Stone Men

Stone Men
Battle Cry	*The sound of meteors screeching through the atmosphere*
Number	XXVII
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Successor Chapters	N/A
Chapter Master	Johannus Osmosius
Primarch	Onyx Lithus
Homeworld	Neolithus(sucked into the warp), now The Methuselan System
Strength	50,000 at peak, now between 2000 and 1000 (200,000 if auxiliary forces and allies are counted)
Specialty	Close combat/deep strike
Allegiance	Fedelitas Constantus
Colours	Brown and grey (sometimes steel blue)

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

"I am not, a complex person. I am merely a warrior. A son of Onyx, sworn to fight for the Emperor. Do not expect poetry to flow from this mouth, I am but a tool for war. And I will protect the innocent and uphold justice. That is all I have to say, for that is all I am."

Captain Jarace of the First Obsidian Strike Force, M.30

Characterized by their affinity for solid rock and hard work ethic, the Stone Men are one of the most honorable, brotherly, and just Legions in the whole Imperium. Both blessed and cursed by their geneseed, most Stone Men stand far above their fellow Legionnaires. However, their geneseed takes a considerable amount of time to mature, making recruitment a slow and arduous task. Still, they make great use of their stature to bring about swift and crushing victories in the name of the Emperor. Though many remark on their odd qualities and personalities after the Heresy, their devotion to humanity and the Emperor is unquestionable.

Legion Tactics

"The Stone Men fall, and every enemy dies." (Quote attributed to Iren, Marshall of the Terrancotta First)

Pre-Heresy

When Onyx was reunited with his genetic offspring, he quickly set to work organizing the tiny legion. He used his strength to discipline them, testing their iron wills against his intense training, training beyond even space marine standards. Before long, the ceramite armor used by most of the Imperium proved insufficient for even training purposes. Fortunately, a new material was discovered among the asteroids and rocky bodies of the sector. This 'Astral Obsidian' was found to have psykoreactive properties, although it only activated when connected to the strong mental will that the Stone Men possessed. This Astral Obsidian was forged in super-atomic furnaces, creating a new, stone/ceramic-like material which only enhanced the properties of the parent material. Onyx's forces, armed with nigh-indestructible armor to match their indomitable wills, became a nigh unstoppable force in the never ending defense of the Imperium against its foes. Attacks would begin with heavy bombardment by naval vessels accompanied by simultaneous deep strikes, the bombardment serving as mere suppression as the Stone Men destroyed the enemy from within. The Stone Men dealt almost exclusively in heavy weaponry, with standard bolters replacing bolt pistols, heavy bolters and meltaguns replacing standard bolters, and all manner of heavy weapons normally suited for terminators exclusively. Almost all the vehicles of the Stone Men were armored with pure, molded Neolithite (although later ones were armored with a plasteel/Neolithite alloy dubbed "Neolithium", reinforcing the Stone Men tradition of favoring older designs and traditions). Stone Men combat vehicles could simply ram other vehicles and fortifications, and in defensive operations could simply outlast an enemies ammunition supply.

Guerrilla warfare, as well as conflicts taking place in populated areas, were especially difficult for the Stone Men as they refused to kill or endanger innocents. In several reported cases, Stone Men have been seen coming between fire (both enemy and Imperial) and innocents, protecting them with their hardened bodies. Onyx himself has said that he personally addresses these lapses in discipline, but some suggest this means he is secretly honoring them for their altruism. The Stone Men usually work alone as a single force, with only guard regiments and other low-level forces (possibly because they relate to the common men and women of the Imperium more than their knightly brothers). The only exception to this being the great War on the Colossi, and of course, the Hektor Heresy.

Post-Heresy

Due to the lack of resources, small numbers, remote location, and numerous, horrific enemies, the Stone Men had to adapt many new strategies to combat the strange, new evils they faced; many without the help of Onyx.

