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Blackstone Fortress

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Targetdrone.gif This article is about the Ancient constructs; for the Board Game, see Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress.
An activated Blackstone Fortress[1a]

Blackstone Fortresses (known as Talismans of Vaul by the Eldar) are massive starships created in the distant past by the Eldar to protect against the return of the C'tan.[10] Six were found by the Imperium in the Gothic Sector around M31, and were used as naval bases,[1b] until Mephet'ran the Deceiver discovered their location, and manipulated Abaddon into capturing two, and destroying the other four, during the Gothic War.[10] One of these was given to Huron Blackheart, and the other was used to destroy Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade.[4][8b] Several more Blackstone Fortresses exist across the Galaxy, including one recently discovered in the Western Reaches.[8c][9][11][12][14]

Origins

The Blackstone Fortresses were created by the Eldar before their Fall, in order to destroy the C'tan should they ever reawaken. Eldar Mythology holds that they were creted by Vaul, the Eldar smith god, [10]to end the War in Heaven and that they contain the souls of Eldar Seers who perished in the war. The Talismans are said to contain Eyes of the Witch, created by the Crone Goddess Morai-Heg, which would allow the slain heroes to channel unfathomable ammounts of energy out of the Immaterium to forever banish the Yngir.[17]

Technology

Built primarily of Noctilith (commonly known as Blackstone)[16e], Blackstone Fortresses are planetoid-sized crafts, which generate immense amounts of power even while dormant.[8a][8b] Their technology goes far beyond the current knowledge of any species in the galaxy.[8b] Once fully activated, a Blackstone Fortress is capable of breaking the barrier between realspace and warpspace, creating a beam of pure immaterium to destroy everything in its path. This power can be linked with other Fortresses to create an even more powerful beam, as was evident when Abaddon the Despoiler used two Fortresses to destroy the planet Fularis II, and three to cause the Tarantis star to go supernova.[1b] Abaddon was able to remotely control the Blackstone Fortresses with the alien artifacts Hand of Darkness and Eye of Night. Huron Blackheart's Blackstone Fortress has a Webway gate at its heart, that the Masque of the Shattered Mirage were able to use.[7] It is later confirmed by the Imperium that it seems each Blackstone Fortress has Webway Gates within it, some large enough to accommodate warships on their own.[16e]

Blackstone Fortresses are powered by a core, the workings of which are not easily understood even to the Heretek Tech-Priests of the Dark Mechanicum. At the center of a Blackstone Fortress is a fiery core which resembles a miniature sun, which serves to power the station.[16b] Blackstone Fortresses seem to have some sentience of their own, and will help those it deems as worthy allies while defending itself against hostile invaders. When defending itself a Blackstone Fortress can impale opponents with jagged shards that rise up from the floor and walls, rearrange passageways, swallow up intruders in pits, and set groups of Spindle Drones[8d] and Ur-Ghuls upon foes.[16a][16d]

History

Imperial Discovery

Six Blackstone Fortresses were discovered by the Imperium in the Gothic Sector around late M31. Initial studies dated the Fortresses between 17,000 and 300,000 years old, however their exact construction process is unknown. Most of the Fortresses' systems were offline aside from the main power systems. The Adeptus Mechanicus retrofitted their own weapons (the weapons batteries they were given far surpassed the firepower of any ship in the Imperium) and life-support systems to the main power grid, as well as a number of hangars for smaller craft, turning each Fortress into a primary naval base for Battlefleet Gothic.[1b]

Captured by Chaos

Through the subtle manipulation of the C'tan Mephet'ran the Deceiver, some time in M40, Abaddon the Despoiler learned of the Fortresses, where he was guided by the visions of Zaraphiston to an Eldar Crone World. There, he read an ancient prophecy revealing their existence.[6][10]

The Gothic War was Abaddon's Black Crusade to capture and activate the six Blackstone Fortresses. He succeeded in taking three, but was defeated by the combined might of the Imperium and the Eldar. The Imperial Navy and Angels of Redemption tried to recapture one of the Fortresses, however it self-destructed, along with the three still in the Imperium's hands. The remaining two retreated with Abaddon back into the Eye of Terror.[1b]

13th Black Crusade

The two Chaos fortresses would reappear, 800 years later, supporting Typhus and his Plaguefleet in Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade. They would later split up, each sent to reinforce the attacks on Cadia and Kasr Partox.[2] The Blackstone assaulting Cadia, the Will of Eternity, nearly destroyed the planet but was itself crippled by the Phalanx after a Space Wolves boarding party disabled its shields. The debris of the Will of Eternity was later redirected into Cadia by Abaddon, which shattered the planet.[4]

Huron Blackheart

In the wake of the Badab War, Abaddon gave one of the two Fortresses as a gift to Huron Blackheart, to secure the support of the Red Corsairs for his plans, and as a demonstration of his power.[5a] In truth, this Blackstone Fortress had been rendered dangerous as Abaddon's attempts to control it via Daemonic possession drove the equivalent of a Machine Spirit insane.[15] This Fortress was later used to house the reborn Primarch Roboute Guilliman and his followers when they were captured during the Terran Crusade. It became the site of fierce fighting when Cypher and Sylandri Veilwalker freed Guilliman and his men.[5b]

Later, Harlequins of the Masque of the Shattered Mirage launched a surprise attack on the Red Corsairs Blackstone Fortress, aided by a rogue faction from Yme-Loc. The Eldar seek to capture and control this ancient "Talisman of Vaul".[7]

Indomitus Crusade

During the Indomitus Crusade, a Blackstone Fortress was used as the base of operations for the mysterious Black Legion organization dubbed the Hand of Abaddon. During the Battle of the Stygius Gilt, Imperial forces led by Inquisitor Rostov and the Ultramarines Lieutenant Ferren Areios boarded the Fortress. During the battle, its core was destroyed by Tharador Yheng to prevent its operational capture by the Imperials. It is currently being salvaged by Imperial-allied elements of the Leagues of Votann.[16c]

Known Blackstone Fortresses

Galaxy map outer.jpg
Small cross.pngGothic Sector
Small cross.pngCadia
Small cross.pngMaelstrom
Small cross.pngBlackstone 7
Small cross.pngBlackstone 8
Small cross.png
Blackstone 9
Small cross.pngBlackstone 10
Small cross.pngBlackstone 11
Small cross.pngMagog

Miniature

Miniature[3]

Sources

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