Armageddon
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Armageddon is a Hive World in the Imperium, and has been the site of some of the largest wars in the Imperium's history.
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
| Name: | Armageddon | 
|
| Segmentum: | Segmentum Solar | ||
| Sector: | Armageddon | ||
| Subsector: | Armageddon | ||
| System: | Armageddon | ||
| Population: | Unknown | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
| Class: | Hive World | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Exactis Extremis reduced to Solutio Tertius1 | ||
Contents |
First War of Armageddon
The First War for Armageddon is perhaps the least known, and probably for good reason. Cultists worshipping the Chaos god Khorne broke out in rebellion during a Warp storm. Soon, a great Space Hulk appeared over the planet, containing none other than Angron, the Daemon Primarch of the World Eaters.
The daemonic legions quickly pushed the defenders back in an orgy of bloodshed, until help arrived in the form of the Space Wolves and the Grey Knights.
With the Wolves bolstering the defenses, the Grey Knights teleported to the center of the Daemonic horde, eventually banishing Angron and his army from the material world, leaving the cultists to be crushed by the Imperial counterattack.
But one final tragedy was to strike the planet. In order to preserve the secret of the Daemon Primarch, the entire population of Armageddon, as well as all the surviving soldiers, was rounded up, sterilized, and sentenced to work camps for the rest of their lives while a new population was brought to re-settle the planet. Logan Grimnar, the Great Wolf of the Space Wolves, has never forgiven the Administratum for carrying out such a betrayal of the men and women who fought for their world.
The events of the First Armageddon War are told in Chaos Attack, and expansion game for Battle of Armageddon (see below).
Second War for Armageddon
The Second War for Armageddon featured a huge force of Orks in 941.M41 led by the mighty Warboss Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. The Overlord of the planet, Herman von Strab, was completely unprepared for the attack and his own pride and incompetence only made matters worse. Eventually, the defense of the planet was taken over by Commander Dante of the Blood Angels. The forces involved were the Salamanders, Blood Angels, Ultramarines, Imperial Guard and Squats. During the war an Imperial Commissar named Yarrick, who had been exiled by von Strab to Hades Hive, led a heroic defense of the Hive that eventually distracted Ghazghkull from the planetary battles. This infuriated him enough to send more and more forces against Hades Hive. The battle escalated to such proportions that Ghazghkull considered the fight a matter of personal pride, and took command of the forces assaulting Hades himself. Although the Hive eventually fell, the distraction gave the Imperial forces enough time to mount a counterattack that finally broke the back of the Ork invasion force. Yarrick survived and would clash with Ghazghkull again. Von Strab escaped from his jailers, and the Orks were forced away, humiliated in their defeat. They would have to return to avenge their failures.
In 1992, Games Workshop released Battle for Armageddon, a board game detailing the events of the Second Armageddon War. Also the events of this war formed the main background for the Warhammer 40,000 second edition box set.
Third War for Armageddon
The Third War for Armageddon occurred fifty years after the Second War. Ghazghkull Thraka returned, leading a second Waaagh smashing into Armageddon. Commissar Yarrick and many of the heroes who fought for the planet before were called into battle again.
In 2000, Games Workshop held a worldwide campaign for Warhammer 40,000, Epic Armageddon, and Battlefleet Gothic, where the results of battles could be sent in from all over the world. Each country or region corresponded to sector of the planet (for example, Great Britain represented Hive Infernus, while the area around Helsreach Hive was fought over in the United States). A Codex was also released for the campaign, which included army lists for the Armageddon Steel Legion, Ork Speed Freeks, and the Black Templars and Salamanders Space Marine chapters. In addition a Black Library novel called 'Battle for Armageddon' was written.
Aftermath
Although the 3rd Armageddon War is over (with the Imperium winning a narrow victory), fighting still continues on the planet. Ghazghkull has left the planet, pursued by Yarrick with a full Black Templars crusade at his back. The Orks have come to regard Armageddon as a kind of Valhalla, where they can always come to find a good fight, and the Imperium must still send more troops to battle to keep the planet in Imperial hands.
The Geography of Armageddon
The geography of Armageddon was a very important factor in the deployment of troops and the way the campaign played out. The main areas of Armageddon can be divided into five distinct areas. These are analyzed in geography of Armageddon.
The Armageddon System
There are ten planets in the Armageddon system, although not all of them are inhabitable.
The inner two planets, Kernbright and Verity are too close to the system sun to be colonised. This is not true of the third world, Gaval, which sports an Imperial mining colony. The inhabitable area of the system continues with the fourth world, Armageddon itself, fifth the Ice World Chosin and sixth the Imperial Navy-dominated world called St. Jowen's Dock. Two gas giants, Namara and Gramaul follow, with the ninth world being the curiously xeno-terraformed Pelucidar. Pelucidar is considered suspect and is largely off-limits to Imperial citizens. The tenth and final world is Iandai, a ringed gas giant.2
The Third War for Armageddon resulted in status changes in the system. The system Monitoring Stations Mannheim, Dante and Yarrick were all destroyed, while Chosin became completely Ork infested. St Jowen's Dock was heavily assaulted by the Orks, who also attempted to land on Pelucidar. Their force vanished without trace and the world remains uninhabited.3
Sources
- 1, 3:Epic Armageddon Rulebook, p.61
- 2: Battlefleet Gothic System Map at Armageddon 3 Web Site (site accessed 2007.06.11)
Related Links
- Games Workshop site for the 3rd Armageddon Worldwide Campaign Event Includes free downloads for the Battle of Armageddon game and Chaos Attack Expansion.