Asteroids became a invaluable resource, as they fortified themselves in the meteor fields of Methuselah. They could be used for all manner of purposes, ranging from weapons, transports, fortifications, even make-shift exterminatus. This was made possible by the discovery of a great reilc in the form of a gargantuan gravitic cannon found adrift among the meteor fields. The Adeptus Silicates manged to get the ancient machine operational, and used a spare warp core to give the weapon trans-warp capabilities. Asteroids were much slower than most other planetary weapons, but thanks to the relatively calm nature of the fringe warp, they could be sent through temporary warp portals directly to a planetary surface. They could also deliver entire platoons of Stone Men directly to the planetary surface, or to an enemy ship. Conventional weaponry is sparse at the edge of the galaxy, so the Stone Men can not afford to be picky. Practically anything will be salvaged or recycled, baring heavily chaos-tainted equipment.

Legion Equipment

Stone Men armor and color pattern

Clad in a stony ore, called Neolithite, found in asteroids and wielding powerfists and heavy weaponry, they are nearly indestructible, yet small in number and almost completely unable to increase the size of their ranks. They are all rather simple, preferring to stay away from politics and intrigue. They know only one thing: the enemies of the Imperium are great; We must be greater.

Gene-Seed

The Gene-Seed of the Stone Men is a curious one; it grants them incredibly long life spans, hardened physiques, and taller frames. However, it is incredibly fickle and fragile when it comes to replication. The large supply on Neolithus was only achieved through careful cultivation and fertilization. This is why loosing these stocks was so devastating, as it robbed the Stone Men of a secure future. These Gene-Seeds also have a much higher fatality rate when it comes to induction, furthering the difficulty of adding to the ranks of the Stone Men.

Legion History

Pre-Heresy

Pre-Onyx

The Stone Men began as a loosely connected group of squads, lead by captains whose names are lost to time. However, one of these captains rose to a mythical status and united the Stone Men, after a number of legendary feats. His name was Gilgothish, a tan-skinned, bearded man who wore gold robes and is said to have been like a lesser image of the emperor. His legacy has been warped, mistranslated, added to, and taken away from, leaving some to believe he may not have existed at all. He commanded the Stone Men with his bare fist and a strange piece of archeotech, a whip powered by unknown energies. Upon the successful raid and destruction of the space hulk "Ishtar's Bull", an STC was discovered for a unique, fully articulated power fist, dubbed the "Gilgothish Pattern Powered Fist". Using this piece of archeotech, Gilgothish invented a form of grappling-based martial arts that the Stone Men still use today (Coincidentally, wrestling was a favored sport on Neolithus, and Onyx added to the technique upon taking up the mantle of the Stone Men). Gilgothish eventually perished, killed by an eldar avatar of Khaine. Many other leaders rose and fell, most have had their names lost to history. Just before Onyx's Discovery, a new leader emerged; Hammurabi of Ebathica, a dark-skinned Warrior. He had a knowledge of logistics and organization beyond most space marines and even planetary lords. If he wasn't a space marine lord, he may very well have been a lord on Terra. He laid a basic framework for the complete reformation of the legion (which Onyx would carry out and complete), and helped bring the chapter together permanently. When Onyx was discovered, Hammurabi willingly stepped down and continued to help structure the chapter until his death during the Collossi Wars.

