The World Of 'Warhammer 40K': Necrons
Three Necrons, one a Phaeron and their two bodyguards, Image Source: Amazon
Next to the Aeldari, the Drukhari and the Orks, the Necrons are some of the oldest aliens in the Warhammer 40K galaxy. Originally beings of flesh who suffered terribly, their desire for power and a better life drove them to make a hasty deal with star gods called the C’Tan. Transformed in body and soul into machine beings, their souls were largely devoured by the C’Tan during this process, a great betrayal that ultimately allowed the Necrons to triumph over their foes though at the cost of much more.
Now, millions of years after those events, the Necrons have begun to awaken from an ancient slumber. Their Dynasties, all valuing different traits and awakening in different conditions, have begun to conflict with the Imperium of Man and others like never before. The Necrons are a terrifying force in the 40K galaxy, legions of regenerative murderous machines with a cold intellect and ruthless drive to fulfill their goals in a changed galaxy.
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The Necrontyr and the War in Heaven
The ancient Necrontyr, with depictions of their history and myths, Image Source: YouTube
Millions of years ago in the universe of Warhammer 40K, there lived a species called the Necrontyr. Their bodies were feeble, as their homeworld’s environment was incredibly harsh, and even when they eventually developed space travel to flee to other worlds, their weaknesses persisted. In this ancient time, the most powerful form of life were the Old Ones. Masters of many sciences and high knowledge, they were functionally immortal beings, and the Necrontyr begged them to impart that gift onto their suffering people. But the Old Ones refused, for a number of reasons, yet the Necrontyr took this slight as a grave offense. Turning against the Old Ones, they began the War in Heaven to purge this foe from the galaxy, only to promptly face defeat now that they were in conflict with the awesome power of the Old Ones.
The Necrontyr grew desperate, and in that desperation, they made a grave mistake. There were other powerful forces in the galaxy at this time, among these the C’tan, star gods, who fed on life to fuel their own existence. They sent one of their own to the Necrontyr, who claimed empathy with the plight of this downtrodden species, and promised a way to remake them into warriors capable of fighting back against the Old Ones. They would also live forever, achieving what the Old Ones had denied them. The leaders of the Necrontyr ultimately agreed to this proposal, and the C’tan helped the Necrontyr to construct vast facilities for the transformation of their species. When these great forges activated, and untold millions were marched inside of them, what came out were the Necrons, soulless machines that retained little of their individuality though leadership positions retained more cognition and personality. While their new Necrodermis bodies could let them heal from any injury, they were ultimately husks, their souls devoured by the elated C’tan.
Three different Necrons, in tabletop miniature form, Image Source: Warhammer-Community.com
The Necron leadership who had helped arrange this devil’s deal were distraught at their actions. But for now, they had a war to win. Their newfound ascension did aid them in the conflict with the Old Ones, forcing these ancient beings to generate footsoldiers like the Eldar and the Krork (later the Orks). As the war carried on, the Necron leadership prepared for when it would all be over. When at last, the War in Heaven did conclude (though it is unclear if the Old Ones died out because of this conflict), the Necrons turned on the C’tan. They shattered these great beings into fragments, and contained them in numerous installations, where they became ceaseless sources of power, but hungry and angry sources that could not be allowed to run free in the galaxy. Then, the great ruler of the Necrons, the Silent King, commanded his people to slumber, and once this was done, he severed the command protocols that bound them all to him. Now sealed in thousands of vast tomb complexes hidden deep within planets across the galaxy, the Necron were almost entirely forgotten.
The full might of a Necron Tomb World, Image Source: Warhammer-Community.com
In the years that followed, Necron tombs were sometimes uncovered by various civilizations, or their machine constructs clashed with intruders. The Aeldari never forgot the Necrons entirely, but even so, the machine people’s recent emergence has been startling. The Silent King has returned to the 40K galaxy after a long period of exile beyond the galactic rim, and has begun to reactivate his people.
Other forces have also prompted these reactivations, and some Necrons have been operating since well before the Silent King’s return. But now, the awakening of the Necrons is a slow, disordered but ongoing wave across the galaxy. In the wake of the formation of the Great Rift, the Necrons have deployed supremely powerful blackstone devices to deaden whole sectors of Imperium space, keeping the threat of the Warp out, but at the cost to every living thing within these new borders. The Pariah Nexuses (though one is the major focus of recent campaigns) are thus a grave threat to the Imperium’s cohesion.
A Necron warrior on an awakening Tomb World, Image Source: Amazon
But even as Necron Dynasties gather to the Silent King, other Dynasties fully reject his authority and actively seek to sabotage his efforts. The main Pariah Nexus sees Necrons fighting each other, the Imperium, and now, the forces of Vashtor the Arkifane as the use of heinous superweapons by all sides allowed this demon of murderous science to appear with his forces in a powerful assault on everything in his way. Elsewhere, as recently revealed in the official announcement of 500 Worlds, maddened Necron forces threaten Ultramar and plan to reunite the shards of a C’tan so that life might be purged from the galaxy. The Necron are ultimately one of the biggest threats to the Imperium, though for now, the majority of Necrons still remain dormant and their internal issues are as significant as their external campaigns. If that changes though, the galaxy at large should fear the result.
