Heresy & Heroes

There’s been quite a bit of chatter around recently regarding the 40K setting moving forward, beyond the ‘2 minutes to midnight’ of Abaddon’s 13th Black Crusade (999.M41). The chatter has mainly been about Chaos and the Imperium, with both Primarchs and Daemon Primarchs returning to the 41st 42nd Millennium (that’d take some getting used to). It’s an interesting take and I’m both a fan and not of fan of the idea – but that’s an argument for another post should this happen. But because the talk has been almost exclusively about Space Marines and their twisted cousins from the Warp, I’ve just been having a bit of fun thinking about what could happen with some of the Xenos races if their fluff is to move forward too. And to that end, here is a JUST FOR FUN (so don’t get all butt-hurt and beardy) idea of what life could be like for our alien friends/foes in the 42nd Millennium and beyond… (oh yeah, there’s quite a few ‘…’s as well – enjoy!)

The Eldar

As the light of the Eldar dwindles further, as the craftworlds are swallowed up by the Great Devourer and Slaanesh’s forces alike, the cult of Ynnead becomes a major force in Eldritch politics. Even within the webway, among the followers of Cegorach, and the twisted denizens of Commorragh, the notion has some who are willing to pay it heed. While Aspect Warriors and Guardians continue to make war as they always did, new warbands of Eldar cultists take to the battlefields at their sides. The newcomers are determined to die a glorious death so that they may become one with the God of the Dead and soon, a new Avatar is seen. The Avatar of Ynnead stalks its enemies as black flames wreath its body, and its enormous warscythe hues its foes in half by their hundreds. The Eldar are dying, but what will be brought forth by their death…

The Tau

With the Imperium’s fight being ever more desperate, beset on all sides as it is, the Tau have been left largely unchecked – their expansion seen only as a minor issue in the wake of other threats. But without any serious Imperial resistance, the Tau’s growth becomes even more rapid and their ambitions ever greater too. Several Imperial Forge Worlds fall to the Tau and with those victories, the young race gain their first ships capable of warp travel. Furthermore, their first regiments of Human soldiers wielding Tau-tech are sent into battle against their kin, seduced by the Greater Good and having been left defenceless by Terra. There are even rumours of a human with the powers of an ethereal…

The Necrons

As the slow awakening of the ancient race continued, Imotekh the Stormlord realised that the Necron risked being overwhelmed as their adversaries grew ever stronger while the soulless machines of the tomb worlds slumbered. Reluctantly, he called on the gifts of Trazyn The Infinite who presented the Stormlord with a gift – a rare staff said to contain the last shreds of Szarekh’s soul. Imotekh travelled to a world of endless dessert, home to small stranded colony of quarrelsome Orks who were quickly dispatched. Buried beneath the sands, was the shrine of an Ancient Necrontyr sooth-sayer who had seen the galaxy to come 60 million years before. Imotekh plunged the staff into the heart of the alter and a psionic burst rippled out across the stars. Within hours, every tomb world began to stir, and the vast army of the Necron, billions strong, came back to life…

The Tyranids

What had come before was merely a prelude. The great devourer in the darkness roared and leapt with all its force into the new galaxy. This was no mere hive fleet. The Great Hive Tide Charybdis, the soul of the lingering menace of the void brought with it countless numbers of beasts as had never been seen before. Giant creatures that dwarfed even Imperator Titans lumbered across worlds that were devoured in mere hours. Monstrous synapse brains hovered over cities controlling hordes of xenos nightmares the likes of which had never been witnessed. The Hive Tide envelopes all before it, and shows no sign of slowing as it rages across the star systems of the galaxy, heading straight for Terra…

The Orks

Dis boy turn up wun day an’ oo knows where from. But he get big. All dat time Ghaza was fightin’ de humies, dis boy gettin’ bigga. So den wun day, he turns out to be bigga dan even Ghaza is. Sum rekon he even bigga dan de Beast was. An he even got da brain of a brain boy too. So he becomes da boss an’ he call up da clans. He call up da Goffs, an’ he call up da Deffskulls an’ da Sunz an’ da Moonz an all of ‘em. He take us all out to da edge of da galaxy so we can get a run up an’ den we WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! An’ humies an’ fish-faces an’ bugs an’ dem metal gitz an’ all da rest of dem now gettin’ stomped good. Propa Orky time. An’ da Weird boyz sayin’ dey neva felt Gork an’ Mork talk to dem dat clear before. Dey even says dey ‘ear a noo God dey call Kork! Old God oo hates ev’rywun an’ loves fightin’ more. We musta smashed up a fousand worlds and we ain’t stoppin’ coz da big boss says we can’t. An we call ‘im Da Mega Monsta, coz dat’s what ee is! WAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

And there you have it. Who knows what the progression of 40K will bring, but it’s certainly fun to think about. What do you imagine happening? What are you waiting to see? Onwards!