Post-Onyx

Onyx and the newly improved Stone Men first made themselves known by stopping a WAAAGH of epic porportions at the doorstep of the Imperium. The battle took place on the harrowing surface of Fenris, where the Stone Men stood like immovable mountains, jutting out from a sea of green and red. Their courage and strength earned them the honor of leading a great crusade into the segmentum ultima. In the Segmentum, they fought numerous xenos empires, such as the amorphic ghourb, which could fashion melee weapons from their gelatinous tentacles, the Xioxinid, a race of creatures fueled by nuclear hearts that could melt an entire bane blade, and even a race of warp creatures known as the violatius, which seduced the minds of human men and women then used them as conduits to feed on their emotional energy. The greatest of these xenos threats was the almighty Jormmund. These titanic beings of crystalline, silicon shells were resistant to almost all forms of energy weapons, incredibly durable, capable of turning entire mountains into starships, and could dwarf an imperial titan in sheer magnitude. They commanded a legion of slave species, ruling over them by threat of destruction, and were a threat to the entire imperium. They could only fly at near light speeds, meaning the Stone Men could spend a few years fortifying their next target; however, this usually only slowed them down. They even reproduced through spores that could traverse space, meaning they could appear on any planet in any system nearby. The Stone Men had to call upon other legions in order to finally defeat them, and even had the sons of fire burn every world they had fought on to make sure the spores were completely eradicated. Onyx's stubborn, definitive personality did not help him get along with many other imperials. In fact, Onyx once even butted heads with the emperor himself, over the destruction of a xenos homeworld. This lead to a somewhat distant relationship between them. Through all these battles, The ruinous forces were watching, and they knew that for their plan to succeed, they needed to cripple the mighty Stone Men.

Heresy era

The Siege of Neolithus, The Horn of Ruin, and The Death of The Stone Men

The Super-Battleship Mountain of Everest

The Stone Men returned from Isstvan devastated by the traitor onslaught. They expected to find bastion from the growing chaos, but instead, they found only more death and destruction. Kranios the Destroyer and his black fleet had surpassed them, propelled through the warp by daemonic forces. They had laid siege to the planet, and as soon as Onyx's battered fleets arrived, they unleashed hell in the form of 300 cruisers and battleships. The Stone Men's fleet was by no means weak, however, for they had retained their most valuable asset: The Super-Battleship Mountain of Everest. The ship took the incoming fire with all the strength and will of the marines aboard it, and for a moment, it seemed that they may have repelled the attackers. Kranios was not troubled by this, for he had a secret weapon, one he had spent decades searching for. An ages-old relic: The Horn of Ruin. This fragment of some long-lost weapon, shard from a long-lost god, or talon of an ancient daemon was connected directly to a custom-made beam cannon, that could harness warp energy into a devastating attack. He charged the cannon and aimed it's unholy sights upon his target. He aimed not for the Stone Men, for he wanted to do more than destroy them. He wanted to utterly annihilate them, purge them from history. He fired the cannon at Neolithus, unleashing a biblical deluge of arcane energy and eldritch daemon-spawn. The people and buildings were torn to shreds, their souls rent from their bodies and foundations pounded to rubble. Kranios cackled maniacally, for he had defeated the Stone Men at their core: the heart. Onyx and his brothers looked on in disbelief, anguish, and unfettered sorrow. Darkness passed over them like a veil, an endless night that would never see dawn. Onyx's grief then turned to anger. And his anger turned into action. He led his remaining troops of 1,000 marines, the company rightfully named "Sons of Neolithus" (the oldest and most veteran company) on boarding torpedoes, hidden among a barrage of normal naval torpedoes. He did not aim for Kranios' flag ship, the Pinnacle of Doom, for it was too heavily defended. Instead, he aimed for a cruiser just to it's port bow, The Talon of Rage. They boarded the ship, bashing and blasting any resistance they met. The Traitor Marines aboard were crushed, and the Stone Marines took control of the ship. They powered up the plasma ram, and spun around to face the Arch of Destruction. The Horns' fleet tried to fire upon the rogue cruiser, but it was too late. The Talon Pierced into the Arch, and the Stone Men carved their way through traitors and daemons, all the way to the bridge. Onyx commanded the rest of his company to take the escape pods back to the Everest, and that they should carry on their legacy. They left dutifully, albeit with heavy hearts, and Onyx confronted Kranios. His control room was like a shrine to his power, with the Horn mounted at it's zenith right behind Kranios' massive, black throne. Kranios charged Onyx, but the enraged Traitor Primarch was simply no match for the living giant, Onyx. Onyx punched and bashed and wrestled with Kranios. Just as Onyx was about to deliver the final blow, Kranios grabbed the Horn of Ruin and used the souls reaped on Neolithus to begin his ascension. His body surged with unholy power, and his daemonic form dwarfed even Onyx. Onyx struggled to maintain the upper hand, but the daemon prince was too much for him. As Onyx lay on the ground, tired and bloody, Kranios stood over him laughing. Onyx looked between the monster's legs, and saw the Horn mounted like a trophy. He knew what he had to do. Onyx rose to his feet and grappled Kranios' daemonic body, throwing him to the side with immense effort. He dashed for the Horn, and Kranios managed to blast his back with a shot from his mutated arm-cannon. Undeterred, Onyx grabbed hold of the Horn, tearing it from it's stand and tangled wires connected to it. He put the full force of his will into holding it, and even then he could feel it's mind-warping powers creeping up through his arms and into his mind. He focused all of his strength, all of his power, all of his determination into his grip, and cracked the relic in half. The resulting explosion of arcane, ancient power tore the daemonic primarch to shreds, yet Onyx stood fast. His armor melted to slag, burned his skin, and the blast blinded him. And yet he stood, his spirit unbroken. The warp-blast shattered the Arch of Destruction to pieces, and demolished the rest of the black fleet. Incredibly, the Everest and the remaining Stone Men survived the hypernova, and the massive hull of the Stone Men's capital ship did not give way. Suddenly, the energies began to pour back into their original position, and a massive void began to open up. The sphere of nothingness expanded rapidly, swallowing the now-dead Neolithian System and several other systems around it. The Everest fled the growing tear in space-time, and were sent reeling through the warp by a gravitic shockwave powerful enough to slingshot them far beyond the edge of the galaxy. The massive space-time anomaly, classified as a "void-hole", does not just affect the materium, but the immaterium as well. In the warp, it is a dark abyss, much like in reality; nothing that goes in ever comes out. Ships of any kind, even chaos, must steer clear of it or risk getting devoured by it. It was named "The Neolithian Abyss", and a cathedral world lies in close proximity to it as a monument to the heroic legacy of the Stone Men and their primarch, Onyx.