Necron Forces
A Necron army, depicted using tabletop miniatures, Image Source: Warhammer-Community.com
The Necrons, in addition to their humanoid soldiery, have a range of constructs and machines that serve their society. Today, we run through a list of some of the most notable machines found amidst the Necron’s forces.
Canoptek Scarabs are legions of small scuttling machines that perform repairs on tomb complexes, and scout out disturbances for their masters. They are also capable of interfacing with a variety of technology or people, and can be used for communication over vast distances.
Warriors are the basic soldiers of the Necrons. Capable of being specialized into a variety of combat units, they are generally all haunched, spindly-limbed beings who, upon defeat, are transported off of the battlefield where their Necrodermis bodies repair them, before they can be sent back into the fight. Killing them fully is incredibly difficult, the same being true of any Necron.
Flayed Ones are strange, maddened Necrons who obsess over their lack of flesh and blood, endlessly seeking it out in their opponents. They wear the flayed skins of their victims, and attempt to ingest blood, though this does nothing to sate their thirst. The curse that affects them randomly appears in Necron units, and it can be difficult for other Necrons to push them off a battlefield once they arrive in force, hungry for slaughter (though some make use of their talents for butchery).
Deathmarks are a specialized model of Necron who hunt assigned targets based on datasets big and small, very much the assassins of the Necron hierarchy. Their pursuit of their target is relentless, crossing the stars, and even into busy populated areas, all in the name of elimination.
Destroyers are a subset of Necron forces who have larger bodies, and heavier weaponry, to do significantly more damage to their foes. However, they are also focused around destruction and the Destroyer Curse refers to Necrons who seek to purge life without reason or thought, and who cherish their machine bodies.
Monoliths are giant floating constructs dotted with turrets which roam the battlefield, laying down fire and supporting Necrons in the field of battle. Glowing with telltale green Necron energy, these structures can sometimes unfold or transform into even more powerful structures that will aid the Necron soldiery.
Notable Necrons
The Silent King with his forces, having encountered Robute Guilliman, Image Source: Amazon
The Necrons are divided between various notable Dynasties, with territory across the 40K galaxy. As they awaken, the leading Phaeron or Phaerons of each Dynasty must soon engage in the ancient politics of the Necrons, be that within their feud-riddled courts, or between others of their kind from rival Dynasties. Despite this friction, several notable Necrons have risen to the forefront of Necron society or awareness among sections of leadership within the Imperium of Man and other powers.
Szarekh, The Silent King
The ancient leader of the Necrontyr at the time of their biotransference into the Necrons, Szarekh was once part of a triumvirate with two other leaders who now lack the power he wields to this day. The Silent King is silent no more and has recently returned to the 40K galaxy after millions of years away because he saw the coming threat of the Tyranids and wishes to unite his people. His main goal, though, is the reversal of the process that doomed his people to their current machine bodies, and so he generally takes a less “blind extermination” approach to the galaxy’s alien species as they might hold biological secrets that will allow his kind to thrive once more. He is joined by several aligned Dynasties and their leaders who carry his edicts and judgement across the galaxy. Recently, Szarekh has had brushes with the likes of Robute Guilliman, and also claims some past encounter with, of all people, the Primarch Sanguinius, though the nature of this encounter millennia in the past remains a mystery.
Imotekh the Stormlord
One of the chief forces from among the Necrons who stands opposed to the Silent King’s goals is the leader of the Sautekh Dynasty, Imotekh the Stormlord. Initially reawakened to serve as a tool in the games of Necron politics, Imotekh soon usurped leadership of his Dynasty to lead its forces, and others who swear to serve him, in conquests across the 40K galaxy. He has far less interest in experimentation and interactions with the various species that populate the worlds the Necrons once held, and focuses on ruthless military conquest as he enjoys the machine bodies his people now inhabit. He is also a close adherent of Necron law and customs, putting him further at odds with the Silent King who forges new paths in this new era. These two leaders have become embroiled in conflict within a Pariah Nexus found in the Nephilium Sector, as Imotekh the Stormlord stands against the Silent King’s actions, resulting in an ongoing, large-scale, Necron civil war.
Trazyn the Infinite
A third figure of note, slipping his way through various events of the past 10,000 years is Trazyn the Infinite. A Necron who awoke far earlier than others of his kind, he’s had one particular obsession all of these millennia: collecting. Using a range of complex Necron devices, Trazyn is able to instantaneously capture any number of subjects from any number of environments for storage and display within his vast collection. He has even arranged some of his collection like museum displays, paused in conflict with other captured specimens, or posed alongside others. Trazyn is intriguing because he is perhaps the most emotional of all the Necron characters, and is capable of a broad range of personality shifts. From a cold, ruthless collector in the field, to a chatty, worrying curator, to a dry, sarcastic anti-hero, he’s played a part in some of the biggest events of the 40K galaxy. He’s apparently been seen within the Pariah Nexuses but it is also almost certain we’ll hear of some of his shenanigans during 500 Worlds as that storyline unfolds.
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