Gariun's Forge || Lys'ra || Obilhet
Just to briefly summarize what's happening on Gariun's Forge, the planet that me (playing Pitiless Daybreak Hunter Cadre) and my girlfriend (playing Bandorekh Dynasty Necrons) are fighting over in our Warhammer games, and the place where all my Warhammer OCs are currently stationed:
Gariun's Forge was an Imperial Hive World in what is now Imperium Nihilus. Like many imperial worlds it was cut off from the wider Imperium upon the appearance of the Cicatrix Maledictum, sending the planet's administration into disarray and creating enormous strategic vulnerabilities. Some time after, the T'au Fifth Sphere expansion fleet, led by Commander Shadowsun, passed through the Startide Nexus and began conquering the Imperial worlds on the other side. Gariun's Forge was one of these worlds.
Location of the 5th Sphere Expansion relative to the wider T'au Empire.
Though weakened, the Imperial forces fought fiercely, with little regard for the planet's population. In turn, Shadowsun employed strategies she had previously used on Agrellan/Mu'gulath Bay, using precisely directed rail gun fire to destroy the foundations of the planet's fortified hive cities. In the end, the T'au triumphed, but Gariun's Forge was left in ruins and its population decimated.
As Shadowsun moved on with the expansion fleet, she left a young commander named Shas'O Nel'yun and her hunter cadre to defend the system and supervise the planet's integration into the Empire. The planet was redubbed Lys'ra, and Earth Caste technicians began the arduous task of restoring the planet's ravaged environment. Vast ecological restoration zones were carved into the planet's ruined surface, and the planet's industrial facilities were repaired through the use of T'au fiotech to supplement rather than replace the ancient Imperial machinery. The planet became a patchwork of ferrocrete wastelands and lush jungles, with churning manufactorums concentrated in a few key industrial zones.
During this process, Earth Caste scientists began picking up anomalous radiation readings from the ruined sectors. Though at first considered to be a sensor drone malfunction, Vespid hazardous environment teams paired with Pathfinder La'ruas were eventually dispatched to investigate the strange readings.
These scout teams were the first to encounter Necrons on the surface of Lys'ra. Crypteks of the Bandorekh Dynasty, supported by their own personal retinues of Apprenteks, Immortals and Deathmarks, were scouting the surface to retrieve lost Necron artefacts. The T'au were unprepared for the might of the Crypteks and their undying bodyguard, and over the course of several skirmishes across the wasted sectors of Lys'ra, the T'au failed to prevent the Crypteks from gathering the material they sought.
Shas'la Vsumal || Sureye and Shas'la Oba'ng take cover in a ruin while exchanging fire with Bandorekh forces.
The Crypteks took these artefacts underground, to the vast hidden tomb network laying below the surface of Lys'ra (or, as the Necrons know it, Obilhet). Using the recovered technology, the Phaerakh of the Bandorekh Dynasty, Merititek, was able to awaken enough of her subjects to mount a full-scale assault on the surface.
At Tsu'am-Kavall, an unprecedented concentration of Necron forces appeared near the planet's largest T'au population centre. Pitiless Daybreak Incursion Cadre was deployed to respond, led by Commander Weeping Blade herself. Despite heavy casualties, Weeping Blade’s Cadre just barely held the line, and the Bandorekh forces reatreated. Merititek struck again at Sang-Terre, a ruined human industrial sector from before T'au occupation, and Weeping Blade once again repelled her.
Shas'Nel D'Yan'Thun || Fireblade Morningblood leads Annihilating Wisdom Breacher Team against Bandorekh Canoptek constructs at the battle of Tsu'am-Kavall.
However, before Pitiless Daybreak could become complacent in their success, Bandorekh Crypteks distracted T'au forces by striking at Environmental Restoration Zone 4, while secretly planting powerful seismic charges at key locations on the planet's surface. Though Nel'yun successfully defeated the forces at Zone ER-4, the Crypteks had accomplished their true objective. Upon detonation, the charges carved an enormous chasm into planet's surface, allowing the Bandorekh dynasty to establish a permanent foothold on the planet's surface.
However, after initial rapid gains, Bandorekh progress has slowed. Nel'yun and Merititek are caught in a stalemate, in constant conflict but unable to achieve lasting victory. Since the Kesh'val declaration, the Fifth Sphere fleet has dispatched reinforcements to Lys'ra, in the hopes of recovering the planet from the Necrons and plundering their tombs for valuable technology. The Bandorekh Necrons, in turn, seek to complete construction of a Dolmen Gate, which would allow them to access weaponry and artifacts hidden in dynastic vaults spread across the stars.
Pitiless Daybreak Fire Warriors prepare to defend an industrial sector from advancing Necrons.
And that's the story so far! Soon there'll be some Night Lords and Dark Angels getting into the mix (a couple friends of ours have been getting into Warhammer and are building up to their first 1000 point armies) so we'll see how things go when they get involved! Probably not good for poor overwhelmed Nel'yun....