Legion Organization

Stone Men Legion Banner

Pre-Heresy

There are 50,000 Stone Men by the end of the crusade. There are 100 companies of 50 squads with ten marines each that follow the same basic organization, although some are more specialized (specific ones will be named). Each company has 3 divisions: the quarrymen, the stonemasons, and golems. The quarrymen are the basic units; they have 30 of the company's squads, and are the most basic unit. They are comprised of training recruits and regular marines, as the Stone Men don't use scouts. Their gear consists of one standard powerfist, a melta-gun, and a back-up boltpistol. The next division is the Stonemasons, which make up 15 squads per company and are made up mostly of veterans, techmarines, and marines who show exceptional potential. Their standard gear is made up of special Astral Obsidian/Ceramite alloy (Neolithium) armor, 1 multi-meltagun, 2 Gilgamesh-pattern tactile power fists, and a back-up heavy boltpistol. The final tier is the golems, who make up only 5 squads and are the best a company has to offer. Their standard gear is a special full Astral Obsidian suit of tactical dreadnought pattern armor, 1 Assault cannon or a Power Hammer, and a Gilgamesh-Pattern Power-Glove with an integrated meltagun.

Fleet

The Great Crusade Era "Stone Fleet" was a truly formidable force, bolstered to its height during the Colossi Wars. The largest number it had was during the seige of Jormungand, with 110 Battleships, 53 Grand Cruisers, 39 Heavy Cruisers, and about 600 escorts, frigates, and auxiliaries. At all other times, it still maintained a majoral force of Battleships, with very little small cruisers. Smaller escorts and transports for allied forces accompany the Megalithic Fleet, like remora squids among void whales. The ships in the Stone Fleet typically have heavier armor (and a penalty to speed) as well as larger munitions but slower reloading and fire rate. It was most effective against similarly heavy and/or slow fleets as well as planetary seiges, but had trouble fighting more agile enemies such as the eldar (much like the Stone Men themselves).

