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Hades Hive

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Hades Hive (also known as Hive Hades[4]) was a Hive city located on the Imperial planet Armageddon.[1a][2][3]


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