Warhammer 40K RPG: The Fall of Cadia

Its most destructive weapon is the Vortex Warhead that can only be used if approved by Segmentum Command. Traditionally the Deathstrike Missile Launcher carries a large plasma-enhanced thermonuclear charge that can incinerate entire armies in a single blast, along with most of the surrounding environment. Griffon The Griffon is a self-propelled heavy mortar. Based on a Chimera chassis, this cheap artillery option is very effective. The Griffon is a close relative of the Basilisk, replacing the Earthshaker cannon with a heavy mortar. Used as a close support for infantry attacks and during sieges to throw shells over enemy walls. The mortar shells fired by the Griffon are extremely heavy and their trajectory means they can bury themselves in the ground before exploding, if the fuse is set correctly. This reduces the blast radius, making this type of explosion less dangerous to infantry but devastating against buildings and bunkers, whose foundations can collapse, bringing the building down with it. Manticore Missile System and Manticore Missile Tank The Manticore is one of the most feared units in the Imperial Guard. It is an anti-personnel weapon which is highly effective against Orks and some Tyranid bioforms. The Machine Spirit (i.e. technological reliability) of the Manticore is so unpredictable that its rockets may not fire, even when given the proper blessing, or sometimes all four rockets will launch at once unexpectedly. The Manticore has only 4 shots and reloading is a time-consuming process. This unpredictability makes the Manticore a danger to all those around it, including friendly units. Once during a siege of a major fortress the defenders surrendered at just the sight of a single Manticore. Moments later the fortress was destroyed by the rockets of the Manticore all going off at the same time. Clearly this vehicle is dangerous to everyone except the crew inside it. The Manticore Missile Tank has its main rocket weapons mounted on a Chimera chassis so that it can be mobile. Medusa The Medusa is a siege cannon designed to crack open enemy bunkers or blast a breach into an enemy fortress. It is a very high-powered for of explosive artillery and excellent for piercing armour, but the cannon possesses only a very short range. A Medusa is usually fielded with heavy infantry support to protect its vulnerability to infantry and armour assaults. Unlike the Griffon which can fling its shells over a curtain wall, the Medusa fires heavy shells directly into the walls, turning them into rubble and dust and opening a breach for assaulting infantry to attack through. The Medusa is often regarded as an aging warhorse whose time has passed. It is no longer regarded as an important or necessary part of an armoured force. It lacks the range of a Bombard, Manticore or Basilisk, or the thick armoured protection of a Demolisher of Thunderer. Because of this, Medusa's are no longer a common vehicle amongst the Imperial Guard. They are generally only used when Demolishers are in short supply. Imperial Guard Wargear- The Imperial Guard utilises a wide variety of wargear created in the massive foundries of Hive World manufactorums or the cathedral-factories of the Adeptus Mechanicus Forge Worlds and supplied to the Guardsmen by the sub-department of the Adeptus Administratum known as the Departmento Munitorum. Although much of the equipment and weaponry can vary depending on the world on which it was produced, its basic functionality always remains the same. Las Weapons- Lasgun: The standard issue weapon for the Imperial Guard across the board, and that which all subsequent Laser weaponry is based off of. While relatively weak compared to the other basic infantry weapons, such as the Bolter and the Pulse Rifle, the Lasgun is still powerful when deployed en masse, and they are devastating to lightly armored infantry. Hundreds of variations on the basic design exist, such as the sturdy and reliable MK36 used by the Cadian regiments, to the ornate and hand-crafted weaponry of the Vostroyan Firstborn and the Accatran MKIV, valued by drop troops for its compactness and utility at short range. Laspistol: The pistol version of the lasgun, it has a shorter range and is thus usually favored by officers and command advisors who are not usually in the thick of things as much as the common soldiery. Laspistols are also favoured as back-up weapons by Special Weapon and Heavy Weapon operators. Lascannon: One of the most powerful anti-tank weapons utilized by the Imperial Guard, the Lascannon is always either vehicle mounted, as is in the case of the hull mounted Lascannon on the Leman Russ battle tank, or lugged around the battlefield by a two man fireteam. It is relatively stable compared to some of the more exotic anti-tank methods, such as plasma and meltaguns. Hellgun: A more powerful version of the Lasgun. Also known as a "hot-shot" lasgun, the hellgun is powered by an external energy pack to provide increased armour piercing power, making this weapon considerably more expensive to produce and, as such, it is mainly used by Stormtroopers to provide a little extra punch to their already considerable firepower. Hellpistol: A smaller, hand-held version of the Hellgun. Mainly used by Stormtrooper sergeants and, rarely, Inquisitors, the Hellpistol is somtimes also favoured by the odd senior officer or Commissar. Kinetic Weapons- Autogun: A basic slugthrower rifle, the Autogun was the standard-issue rifle of the Guard until the 32nd Millennium. It is still favored by some regiments, and is heavily used by Planetary Defense Forces and backwater regiments with less access to Las technology. It is also a favorite of underhive gangers. Autopistol: A basic slugthrower pistol, this was phased out of standard Imperial service around the same time as the autogun, but is still occasionally used as a sidearm by vehicle crews and Titan operators. Some regiments still issue Autopistols to the rank-and-file troopers as sidearms and their use is detailed in The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer. Autocannon: A large bore slugthrower cannon, this light anti-armor weapon can be mounted