Post-Heresy

After losing nearly 95% of their legionnares to the purge at Isstvan and the seige of Neolithus, The Stone Men were reduced to a mere 980 marines, made up of the first veteran company "Sons of Neolithus", as well as the few neopyhtes who managed to escape Neolithus. Since they had lost almost all of their gene-seed stock-piles, they would have to rebuild completely from scratch, as well as re-cultivate their gene-seed supplies. They divided themselves into 10 divisions, and fought with incredible conservatism, as to not threaten theor already small numbers. Loss of their valuable equipment became a casualty; a death became a tragedy. They were forced to abandon a standard of equipment or armour, as much of their equipment was foraged from space hulks and lost human settlements.

Fleet

The Post-Heresy Stone "fleet" (if you can even call it that) is a collection of repurposed small-scale ships, home-made transports, and their two greatest assets; the Derelict Martian Ark "The Edge of Dawn", and the massive supercarrier "The Mount Everest".

Ordo Latomus

In their battles among the ghoul stars, the Stone Men have gathered a cabal of allies known as the ordo latomus, or the stone masons. survivors from the harrowing battles against tyranids, necrons, and all other manner of horrific entities on the fringe of the galaxy can join this prestigious order, meaning it is mostly composed of veteran guardsmen and sisters of battle. On occasion, a xenos may be able to attain membership, if sufficient heroism and honor is displayed. The xenos must request admission into the order. The ordo latomus carries out various non-combat roles such as repair, maintenance, research, supply, and administration within the stone men. Their traditional garb is a brown cloak with light armor and weaponry.

Gemstone Preists

Exodite eldar preists from the aftermath of hive fleet azathoth. They are all rocking 80's hair and have even more gemstones than normal eldar. They provide psychic advice, as well as semi-reliable scrying, mind reading, and precognition.

Adeptus Silicates

Discovered in an abandoned, adrift Martian Arc, the Adeptus Silicates were found fortified from the many creatures, infestations, and monsters that had made their way onto the abandoned ship throughout the centuries. Although their sanity was questioned, their willingness to aid the Stone Men allowed them to join them in their crusade, and they now serve as the main technological branch of the Ordos Latomus.

Terrancotta Army

Various rank and file imperial guardsmen and women tasked with the jobs that marines can't do while fighting the elder gods.

Sisters Strata

A long-lost order of sororitas who have since taken a vow of silence, and record the various exploits and information about the stone men, ordo latomus, and ghoul stars

Headquarters and planets

Neolithus

Neolithus
Segmentum	Segmentum Solar/Segmentum Ultima
Sector	Neolithic
Sub Sector	Paleogothic
System	Neolithian System
Population	1,000,000,000
Planetary Governor	Onyx
Orbital radius	0.8 AU ± .2AU
Gravity	1.987 G
Temperature	temperate-hot

Neolithus is the First homeworld of the Stone Men, and the homeworld of Onyx himself. It is located near the border of the Segmentum Solar and the Segmentum Ultima, near where the galactic core meets the sagittarius arm. It is rocky, dusty, and vast, with oceans transitioning into cliffs and rocky outcroppings. Mountains and Deserts dominate the land, with small havens of hospitality near the coasts and rivers. It is in a binary star system, with a bright white middle-aged star orbiting a super-dense quark star that appears deeply indigo in the bright blue skies of Neolithus. After a massive revolution led by Onyx before the coming of the Emperor, It was unified under the just rule of Onyx and his advisors. After the Emperor brought Onyx into the Imperium, it was industrialized into a fortified mining world as well as a thriving metropolis. A majority of Stone Men neophytes came from here, although the Stone Men had other recruiting worlds nearby. During the Great Hektor Heresy it was consumed by a massive warpstorm conjured by the Horns of Ruin.

