Warhammer 40K: The Pariah Nexus & Indomitus Crusade
Games Workshop is exploring the lore of Pariah and how it leads directing into the Indomitus Crusade (aka 9th Edition).
Psychic Awakening has been the 9 “chapter” setup for the next edition of Warhammer 40,000. GW said that the events of Psychic Awakening would have repercussions that will last for years. That remains to be seen – but it does setup the next edition. With Pariah as the last book coming out GW is teasing how that leads into the next edition and the Indomitus Crusade. Today, we’re getting just a taste of the lore of the end of Psychic Awakening and the beginning of 9th edition.
The Pariah Nexus
“That’s right, the Pariah of the title isn’t a person, or a thing. It’s a place.”
Turns out after the Great Rift tore the galaxy in half, folks were in distress. The call for help was put out from a region of space known as the Nephilim Sector in Ultima Segmentum. Primarch Guilliman ordered Battle Group Kallides to respond and what they found was not quite what they expected.
“When the fleet entered the Nephilim Sector, they found the warp stilled. Ships’ engines struggled to run, psykers’ powers were dampened and Geller fields collapsed – but no Daemons assaulted the crews of the beleaguered vessels. Even worse, the further the battle group ventured into the region, the more of a malaise fell upon the souls of those on board, a deep lethargy that affected all to some degree, save the holy warriors of the Adepta Sororitas.”
It wasn’t just space travel and psykers that were affected. Entire populations were missing. The cause of all this strange phenomenon was traced back to the a planet called Mesmoch in the Zeidos System. It was there the Battlegroup found towering pylons made of blackstone and it was built in the unmistakable style of the Necrons.
That’s where the events of Pariah take us – and then some. We don’t have all the details just yet, but we do know that it ties directing into the next edition with the launch of the Indomitus story line.
Indomitus Crusade
“The perils of the Pariah Nexus aren’t just being explored in gaming books – Black Library will also be entering the Nephilim Sector in Gav Thorpe’s Indomitus. This novel follows the Ultramarines of the warship Ithraca’s Vengeance, part of an Indomitus Crusade fleet with a cursed reputation. It details their experiences within the baleful influence of the Pariah Nexus, and shows the horrifying effects of the xenos-created miasma on the minds of Space Marines. “
If you want to get right into the lore you can also pick up a copy of the new book when it comes out as well. It’s going to launch at the same time as the Indomitus box set and it will be followed-up by the Dawn of Fire series.
Deja Vu?
The more I looked at the boxed set with the Ultramarines and the Necrons and the more I read about the lore of Pariah and Indomitus, the more I feel like I’ve seen this before. Then I remember I had – It was from an Apocalypse War Zone Supplement from editions ago: Damnos.
Now, it’s not exactly the same. The locations have changed and we’re dealing with a different batch of Necrons and a new breed of Space Marine – but it is close enough to jog my memories. The point is that these two armies have faced off before. It’s going to be interesting to see how this version plays out…
Anyone else going to pick-up the new book just so they can find out what the heck is going on?!
