Court of the Nephilim King
Court of the Nephilim King is a splinter of Hive Fleet Behemoth, that draws ever closer to the galactic core and skirts the western border of the Ultima Segmentum, where it preys upon remote Systems and Frontier Worlds.[1a]
Overview
The Imperium first encountered the splinter fleet, when it reached the Nephilim Sector and fought the Dark Angels Chapter's Ravenwing Company. The Court of the Nephilim King is victorious in the encounter, as the Ravenwing's swift harrying tactics, which had proved so vital against mass Tyranid swarms before, are ineffective against the towering bio-horrors that the splinter fleet hurls into the fray[1a]. The menace of the Court of the Nephilim King is next encountered upon the world Rakkor IX, which was sworn to the Knights of House Raven. The Household's Knights rally to the world's defense, but fight a foe that has markedly changed its tactics since Behemoth first battered its way across Ultramar. Instead of unleashing vast swarms of lesser organisms, the splinter fleet deploys synapse creatures and monstrous warrior-forms, which are able to fight with far greater autonomy than a typical Tyranid invasion force. During the battle with the Tyranids, the Knights of House Raven begin to recognize a dark mirror of their own feudal structure within the Xenos and after witnessing the abilities of the Hive Tyrant who leads them, the Knights name the splinter fleet the Court of the Nephilim King. The battle then goes poorly for the Knights, as the Court adapts with astonishing speed to every tactic and strategy they employ. The splinter fleet also preys upon the Knights' pride and aggression in order to isolate and destroy individual war machines and Rakkor IX is soon lost to the Tyranids. As the world begins to be devoured, the surviving Knights of House Raven escape and swear an oath of vengeance upon the Court of the Nephilim King.[1b]
Tactics
The creature known as the Nephilim King is a particularly notorious Hive Tyrant specimen. This beast leads a splinter of Hive Fleet Behemoth, and fights at the head of a group of synapse creatures and gigantic bio-titans. The Court of the Nephilim King relies not on sheer numbers, but on the ferocity and intelligence of the most advanced Tyranid bioforms, forming a twisted mirror of a knightly brotherhood. The Hive Tyrant who leads this group of synapse creatures and gigantic Bio-Titans, is known as the Nephilim King and though countless foes have sought to slay the creature, none have succeeded.[1c]
Source