Culture

The Neolithian Culture spreads across about 7-10 systems, and encompasses the sub-sector Paleo-Gothic. The reason for this is thought to be that they had interstellar travel before the DAoT. During the age of strife, the Neolithian people were scattered and forced back into a stone age, beset by evils and monsters of the dark. It is unknown whether these were daemons, xenos, or dormant, native species' of Neolithus. During this dark period, large stone megaliths and structures were built all across the land, likely in an attempt to ward off the night-beasts. It is also during this period that the core beliefs of the Neolithian people began to surface, such as a reverence for the past, the sanctity and importance of stone, and the worship of a loosely defined pantheon. Hard work was valued above all, as the stone megaliths kept the creatures of darkness at bay, but would soon be toppled by the forces of destruction. Evidence of some kind of squat interaction exists, but it was most likely pre-strife and thus only legend to the regressed people of Neolithus. During this time, most likely due to the harsh environment, the people of Neolithus grew taller, more muscularly dense, and even lived longer (although the adverse effects of age were different). The megaliths grew taller and larger, warding off the dark creatures more and more. Legends say the last battle fought against the dark creatures was in the Hagar valley, where a thousand warriors clad in thatched clay armor (reeds woven around slabs of soft clay) wielding stone hammers and axes fought "ten of one hundred of one thousand" dark beasts(called Jaargmor in Neolithic), and drove the rest into hiding in the mountains and caves. This left the Neolthian people with only the vast, rocky basins and valleys. Free from the oppression of the age of strife, they set to work constructing larger and larger cities (as they had grown accustomed to building constantly). They also continued to repair and build the megaliths, in remembrance of their ancestors and their sacrifices. these cities grew out of huge quarries that spiraled into the earth (as they could not get stone from the mountains or caves), making the cities look like giant inverted ziggurats. during this time of prosperity and peace, Onyx landed on Neolithus. He was adopted by an average, hard working family, who raised him as their own. Despite his fast growth and tall stature (even among Neolithians), Onyx believed himself to be an ordinary man, and worked as a stone mason in the great quarries of Neolithus. However, great ruling guilds began to monopolize and take advantage of the hardworking people, leading to stagnation. This was Onyx's calling, for he lead a revolution that spread across Neolithus, in a decades long war of conquest. After he had done so, they entered another, even greater golden age, lead by Onyx himself. He lead another grand charge against the daemons, this time eliminating them entirely from the mountains and caves, and finally freeing Neolithus.

Methuselah

Now the Stone Men fortify themselves within a massive field of asteroids, shrouded by cold, dark clouds of dust and gas. They orbit a dead, zombified star, which has long since lost it's light. The star was named Methuselah, as calculations predict the star remnant to be over 10 billion years old. This dark, forsaken fortress is actually beyond the ghoul stars, as it's isolation shrouds it from the sensors of attacking tyranids, and is far from any webway for the necrons to stage a meaningful assault. On the larger asteroids and planetoids, massive stone fortresses are carved from the rock. about half of the remaining fleet (500 ships) as well as the remnants of the destroyed craftworld were cannibalized to create a massive network of functional strategic weaponry and facilities. The system has a few other cold, rocky dead worlds, and a single gas giant that emits strange signals periodically thoughout the year named "Jogsototh".

Methuselan System
Segmentum	Ultima Segmentum
Sector	Ghoulan
Sub Sector	Exodia
System	Methuselan System
Population	7,000-5,000 Marines 200,000 refugees, soldiers, technicians, etc.
Planetary Governor	Chapter Master
Orbital radius	3.4 AU ± 1.6AU
Gravity	N/A
Temperature	-100 C

Enemies

In their battles among the ghoul stars, the stone men have acquired a number of enemies, many of which have fallen underfoot the mighty march of the Stone Men. The ones that have managed to last against the rocky bombardment of the Stone Men pose the greatest threat to the Imperium, and if the Stone Men were to fall, it is likely trillions could perish in the deluge of monstrosities that floods from the dark abyss.

Cythor Fiends

More of a pest than an outright enemy, These insectoid creatures are still a formidable and relentless enemy of the Stone Men. They fly on the tempestuous winds of the warp, hunting prey to feast upon. Normally, they are solitary and not a threat to any human with a working rifle, occasionally they can come together to make swarms of biblical porportions. They can use the warp to travel between planets, making them an even greater threats. The Stone Men can easily defend from these creatures, but theor greatest advantage is speed; they can ravage an entire planet before the marines can even get there.