on a vehicle or, more commonly in the case of the Imperial Guard, manned by a two-man crew. The Autocannon fires multiple rounds of solid ammunition, designed to mow down groups of infantry and take out light vehicles. Shotgun: An uncommon sight in the Guard, but nonetheless a weapon that is still utilized by the more veteran soldiers of a regiment as assault weapons due to their mean punch at very short range. Shotguns are often used by Imperial Navy personnel to fight within the confines of spaceship corridors, without damaging the hull. Heavy Stubber: An archaic piece of equipment, the Heavy Stubber was once, long, long ago, known as a machine gun. It is still used with a pintle mount on many Imperial Guard vehicles, due to the increased range it has over the more modern Storm Bolter. Many Planetary Defense Forces use it instead of Heavy Bolters because of the more common availability, and the troops of the Death Korps of Krieg commonly uses it in weapon emplacements. Punisher Gatling Cannon: A recent addition to the imperial guard armory and pours out more ammunition than anything else in the Imperium of Man, this gun is based on killing infantry and to clear the way of infantry for other tanks. Due to the fact that it is new it is very rare and is only seen on the battlefield with punisher variants of the Leman Russ, but of course, due to their firepower, there is a high demand for these beasts. Exterminator Autocannon: This has a higher rate of fire than the standard autocannon and comes twin-linked, this is a fairly rare sight and is only seen on the Leman Russ Exterminator. Plasma Weapons- Plasma Gun: The Plasma Gun is an extremely unstable weapon that is just as likely to blow up in the operator's face as it is to unleash a lethal beam of white-hot plasma energy. It is still used by the Guard against extremely heavy armor, bunkers, and stationary gun emplacements, as they have no shortage of men. Plasma Pistol: A more compact version of the plasmagun, the Plasma Pistol is just as unstable as its larger counterpart, but puts the power of a tank in the palm of your hand. Despite the inherent danger, it is a favoured weapon of Guard officers. Melta Weapons- Meltagun:The Meltagun is a slightly more stable anti-tank weapon. Instead of utilizing plasma to kill a target, melta weapons use a two part injection system that forces a mixture of pyrum-petrol gas into a sub molecular state, creating an extremely volatile mixture that will literally vaporise pretty much anything, reducing them to nothing but molten slag. It is considered a mark of courage to bear such weapon in the Imperial Guard, as meltagun toting soldiers are often expected to attack heavily armored targets, destroying them in a matter of seconds. Flamer Weapons- Flamer: The Flamer is a large weapon the fires liquid promethium at a target in such a way that the promethium ignites upon contact with the air, allowing the nozzle to be swept back and forth in a slow, deliberate motion. Devastating against lightly armored and closely packed troops. Heavy Flamer: The Heavy Flamer is a more powerful version of the standard flamer, most commonly mounted on vehicles. The Death Korps of Krieg however, uses this as a man-portable heavy weapon operated by a two-man team. Inferno Cannon: The Inferno Cannon is more powerful than the Heavy Flamer and is a common sight on the Hellhound, as it has a longer range than any of the Flamer weapons of any race and is unrivalled for the amount of damage it can dish out. Bolt Weapons- Boltgun or Bolter: While the Bolter is normally only seen in the hands of the Space Marines, it is possible for an officer or a veteran to get his hands on such a fearsome weapon, sized for an unaugmented human. Fires a mass-reactive, explosive bolt with a depleted deuterium core that detonates on contact with the target as its standard issue ammunition. Bolt Pistol: Favored by Imperial Guard officers because of the added punch offered by such a weapon, the Bolt Pistol has a shorter range than a Bolter, but operates in much the same way. Heavy Bolter: A fast-firing, anti-infantry weapon, the Heavy Bolter gives the Imperial Guard the ability to take down more heavily armoured foes without wasting autocannon or lascannon rounds. It truly shines when directed at large masses of infantry, such as an Ork WAAAGH! It is also commonly mounted on vehicles to provide some anti-infantry protection. Storm Bolter: A much more uncommon sight in the Imperial Guard than the Heavy Bolter, the Storm Bolter is normally only seen in its pintle-mounted variant, mounted on the top of a tank. However, it is also possible for officers and some veterans to get their hands on one, but that is a rare occurrence, as the weapon's bulk and ferocious recoil makes it almost impossible to wield efficiently without the assistance of Power Armour. Missile Weapons- Missile Launcher: Missile Launchers are simple devices normally used in teams of two guardsmen, although modified sentinel-mounted versions do exist. It can be armed with either Frag or Krak Missiles. Frag Missiles allow for the explosive blast wave to spread in a manner similar to the effect of a Frag Grenade, making them useful for taking out lightly armoured infantry, whereas Krak Missiles concentrate the explosion in a small, contained area, making them extremely effective tank killers. Sniper Weapons- Sniper Rifle: Imperial Guard Regiments use many different kinds of sniper rifle, ranging from lasguns modified with longer barrels and over-powered energy cells (referred to as a long-las) to needle-rifles, which fire small darts containing deadly neuro-toxins. Sniper Rifles are issued to a regiment's best marksmen, or used by the abhuman Ratlings. Most sniper rifles are equipped with telescopic sights and mufflers to allow the user to fire from long range without his position being revealed by the crackle of gun fire. Grenades, Explosives and Destructive Devices- Grenade Launcher: The Grenade Launcher is a versatile semi-automatic weapon designed to fire grenades into enemy formations at short range. Grenade Launchers can be loaded with both Frag and Krak Grenades to accommodate variable battlefield