40K: The Silent King’s Return is a BIG DEAL
The return of the Necron’s Silent King is a huge shake-up for the Grimdark. Here’s why.
Who Is the Silent King
First of all, just who is The Silent King? The short story is he is Szarekh, also known as the Silent King, was the last ruler of the Triarch of the Necrontyr and later Necron race. He was the individual who cut a deal with the C’tan, leading to the robotic enslavement of his race, destroyed The Old Ones in the War in Heaven, then ordered the Necrons to slumber for 20 million years as Enslavers and the Warp overran the galaxy. He fled into Exile and has now returned.
What Is He Up To
It is clear that he has returned the galaxy for several reasons:
- He encountered the Tyranid race in the intergalactic void and identified their insatiable hunger for biomass.
- He understands if the Hivefleets feed upon the galaxy, they will deprive his race of the host biomass they will need to reverse the bio-transference process and free themselves of their metal prisons.
- He now knows the Necrons are scattered and weakened, in a galaxy overrun with their ancient enemies and many new ones.
- He seeks to awaken the Necrons en masse to begin the process of reconquering their Galaxy-spanning empire.
Why It Matters
This is a giant deal. The Silent King may be the oldest surviving being in the Galaxy of this power, predating even the Ruinous Powers, and the Emperor by millions of years. He has taken oaths of fealty by all the Necron Praetorians who are spreading his word of Necorn unity across the Dynasties, while awakening ever more as fast as he can.
The Silent King’s return is a much more powerful and momentous event than the Return of Guilliman. Remember that the Necrons are totally embedded in the material world, and all things of The Warp are alien to them, being the domain of The Old Ones and their vassal races, such as the Eldar and the Orks. While The Silent King has focused his energy initially on the destruction of the mortal threat that the Tyranids represent, they view all other living races as merely cattle to meet the needs of the Necrontyr.
The Future
First of all, I assume that in time we will get a new Miniature for The Silent King. I can think of no better template for a being of his age and power, than a Necron version of Katakros, befitting his station and entourage.
Next up, he has been sailing the void for 20 million years, and his intellect and memory are intact. The Silent King’s return is the perfect vessel to use for the introduction of new Necron units, long forgotten from their height of power.
Next up, we have his goals and politics. This is a King with the power to bend the Necron race, and it’s current leaders to his will. He clearly intends to one day transfer the Necron race back into flesh and blood bodies. That will require a lot of bodies, and preferably ones who have little or no connection to the Warp. While the Pariah Gene is rare in Humans, is is the definition of the entire T’au Race.
The Necrons also were users of Blackstone and used it to seal off the Warp in key locations. I would not be surprised to learn that The Silent King has some master plan for its use on a galaxy-spanning scale.
Onto the Game Itself
Last but not least, from a news and rumor point of view, there has been talk lately of a new boxed set of some type involving Necrons. vs Marines. The news of the Silent King’s return with a date in late May would seem to lend weight to this talk.
The very end of 7th Edition brought us The Great Rift and Guilliman’s return. We are approaching the climax of Psychic Awakening with human psykers appearing in ever greater numbers. The Silent Kings’s return with a plan to fight off the Warp would be a big enough event to shake up the galaxy and perhaps even set up 9th Edition.
~Are you ready to bend the knee to your new Necron Masters?
