Hades Hive
Hades Hive (also known as Hive Hades[4]) was a Hive city located on the Imperial planet Armageddon.[1a][2][3]
Contents
History
Second War for Armageddon
Hades was the site of extremely heavy fighting during the Second War for Armageddon. The damage suffered by the hive was such that its buildings still bore scars from the fighting during the Third War for Armageddon, several decades later.[1a]
Third War for Armageddon
Commissar Sebastian Yarrick, famed as a hero of the Second War, advocated abandoning Hades Hive as part of the preparations for the Third War for Armageddon. Although the Imperial commanders followed his advice, many amongst the Imperial defenders reviled this decision (including Major Ryken of the 101st Steel Legion and Commander Amaras of the Angels of Fire).[1a]
Yarrick was motivated by his unique insight into the mind of the head of the invading army, the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka - although the majority opinion was that the orks would attack Hades to get revenge for the defeat they suffered there during the Second War, Yarrick recognised that the orks would be targeting the points of fiercest resistance on Armageddon and that Hades, as a burned-out husk of its former glory, would be simply destroyed rather than invaded (Yarrick even estimated that the hive would not survive the first week). He therefore recommended that the hive should be evacuated and its defenders reassigned to other bastions.[1a]
Yarrick's decision was vindicated when the War began; Ghazghkull chose to destroy Hades by bombarding the hive from orbit with rocket-propelled asteroids rather than committing ground troops to invade it. Although Hades was destroyed, it was mostly empty and so there were no major losses.[1b]
Despite the Hive's destruction, many thousands of refugees still tried to survive within its ruins, which attracted some of the orks. General Kurov decided that he could not completely abandon the ruins, as they were a symbol that could bolster Imperial morale.[5]
Results Table[5]
This is the table of the results of the Armageddon Campaign showing the strength of control of the Orks and Imperium over certain areas. It shows that the Orks were pushed out of control of every site and the Imperium retained control of two key areas.[4]
Key feature |
Orks
|
Imperium
|
Outcome |
Hive Hades |
46%
|
54%
|
Contested |
Diablo Mountains |
52%
|
48%
|
Contested |
Yarrick's Hope Harbour |
62%
|
38%
|
Ork held |
Ash Wastes |
47%
|
53%
|
Contested |
The Eumendies Bridge |
63%
|
37%
|
Ork held |
Averneas Forge Complex |
52%
|
48%
|
Contested |
Motorway |
49%
|
51%
|
Contested |
Ork Mountain |
51%
|
49%
|
Contested |
Ork Rok Dropsites |
39%
|
61%
|
Imperial held |
Emperor's Deliverance Refugee Camp |
42%
|
58%
|
Contested |
Trivia
Many of the settlements of Armageddon are named for dark figures or places associated with either the end of the world or the afterlife in various mythologies. In this case, Hades Hive is named for Hades, the God of the Underworld in Ancient Greek mythology.
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Helsreach (Novel) - Armageddon (Anthology)
- 2: Codex: Armageddon (3rd Edition), pg. 33 (inside back cover)
- 3: Archived Armageddon site: Armageddon Campaign Map (archived page, last accessed via Wayback Machine 24th December 2020)
- 4: Third War for Armageddon website: Hive Hades (archived page, last accessed via Wayback Machine 24th December 2020)
- 5: Third War for Armageddon website: Hive Hades Warzone News (archived page, last accessed via Wayback Machine 24th December 2020)