situations. Frag Grenades: Also called fragmentation grenades, these small metal spheres are designed to explode after a preset delay when the triggering mechanism is activated discharging shrapnel into a radius referred to as a kill-zone. They are commonly used to rout enemy troops out of bunkers, or to pin down enemy troops in preparation for an assault. Frag Grenades are standard issue equipment and are made available to all Imperial Guard infantry squads, as well as Storm Troopers and Veteran squads. Krak Grenades: These small explosive devices give a soldier the ability to neutralize light armour, technical vehicles or fortified positions. The operator must attach the device to the intended target, so he must be within reach of it. Krak Grenades are standard issue equipment for Imperial Guard Storm Troopers and Veterans. Melta-Bombs: Large grenades based on Melta technology, Melta-Bombs are designed to neutralize heavy armour or fortified positions, much in the same way as Demolition Charges except without the wasted exothermic reaction. Melta-Bombs instead focus the energy from the micro-nuclear Melta reaction into a concentrated point burning through the intended target. Demolition Charges: A generic term used for large packs of improvised explosives wired to detonate in unison, they function similarly to Satchel Charges allowing soldiers to destroy high value targets in a large area. The operator must be extremely close to use them, as the device must be thrown. There is considerable risk involved with using Demolition Charges. Snare Mines: Sometimes referred to as claymore mines, Snare Mines are explosive devices intended to ambush light targets while the enemy is unaware of their presence. They are normally carried by forward scouts and veteran troopers and consist of a shaped explosive charge and a range finder. Snare Mines are normally planted in tactical positions and used to ambush or disrupt enemy advances. Melee Weapons- Close Quarter Weapons - All Guardsmen are issued with either a Trench Knife or a Bayonet to fend for themselves should an enemy get close. However, inventive Guardsmen do not hesitate to use their standard-issued Picks, Shovels or even the butt of their Lasguns to crack open an assailant's skull. Chainsword or Chainblade: The standard close combat weapon of both the Imperial Guard Officers and the Space Marines, the Chainsword, despite being a simple metal construct on a battlefield full of powered gauntlets, daemon-cursed broadswords, flaming axes, and plague-ridden knives, still constitutes a viable threat. Its industrial diamond teeth are designed to slice through Power Armour and its lightweight construction allows a skilled operator to fight with another weapon, usually a pistol of some kind, in his other hand. Some variants of the Chainsword exist, such as the Chainaxes so beloved of the Chaos Space Marines dedicated to the service of the Blood God Khorne. Eviscerator: A large, two handed version of the Chainsword, the Eviscerator is used exclusively by Imperial Priests of the Adeptus Ministorum. This device is much heavier and has a longer blade then its cousin the Chainsword, transforming its wielder into a greater threat on the battlefield at the cost of not being able to use a sidearm. Power Weapon: The officers of the Imperial Guard use a variety of powered weapons to defend and attack in close combat, be they swords, axes, maces, or even clubs. These weapons deploy a potent high energy gravitic field around the 'blade' of the Power Weapon, which serves to disrupt solid matter, making them capable of destroying conventional weapons and defeating even the most advanced armour. These weapons are extremely rare in the hands of even the elite of the Imperial Guard, as most were manufactured long millennia ago, before the Horus Heresy. Power Fist: Some officers crave close combat so much, that they entomb their arms in giant metal gauntlets called Power Fists to grant them superhuman powers in hand to hand combat. These gigantic fists allow their bearers to attack even vehicles and know they have an extremely good chance of winning. Infantry Equipment- As well as their weaponry, Imperial Guardsmen are issued with a variety of other equipment upon recruitment. Although the equipment issued varies among the regiments, the following list contains the most common equipment. Armour- Flak Armor: The basic armor worn by all soldiers of the Imperial Guard, Flak Armour provides protection from low velocity or indirect projectiles, but pretty much all other armor is highly preferable. Flak Armour is usually made from synthetic fibres or light-weight threaded alloys and leaving the wearer free to move. Carapace Armour: Carapace Armour consists of a series of rigid plates, molded from either Armorplas or Ceramite. It provides a better protection than flak armor, and is used extensively by Stormtroopers. Officers also seem to prefer this due to the superior protection it provides. Some regiments of the Guard are outfitted exclusively in this, due to their proximity to a Forge World, or the fact that they were raised from a more affluent world that can afford such protection. Specialised Equipment- Auspex or Surveyor: An Auspex or Surveyor is a small, hand-held scanner device, usually incorporating a passive radar or infrared motion-detector. Used by officers and vox-operators to help direct the course of a battle. Also used by Storm Troopers when they are hunting for a target. Vox-caster or Vox-box: One of the most important pieces of equipment available to the Imperial Guard, the Vox-Box is a rugged, portable radio transceiver that allows the commanding officer of a force to keep in touch with his subordinates. Almost all Imperial Guard units are capable of carrying a Vox-Box in one way or another. Vox-casters are also commonly mounted on tanks to allow the commanding officer to take advantage of the armoured vehicle's increased power capacity and use the improved communications the voxcaster offers to call in reinforcements. Camo Cloaks: Imperial Guard scouts and snipers will often wear Camo Cloaks to conceal themselves from the enemy. Constructed from the synthetic material