invasion force of the Necron Szarekhan Dynasty descended upon Damnos during the Era Indomitus. The world sent out a plea for aid once more to the Ultramarines, who at that time were engaged in a number of major conflicts of the era, including the Indomitus Crusade, the Plague Wars and the War of Beasts. With most of their strength utilised elsewhere, the Chapter had few Astartes to spare to help the besieged world. Nonetheless, the Chapter had given too much previously in Damnos' defence to abandon it and a small strike force of Ultramarines and several regiments of the Ultramar Auxilia were sent to aid it.  The Chapter knew that the forces that had been deployed to Damnos would be insufficient to defeat the Necrons and so requested aid from their allies in different Chapters. Their requests were answered and when the Ultramarines arrived at Damnos they were joined by contingents from several Successor Chapters, including the Iron Hounds, Brazen Consuls and Libators.  The combined might of these Adeptus Astartes, however, was not enough to defeat the invading Szarekhan Dynasty, whose forces were numberless. This was due to the undying xenos arriving in their thousands by Tomb Ships and through a Dolmen Gate to ensure they reconquered Damnos. When the Mandeville Point for the Damnos System once again flared as it opened to the Warp, the Ultramarines feared that another foe was about to join conflict, but instead it marked the arrival of reinforcements sent by the Salamanders and White Scars Chapters. They had received the Ultramarines' request for aid and proceeded to join the battle to retake Damnos once more for the Emperor from the Szarekhan Dynasty.