War of Beasts
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This article is about the Wars on Vigilus; for the War against the Ork Warboss known as The Beast, see War of the Beast. |
The War of Beasts is the term for the ongoing conflict on the Imperial World of Vigilus.
Overview
Vigilus is a word situated within the Nachmund Gauntlet and one of the few passages through the Great Rift. As such, the planet has become strategically vital for the Imperium and has become a target for a wide number of its enemies.[1]
The forcefields on Vigilus proved so effective that even when an Ork Waaagh! smashed into Vigilus, the greenskins were unable to assail the hivesprawls beyond, so took to seeking entertainment elsewhere by engaging in violent races across the sweeping open plains that separate the vast hivesprawls. However, since the Great Rift tore across the galaxy, these Bastion-class force fields began to experience glitches, and eventually collapsed entirely to leave the hivesprawls open to attack. To make matters worse, the tide of Orks that poured past the inactive force field networks also had other, unforeseen consequences.[1]
At some point, a Genestealer Cult known as the Claw of the Thirsting Wyrm (in some other sources, the Pauper Princes[1]) began thriving on Vigilus, having taken root in the depths below the reservoirs known as the Greigan Hollow. The Ork attack directly forced the Cult's hand, creating a bloody uprising. The Sisters of Battle and Imperial Guard forces on Vigilus were unable to contain the uprising.[1] Skitarii reinforcements subsequently arrived, and while they were able to work with the Sisters and Imperial Guard to crush the Genestealer rebellion, they were unable to find and eliminate the Cult's source.[1]
This eventually led to a Space Wolves strike team under Haldor Icepelt to arrive at Vigilus after being thrown off course while chasing Chaos forces rampaging across the Stygius Sector. Upon arrival, the Space Wolves vessel Fins of Fimnir forced a passage through the flotilla of Ork spacecraft orbiting Vigilus and Strike Force Icepelt made planetfall. Using their gene-boosted tracking abilities, the Space Wolves were able to track down the source of the Cult. When Icepelt led his warriors into the ruined cityscape of Greigan Hollow that the full extent of the Genestealer Cults menace was revealed and the true battle for the survival of Vigilus began.[1] The Space Wolves have since been reinforced by the Iron Hands and Ultramarines.[1]
Vigulus has become a target for the Kabal of the Black Heart, who have annihilated whole flotillas of escape craft, before spiriting their captured Human cargo back to Commorragh.[1]
Yet another Eldar threat confronted Vigilus when Saim-Hann Eldar appeared on the planet on a mission to settle a blood feud by assassinating the Chaos Cult leader Vanaddan the Firebrand.[7] Despite accomplishing their mission, they were then massacred by the Imperial forces led by the Ultramarines, and then returned to the planet to wage a brutal blood-feud against their would-be allies.[1]
Currently a Black Legion force under Haarken Worldclaimer has arrived with the intent to conquer the world in 80 days.[1]
Sources