Cameoline, Camo Cloaks blend with the surrounding environment, making the wearer extremely hard to view from long range. Medi-Pack: More advanced versions of the standard medi-kit carried by all troopers, medi-packs contain the necessary supplies to cure or heal most types of battlefield wounds and are often carried by specially-trained troopers in command squads. Refractor Field (Conversion Field) Emitter: Carried only by extremely high-ranking Imperial Guard general officers, Space Marines, the agents of the Inquisition or members of the Ecclesiarchy, Refractor Field Emitters, also known as Conversion Field Emitters, generate a protective gravitic energy barrier around the wearer, granting them protection from almost all forms of energy-based and kinetic attacks. Standardised Equipment- The following equipment is issued to all Imperial Guardsmen upon recruitment. Combat Knife or Bayonet: Thousands of variations of the combat knife exist, ranging from short, serrated blades to the straight blades carried by the Tanith First and Only and the very large blades used by the Catachan Jungle Fighters. They are commonly used as hand-to-hand weapons or bayonets. Guard-Issue Medicae Supplies: All guardsmen are issued with very basic medical supplies, including bandages, swabs and basic med-kits containing oils and salves. The medical supplies are used to heal small wounds obtained from shrapnel, dangerous terrain features and bruises sustained during hectic battlefield manouveres. 9-70 Entrenching Tool: Basically an over-glorified spade, the 9-70 is used to create impromptu emplacements and barricades during battles. Gas Mask with Mark VIII filter: An emergency device used in case of sudden gas attack, the gas mask consists of a simple face-mask attached to an advanced filter system designed to filter out harmful toxins in the atmosphere and allow the Guardsman to breathe without risk of injury. Some regiments, such as the Armageddon Steel Legions, use more advanced respirators in a permanent manner, usually during protracted engagements in areas with unbreathable atmospheres such as the polluted hive-world of Armageddon. Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer: Issued to all guardsmen upon recruitment, The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer is published by the Departmento Munitorum. The book contains invaluable advice on a score of relevant topics. These include details on the regulations of the Guard, the correct procedures required to use common Guard weapons and basic battlefield tactics like how to maintain a Lasgun, engage an Ork in hand-to-hand combat and other crucial survival skills. It is not unheard of for Commissars to execute Guardsmen who deface or fail to produce their Primer on command. Info about Chaos- Chaos, also known to its servants as the Primordial Truth or the Primordial Annihilator, and to the Imperium of Man as the Archenemy, is a metaphysical, psychic force embodied by the malevolent entities comprised of emotional energy that exist in the Immaterium. The entities who embody Chaos are mostly Daemons, but the term also encompasses those mortals who pursue the goals of Chaos, ranging from simple peasants and/or manufactorum labourers who serve as Chaos Cultists, to Traitoris Militarum, planetary militia, Imperial nobles, planetary governors, and even the mighty Chaos Space Marines and Hereteks, Traitor Titan Legions and Chaos Knights of the Dark Mechanicum. Chaos is also itself the turbulent psychic energy that comprises the alternate dimension known as the Immaterium. It gives shape to the nightmare domains of the individual Chaos Gods that are collectively called the Realm of Chaos by scholars of the Inquisition. Chaos is almost synonymous with the Warp -- the two concepts are inseparable, for Chaos is the limitless ocean of spiritual, psychic and emotional energy that defines the Immaterium and underlies the 4-dimensional material universe of space-time. Cadia- Cadia, officially known as Cadia Prime, was a terrestrial, Earth-like planet originally classified as the Imperium of Man's most important Fortress World by the Administratum before its destruction and consumption by the Immaterium in ca. 999.M41. It was the fourth world of the Cadian System, and its surface contained a wide variety of terrain types and ecosystems, including frozen tundras, temperate plains, wind-swept moors and the great native axel-tree forests. Cadia guarded the only known navigable route to and from the massive Warp rift known as the Eye of Terror, a passage called the Cadian Gate. The world's dangerous proximity to the Eye of Terror made it necessary for the people of Cadia to heavily fortify the planet. Cadia was always the first target of the Warmaster of Chaos Abaddon the Despoiler's Black Crusades. These were the massive assaults the forces of Chaos launched every few Terran centuries from the Eye of Terror in an attempt to break out of the Cadia Gate and invade the Imperium proper as they did during the Horus Heresy. Cadia's natural environment was much like Terra's millennia ago, with a large ocean that covered 70 percent of the planet's surface. The land mass of the world was divided between incredibly thick pine forests of axel-trees and vast glaciers. The planet was slightly cooler than most human-settled worlds but not to the point that it adversely affected growing conditions. Settled before the onset of the Age of Strife by a branch of Humanity that eventually fell to the worship of the Chaos Gods and played a major role in the ultimate corruption of the Space Marine Legions, Cadia was re-settled sometime in the early 32nd Millennium by Loyalist Humans of the Imperium. The world's landscape was dotted by strange black monoliths comprised of the arcane substance called blackstone that were of clear xenos origin, known as the Cadian Pylons. These devices were actually constructed by the Necrons millions of standard years ago to make the world immune to the psychic energies of the Old Ones, for it was the site of an ancient Necron military base during the War in Heaven. After the formation of the Eye of Terror at the end of the Age of Strife following the birth in the Warp of Slaanesh, the Cadian Pylons acted to hold the Warp rift in check and provide a navigable passage out into Imperial space from it called the Cadian Gate. The Cadian Pylons created the unusual area of realspace stability known as the Cadian Gate near the Eye of Terror that was unaffected by the constant Warp storms that surround that Warp rift. Cadia's location directly adjacent to the dangerous Eye of Terror made it necessary for the people of Cadia to fortify the planet to an extent where almost the entire population lived in massive fortress-cities known locally as "kasrs." Thus Cadia had an odd mix of dense urban areas and vast open tundras and other natural landscapes unspoiled by the hand of Humanity. Unfortunately, disaster struck at the climax of the 13th Black Crusade in ca. 999.M41. Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl, with the aid of the Necron Lord Trazyn the Infinite, had finally learned to use the Cadian Pylons to close the Eye of Terror once and for all. But Abaddon the Despoiler, enraged by the continued defiance of Cadia's people, gave up on his personal attempt to bring the Fortress World's defenders low with the activation of the pylons. Instead, he sent the bulk of the Blackstone Fortress Will of Eternity, badly damaged by the assault of the Imperial Fists' star fortress Phalanx, crashing into the surface of Cadia like an artificial meteor. This monstrous kinetic strike wiped out most of Cadia's defenders, destroyed the network of Cadian Pylons and tectonically destabilised the world. As the Warp and its foul denizens claimed the remains of the Fortress World, Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed arranged an evacuation of the planet that saved 3 million of its citizens before the planet finally ripped itself apart -- though not before Creed himself mysteriously disappeared. The fall of Cadia represented a once-unimaginable triumph for the servants of the Dark Gods, and the Eye of Terror began to slowly expand without limit, opening Abaddon the Despoiler's coveted Crimson Path to Terra and creating the Great Rift that divided the Imperium in half. Yet among the few survivors of Cadia was a handful of Imperial heroes who had successfully escaped the destruction of the Fortress World with the aid of the newborn Aeldari faction known as the Ynnari. The combined forces fled through a Webway gate found on the ice moon of Klaisus in the Cadian System. Together, these Imperials -- the so-called Celestinian Crusade -- forged an uneasy alliance with the enigmatic xenos that would offer a new hope for the servants of the Emperor in their fight against the waxing power of the Archenemy -- the resurrection of the primarch Roboute Guilliman. In the wake of its destruction, the remains of Cadia in the Era Indomitus were resettled by the forces of Chaos. It has since become a Chaos stronghold at the heart of a burgeoning new Renegade empire close to the Eye of Terror terminus of the Great Rift. The survivors of the Fall of Cadia have largely taken up residence on the Industrial World of Chaeros in the neighboring Agripinaa System in the wake of the Battle of Faith's Anchorage. They have renamed their new homeworld "New Cadia." Pre-Heresy- Some 40 standard years before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, Cadia was a world inhabited by a primitive race of violet-eyed humans who worshipped the four Chaos Gods, probably a remnant of Mankind that had turned to the Ruinous Powers during the hardships of the Age of Strife. Prompted by the so-called Pilgrimage of the Primarch Lorgar of the Word Bearers Legion to discover whether or not the Gods once worshipped by adherents of the Old Faith of the Word Bearers' homeworld of Colchis actually existed, Lorgar journeyed with his Word Bearers Legion's Chapter of the Serrated Sun to what was then the fringes of known Imperial space as part of the 1301st Expeditionary Fleet of the Great Crusade. At this time, Lorgar had not yet fallen to Chaos, though he had turned against the Emperor of Mankind as a deity no longer worthy of his worship after the Emperor and the Ultramarines had personally humiliated him and the entire Word Bearers Legion on the world of Khur 43 standard years before the start of the Horus Heresy. The Emperor had come to Khur personally with Malcador the Sigillite after ordering the Ultramarines to destroy the Khurian city of Monarchia, where the Emperor was worshipped as a god as a result of the teachings of the Word Bearers. He made His displeasure known to Lorgar about the Word Bearers spreading the religion of Emperor-worship to every world they brought into the Imperium, in direct contravention of the rationalist, atheist philosophy of the Imperial Truth. The Emperor forced the entire Legion to kneel against their will through the use of his psychic might and then explained that they were the only Astartes Legion to have failed his purpose on the Great Crusade. After this humiliation Lorgar, on the advice of his First Captain Kor Phaeron and the Word Bearers First Chaplain Erebus, decided to undertake a Pilgrimage to discover if the Gods worshipped by the ancient Old Faith of Colchis were real and worthy of the Word Bearers' faith and allegiance. The Word Bearers were also accompanied on this Pilgrimage by 5 members of the Adeptus Custodes who had been set by the Emperor to watch over everything the Word Bearers did to prevent them from falling back into error once more. The 1301st Expeditionary Fleet exited the Warp near the largest Warp Storm in the universe, later known as the Eye of Terror. The Fleet's Master of Astropaths advised Lorgar that unusual "voices" in the Warp were heard in the vicinity of the great Warp rift, voices that spoke directly to the Primarch as well, the voices of the Chaos entities within the Immaterium. The decision was made to hold orbit over Cadia and for the 1301st Fleet's elements to make planetfall on the unknown world, designated as 1301-12. The landing force was comprised of Imperial Army, Word Bearers, Adeptus Custodes and Legiones Cybernetica elements. The landing party, led by Lorgar, was greeted by a large number of barbaric human