Hive Fleet Azathoth

"So these creatures feed upon flesh? Let them come, for they will find only stone under this armor."

Captain Auron Augustus of the Caementium Centurions, 3rd Company, M.39

Coming from a separate direction entirely than the other hive fleets, Azathoth is as errant from normal tyranid biology as is physically possible. They resemble early encounters with the tyranids, in that they have more spindly appendages, hooves, spikes, and bulbous heads. They manage to use and harness all manner of energies in the form of weapons, such as psyke-rays, tesla-spines, plasma breath, atomic fire, and even stellar artillery. The biomorphs of Hive Fleet Azathoth are so incredibly divergent from known tyranid data, it is possible that they have even evolved into a seperate species. The Biomorphs of this Hive Fleet is almost entirely energy based. Plasma energy, usually reserved for artillery in normal hive fleets, is everywhere in Hive Fleet Azathoth. Even their methods of feeding are aberrant. They do not simply consume all edible materials on a planet, in fact many worlds they have ravaged have since regrown (albeit into mutant radioactive death worlds). The reason for this is unknown, perhaps some sort of allergy or intolerance as a side-effect of the heavy mutations? This should cause the tyranids to lose biomass and starve, however they seem to draw on some foreign energy source of a psychic/immaterial nature. Perhaps encounters with the unimaginable horrors beyond the stars have caused these harrowing mutations. It is possible that this Hive Fleet is a scouting fleet, much like the early encounters, but unlike the others this one has become unnaturally twisted and mutated in the vast abyss of deep space. A splinter of another Hive Fleet almost entered the ghoul stars; however, they encountered Azathothian tyranids and subsequently reversed direction and headed for the galaxy at large. In space, the hive fleets do not simply travel as a swarm of biomorphs, instead they fuse together to form colossal, horrific abominations similar in size to a space hulk. These monstrous forms are surrounded by orbiting biomorphs in similarly mutated fusions, and form what would appear to an observer like a giant, tentacled nucleus of flesh surrounded by swarms of billions upon billions of smaller monstrosities. The first tendril of hive fleet azathoth, nicknamed thsoggua, was encountered on the planet exodia, the first of the eldar exodite planets. The planet was ravaged, forcing the exodite inhabitants to seek refuge elsewhere. It was subsequently fought and defeated at the craftworld Sgathan-ra, albeit at the cost of the craftworld itself. The next tendril, once thought to be the main force of the fleet, was defeated on the planet Morghoul

Lord Valgul's Kingdom of Drazak

When the stone men first arrived at the pale wastes of the ghoul stars, they encountered the deranged flesh-craving kingdom of Drazak. These decrepit, flayed husks preyed upon the few remaining human worlds and exodite havens, lead by the (slightly less) deranged lord Valgul. These unorganized raids would be easily traced back to the original tomb world if these were normal necrons, but the minions of Drazak are far from normal. Drazak itself is a mystery, hidden in some unknown cataract of space-time, possibly even the warp. For every reaping the Stone Men and their allies fend off, the crazed flesh-consuming machines grow hungrier and more desperate, leading to larger and larger reapings. Soon the entirety of Drazak may descend upon the galaxy, and none may truly be prepared.

The Cult of Triangulum

Far beyond the boundaries of the milky way, past the black void of deep space, lies a distant galaxy named by ancient human astronomers "Triangulum". In the sparse regions of the outer edges of the galaxy, where signal interference is almost silent, one can faintly hear the whispers of distant stars burning with alien light. Beyond the touch of the chaos gods and their daemons, these whispers echo throughout the shadowy wastes of the dark warp. These echoes embed themselves into the minds of mortals living on the edge, driving them into insanity beyond comprehension. These prophets spoke of gods beyond the stars, lying in wait, sumbering in the dark beyond. Fanatical cultists, possibly even madder than their chaos counterparts, must be quelled or silenced before they can spread their seeds of madness across the galaxy.