40K: Vigilus Blazes – Here’s The Story So Far
Vigilus has seen its share of action and devastation–already something of a wasteland, the planet’s general well-being has gone down significantly in recent days. Here’s a look at how it all went wrong.
With Vigilus Ablaze coming out soon(ish) and the full might of the Black Legion being hurled headlong at Vigilus, it’s time to sit back and appreciate just how catastrophically things have gone for the Imperium, who have taken some heavy punches in trying to hold on to this lonely world that stands guard at the mouth of the Nachmund Gauntlet, a rare, precious stable route through the Cicatrix Maledictum.
They’ve been bloodied by Genestealer Cults, assaulted by Orks, preyed on by vengeance-seeking Aeldari, the Drukhari have succeeded in their mission to capture Primaris for…reasons. Genetic reasons (and who knows when we’ll see the results of that–but it happened, it’s canon, and it’s coming). There’s no end to the blows to the chin the Imperium has taken–even PriMarneus has only barely been able to start turning the tide with all his new Primaris Pals who are fun to be with.
Here’s a look at just how bad it’s been.
via Warhammer Community
In a conflict that became known as the War of Beasts, Vigilus was beset from seemingly every angle. It all began with the arrival of Speedwaaagh! Krooldakka. Despite arriving in numbers enough to drown Vigilus beneath a sea of greenskins, the Orks were unable to breach the Bastion-class force fields that shielded the planet’s vast hivesprawls. To assuage their boredom while stuck outside, the greenskins engaged in hyper-violent races around the open wastes. Eventually, the force fields began to glitch and fail as the baleful emanations from the Great Rift interfered with their ingenious psy-tech. The war for Vigilus began in earnest.
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Yet another danger lay hidden beneath the surface. An offshoot of the Pauper Princes Genestealer Cult had taken root in the seismic caverns beneath Megaborealis, biding their time to rise up. But the sudden change in circumstances on the surface, with the Orks now free to invade the Vigilite hivesprawls directly, forced the cult’s hand. Even though the cult’s uprising was premature, their influence had spread far and wide, and every hivesprawl was soon embroiled in insurrection from within even as they were assailed by Orks from without.
Seeing a world embroiled in a war on all fronts, other forces began to prey on Vigilus. A Saim-Hann warhost of Aeldari led an attack on the Vigilite capital of Hyperia, having become embroiled in a blood feud with the planet’s ruling Aquilarian Council. Druhkari raiders had long been operating from a hidden webway portal on Kaelac’s Bane to steal away with slaves but escalated the frequency of their attacks after the arrival of the Ultramarines offered the Haemonculi the opportunity to capture Primaris Marines for their experiments.
And that’s just Vigilus Defiant. While all this is going on, the once-productive industrial world of Nemendghast emerges from the other side of the Great Rift, and Calgar sends Strike Force Shadowspear to go see what exactly is going down.
A lot, it turns out:
The world belonged to the Black Legion. Where once there were vast factories dedicated to the glory of the Omnissiah, now there were warp-tainted flesh pits and forges creating hideous Daemon Engines. Though he knew that Nemendghast was far beyond saving, Captain Acheran was determined to cripple the Black Legion’s Daemonkin forces and prevent their strength from growing any further. Their best chance lay in the destruction of the Forge Infernus, a diabolical stronghold of the Chaos forces.
We know how this mission ends. Most of the Vanguard are destroyed, but not before they cripple the Forge Infernus.
And now, Abaddon is back in all his top-knotted, trophy-racked glory.
Most of the other conflicts are irrelevant now–which is an interesting place to be. There’s little sign of the GSC in the artwork we’ve seen, and the Ork Speedwaagh is basically dealt with at this point. While the Xenos have a presence on Vigilus–it clearly is nothing next to the Imperium vs. Chaos fight that GW is gearing up for.
And that’s the way the planet is as we prep for Vigilus Ablaze.
What will happen? How do you think the story plays out? Does PriMarneus stand a chance at breaking the brunt of Abaddon’s assault? Or will the Black Legion overwhelm all the new Primaris and show that whatever new toys the Imperium has are worthless next to the Ruinous Powers? Let us know your theories in the comments!