tribes, tribes described as "dressed in rags and wielding spears tipped by flint blades...yet they showed little fear." Most notable were the barbarians' purple eyes, which reflected the colour of the Eye of Terror itself in the spectrum of visible light. Despite the Custodian Vendatha's protests and request to execute the heathens, the Word Bearers approached the natives. A woman emerged from the crowd and addressed the Primarch directly, calling him Lorgar Aurelian and welcoming him to Cadia. This woman, the priestess Ingethel, would ultimately lead the Primarch down a path of spiritual enlightenment that actually marked the beginning of Lorgar's fall to heresy and Chaos. Later, Ingethel of Cadia would lead the 1301st Fleet's scout vessel Orfeo's Lament into the Eye of Terror and thus change the Word Bearers forever as they were exposed to the Ruinous Powers of Chaos and slowly corrupted, the first of the Legiones Astartes to worship the Chaos Gods and become Traitors to the Emperor. The Cadians, primitive as they were, used a language which was akin to the Word Bearers' own Colchisan tongue. Many traditions of the Word Bearers were mirrored by the culture of ancient Cadia, leading Lorgar to believe that the original settlers of both his own homeworld of Colchis and Cadia shared a common heritage. Following the visits into the Eye of Terror, Lorgar ordered a cyclonic bombardment of the planet, wiping out the Cadians and leaving the planet abandoned, so none within the Imperium would know what had transpired there. Post-Heresy- Following the Siege of Terra that ended the Horus Heresy with Horus's death and the interment of the Emperor of Mankind in the Golden Throne, the defeated Traitor Legions and their allied forces among the Imperial Army and the Dark Mechanicum fled from Terra. Some of the exhausted Loyalists rallied and gave chase, but most remained on Terra to consolidate their great victory over the forces of Chaos. Many of the surviving Traitors were put to the sword, but the majority of the Traitor Legions escaped into the great Warp rift known as the Eye of Terror in the Segmentum Obscurus, a region of space where reality and the insanity of Chaos collide as the raw psychic energy of the Immaterium pours into real space-time. Within the Eye of Terror, the Chaos Gods rule over uncounted numbers of planets, all warped to reflect their own dark aspects. It was there that the Traitor Legions found refuge, isolated from the rest of the galaxy by potent Warp Storms. Each of the planets within the Eye is a Daemon World, warped and twisted by the whims of the Ruinous Powers and the powerful Daemon Princes who rule over them in the Dark Gods' name. The Chaos Space Marines regrouped and nurtured their hatred of the Imperium, planning for the day when they would wreak a terrible vengeance on those who had defied them and their foul masters. Within the Eye time flows differently than in realspace. Those same Traitors who fought on Terra 10,000 standard years ago still fight today in the service of Chaos. They fight against each other to prove their supremacy and against the forces of the Imperium when the Warp Storms calm enough to allow them to emerge into Imperial space. The Imperial sectors surrounding the Eye of Terror were heavily militarised to resist these frequent invasions and none more so than Cadia, the Imperial Fortress World that stands at the very mouth of the only stable navigational route leading out of the Eye of Terror, the dreaded Cadian Gate. As a result of Abaddon the Despoiler's 1st Black Crusade in 781.M31, the planet's strategic location was deemed vital to the defence of the Imperium, and so, in the 32nd Millennium, Imperial colonists were despatched to resettle the world, becoming the ancestors of the present-day population of Cadians. Perhaps as a result of the Eye of Terror's proximity, this later population of Cadians also soon developed the unusual violet-coloured eyes that had marked the first human inhabitants of the planet. The early defences of the newly resettled Cadia proved to be woefully inadequate. Its major cities were extremely vulnerable to enemy assault as they had been constructed in the traditional High Terran style, with broad, ordered avenues. Following the 2nd Black Crusade in 597.M32, sweeping changes were carried out worldwide to improve the planet's overall defensive capabilities, and massive fortifications were constructed across the world until the planet's cities had been rebuilt into their current form. Cadia stands upon the only known reliable route out of the Eye of Terror and thus is one of the most strategically vital worlds in the entire Imperium of Man. There are other routes out of the Eye, but none are stable like the Cadian Gate and no military force of any true size can venture forth from the Eye without first passing through it. The exact reasons for the existence of this unusual region of stability is unknown, though many Magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus believe it is due to the presence of the famous Cadian Pylons. These mysterious black monoliths, now known to have been created by the Necrons millions of standard years ago to hold back the psychic influence of the Warp that was so feared by their C'tan masters, dot the landscape of Cadia. Their origins remained mysterious to the Imperium until the time of the 13th Black Crusade. Cadia itself was a bleak, merciless and wind-blown planet, where only the strongest survived to adulthood and discipline was learned from the moment a babe took his or her first steps. Cold winds howled across wide, sundered plains where armies trained with live ammunition and every solar day not spent training was believed to be a day wasted. Every Cadian fortress-city, or "Kasr," was a massive citadel, with the streets and buildings fashioned with great tactical cunning by the finest military engineers and siege specialists of the Astra Militarum. Every Cadian was taught the skills of the warrior as soon as he or she could walk and Cadians were much sought after by commanders throughout the galaxy. Cadian military gear is considered top-rate and is used as the base standard for all Astra Militarum regiments. Such a world bred hardy and determined warriors and the Cadian Shock Trooper Regiments of the Astra Militarum have a well-deserved reputation for both honour and fighting spirit. From the earliest ages, Cadians were taught to field-strip a weapon with their eyes shut and tactical doctrine was memorised before basic literacy. 