40K 8th Edition: What Is The Great Rift?
Games Workshop talks about the Lore of the Great Rift and the impact that it’s having on the 40k Universe.
In the latest teaser from the Warhammer Community, Games Workshop opens up about some of the impact the Great Rift is having on the universe of 40k. This is going to be a major launching point for the future of the backstory around the game of 40k – and I want to learn more!
via Warhammer Community
The New Galaxy Map
“The Great Rift is a tear in reality that essentially divides the Imperium in half. Its emergence was a literal galaxy-shattering event, which threw the Imperium into chaos and ushered in new wars across nearly every world in the Imperium. So powerful and far was this storm that the very laws of physics fray at the edges as the inconsistencies of time fluctuations, once largely localised to larger storms such as the Eye of Terror, spread across the galaxy. Some worlds felt centuries go by in an instant while others were all but frozen in time, and still others have suffered constant temporal shifts. “
“None fully understand the origins of the rift – though there are many theories: the breach of the Cadian Gate, the sorcery of a Daemon Primarch, catastrophe in the Webway, mass bloodshed and fire in the Damocles Gulf – all may have caused or contributed to it. The rift is variously known by the cultures of the galaxy as the Crimson Path, the Mouth of Ruin, the Warpscar, the Dathedian, Gork’s Grin and a thousand other names besides. To the Imperium it is the Cicatrix Maledictum, or just the Great Rift. To those on the Terran side, it is a tainted scar across the sky. To those unfortunates on the far side, it is far worse…”
Read the full article HERE
First off, I love the nicknames that have popped-up for the Great Rift: “Crimson Path, the Mouth of Ruin, the Warpscar, the Dathedian, Gork’s Grin” and more. Gork’s Grin is probably my favorite of the bunch. Besides that, this also shows that it’s not just the Imperium that is going to have to deal with the impacts of this rift.
Another important facet of the Great Rift is the impacts it’s having on time. Weird things happen in the warp and one of those effects is the time distortions/dilation or perhaps manipulations is a better word. All those lost ships in the warp showing up at different points in time. Chaos Traitors dying at one battle only to re-appear again other day. Heck, the whole Tuchucha Engine Arc for the Dark Angels just shows how jacked-up the time lines can get in 40k.
The last thing that this teaser hints at is the state of the other, non-Terra side of the Warp Rift. One planet of note on that side of the rift is Baal, the home planet of the Blood Angels. And the last time we saw an major story updates about Baal they were dealing with both the Tyranids (Shield of Baal) and Kharn (Traitor’s Hate/Angel’s Blade). So now I’m really curious as to how they are fairing after being cut-off from the rest of the Imperium.
All is not lost however, the Indomitus Crusade is going to ramp-up as well. So there may be some relief on the way…if the other half of the Imperium can hang on…
The stage is set. The players are gathered. The show is about to start for 8th Edition. Are you ready for war?
What aspects of the story of 40k moving forward excite you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