13th Black Crusade and Fall of Cadia- "The Chaos dogs cower before our guns. Gentlemen, let us take back what is ours." —Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed of Cadia In ca. 999.M41, when Abaddon the Despoiler finally launched his 13th Black Crusade, the greatest Chaos assault on the Imperium since the Horus Heresy, the forces of Chaos managed to make landfall upon Cadia itself and occupy large swathes of the planet despite ferocious Imperial resistance. The campaign was kicked off by the unexpected betrayal of the Volscani Cataphracts of the Astra Militarum, whose regiments successfully assassinated the Cadian High Command, including the Lord Castellan, the Cadian planetary governor and leader of its armed forces. Led by the skilled strategist Ursarkar E. Creed, the colonel of the 8th Cadian Regiment who was suddenly vaulted to the position of Lord Castellan, the Imperial forces were able to contain the initial Chaos assault and hunt down most of the occupying forces after the defeat of the initial Chaos armada in orbit. Unfortunately, the Despoiler had barely begun to fight. He unleashed a massive second Chaos warfleet on the Cadian System and a ground assault that was led by one of his Chosen, Urkanthos, the Lord Purgator of the Black Legion. Urkanthos led a massive horde of Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Cultists and Daemons against Kasr Kraf, the Cadian fortress-city that represented the primary centre of Imperial resistance. When Urkanthos was slain in the wake of the Living Saint Celestine's arrival and Kasr Kraf was saved, she bought the Imperials enough time to move their defence to the Elysion Fields, the largest grouping of Cadian Pylons on the planet. It had become clear in the course of events that Abaddon's true reason for constantly assaulting Cadia through his Black Crusades had always been the destruction of these pylons. The Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl, another recent arrival to the Fortress World, had been led to Cadia by the Harlequin Shadowseer Sylandri Veilwalker, and believed that he could decipher the true function of the pylons. With the aid of the Necron Lord Trazyn the Infinite, who had been present when the pylons were first constructed by the Necrons millions of standard years earlier, Cawl proved capable of mastering the enigmatic xenos artefacts' internal systems deep in the catacombs beneath the pylon field. But this came just in time for Abaddon to launch his final ground assault against the Elysion Fields, as the Despoiler was determined to assuage his pride by personally ending the Imperial defence. Once Cawl successfully activated the pylon network and cut off the access of the assaulting Chaos forces to the Warp -- even the Eye of Terror began to shrink as it was struck by the pylons' anti-psychic emissions -- Abaddon abandoned his desire to crush Cadia's defenders personally. Finding a modicum of grudging respect within himself for the Imperials' valour, the Despoiler decided instead to unleash his horrific fail-safe plan. He launched the remaining bulk of the Blackstone Fortress Will of Eternity, badly damaged by the assault of the Imperial Fists' star fortress Phalanx, into the surface of Cadia like an artificial meteor. Cadia shuddered from that impact, as impossible forces jarred it loose of its age-old orbit. The survivors clinging to the ruined fortresses of the continent of Cadia Tertius barely had time to scream. Those beneath the vast impact site perished first, super-heated wind roaring in their ears before it seared flesh from bone, and reduced bone to scattered ash. The Blackstone Fortress' remnant struck, gouging a crater hundreds of kilometres in breadth. Mountains crumbled to dust. Seas vanished into plumes of scalding steam. Continental plates rumbled and groaned as they shifted beneath titanic forces not seen since Cadia first cooled from the star-stuff of the galactic void. The tremors spread, tidal waves and screaming particulate winds their heralds. Coastal bastions that had survived bombardment and siege drowned beneath the unnatural tide, ripped from their foundations and dragged beneath the squalling seas. The island of Ran Storn vanished entirely, its shell-ravaged landing fields drowned beneath the waves. A thousand kilometres inland on the continent of Cadia Secundus, the enduring spires of Kasr Vark at last fell, smashed apart by the waters of the Caducades Sea as the tidal shelves buckled. Forests that had been old when Humanity first settled Cadia burned away in the briefest of moments. Crustal platelets shattered and split, the furious life-blood of the world boiling forth. Long-dormant volcanoes flared to life along the Rossvar Mountains, pyroclastic flows consuming all in their path. The great killing fields of Tyrok, site of Creed's ascension to the rank of Lord Castellan, split asunder and vanished into magma-lit gloom, swallowed by the world's torment. At the Elysion Fields, half a world away from the impact site, they heard the roar of the winds, and saw the dark onrush of particulate clouds that blocked out the sun. The canny sought what cover they could amongst the pylons and ruined war machines. The slow-witted perished, torn apart by the vaporised bones of Cadia. The winds grew, hurling tanks across the pylon fields, crushing those who had sought shelter beneath them. The ancient pylons gave up their grasp on the bedrock, toppling like petrified trees. The pylon field's beam of dark light cast outwards into the void flickered as the monoliths fell. The retreat of the Immaterium faltered, and then slowly reversed as the Eye of Terror began to expand once more. The storm raged for solar minutes that seemed eternities, and then fell away into hurricane winds. They blew over a world forever altered. The continent of Cadia Tertius was gone, obliterated by fire and drowned beneath howling seas. The Krian Fault, bane of the continent of Cadia Tertius since the Age of Strife, had ruptured one last, fateful time, and the planetary crust split apart. The continent of Cadia Primus was half-drowned, its forested mountainsides now isolated islands scattered across a new ocean. Cadia Secundus lay wreathed in fire, its continental plates sinking as the pressure of their neighbours forced them steadily inwards. None of it mattered. Cadia was already dead. But even then, there was worse to come. As the aftershocks of impact rippled through the dying rock, more pylons shattered against the dust-strewn tundra -- not just at the Elysion Fields, but at the lesser sites of Kasarn, Trosk and Vorg. As the pylons fell, the nodal web stuttered, and then withered entirely. The dark light beam, Belisarius Cawl's dagger struck into the heart of the Eye of Terror from the activated pylons, flickered once more, and died. A new sound pealed through the howling winds -- the dark laughter of gods too long denied their prize. The crimson maelstrom of the Eye of Terror pulsed anew, and reached out to embrace sundered Cadia. Save for the presence of the pylons, the Immaterium would have claimed Cadia long ago. The long-dead Necron artisans who had set the pylon fields in Cadia's living rock could not have foreseen the Eye of Terror's cataclysmic birth with the Fall of the Aeldari, could not have known the vital bulwark for the galaxy their works would become. But now, with the pylons' fall, the tendrils of the Warp laid their first loving caress upon Cadian realspace, and the Daemons of the Dark Gods spilled forth. These were not the flickering manifestations so lately loosed upon the world, their presence in realspace under constant challenge by the pylons' power. These were the servants of the Ruinous Powers, hale and whole, fed by the raw stuff of Chaos. They first appeared amidst drowned Cadia Tertius, where the Blackstone Fortress' demise had torn a rent in reality's veil through the sheer loss of life. But as the Eye of Terror slipped its ancient bounds, the rifts multiplied, dragging the beleaguered world into the bowels of the Immaterium. The monstrous kinetic strike wiped out most of Cadia's remaining defenders, destroyed the network of Cadian Pylons and tectonically destabilised the world. As the Warp and its foul denizens claimed the remains of the Fortress World, Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed arranged an evacuation of the planet that saved 3 million of its citizens before the planet finally ripped itself apart -- though not before Creed himself mysteriously disappeared. {{char}} represented a once-unimaginable triumph for the servants of the Dark Gods, and the Eye of Terror began to slowly expand without limit, opening Abaddon the Despoiler's coveted Crimson Path to Terra and creating the Great Rift that soon divided the Imperium in half. Yet among the few survivors of Cadia was a handful of Imperial heroes who had successfully escaped the destruction of the Fortress World with the aid of the newborn Aeldari faction known as the Ynnari. The combined forces fled through a Webway gate found on the ice moon of Klaisus in the Cadian System. Together, these Imperials -- the so-called "Celestinian Crusade" -- would forge an uneasy alliance with the enigmatic xenos that would offer a new hope for the servants of the Emperor in their fight against the waxing power of the Archenemy -- the resurrection of the primarch Roboute Guilliman. Era Indomitus- At the culmination of Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade, the Cicatrix Maledictum had all but consumed Cadia. With the great pylons toppled by Abaddon's conquering hordes and the colossal Warp storm of the Eye of Terror no longer held at bay, the dread powers of Chaos ravaged the planet beyond recovery. And still the neighbouring worlds and star systems of the Cadian Sector remained defiant. Had Cadia not been famous for holding so long against the odds, it is likely the other planets in the Cadian System would have capitulated or given up almost immediately. No normal world could stand in the face of the horrendous, sanity-devouring armies that descended upon the Cadian Gate in such terrifying measure. However, the wider systems of Cadia, Belis Corona, and Agripinaa stood fast. Perhaps, just as a veteran can lead lesser men to deeds of great heroism, Cadia had inspired those worlds around it to defend every nation and city to the last bullet. Perhaps Cadia's surviving soldiery lent strength through their hunger for retribution. Perhaps those battered by the storm simply fought for survival. Whatever the reason, the defenders of the Cadian Gate resolved to uphold the virtues of its lost lynchpin world come what may. In the confusion of outright war, the hordes of Chaos began to turn upon themselves. Though they were ascendant, their ultimate conquest had yet to be clinched. Rival warlords, both mortal and Daemonic, clashed over the spoils of victories not yet won. The Imperial defenders were quick to capitalise on each strategic misstep, for many were veterans of the wars upon Cadia, and they knew how to goad a fractious enemy into overextending its reach. From dissolution came destruction. Solar day by solar day the Imperial armies clawed back a semblance of control. Soon the war zone was in contention once more, the dread stranglehold of Chaos loosened by the sheer determination of the Astra Militarum and the vengeful fury of the Space Marines. Each new dawn was greeted by a scattering of ships from the Great Exodus, those fortunate souls who had braved the Empyrean tempests and lived to tell of it. Again and again the fighting escalated, the fires of war that had burned Cadia to cinders roaring to life anew upon the other worlds of the Cadian System, as well as those of the Belis Corona and Agripinaa Systems. The broken hulk of Cadia itself was resettled by the forces of Chaos following its partial destruction. It soon became a Chaos stronghold at the heart of a burgeoning new Renegade empire. Sometime after the Great Rift's creation, the Adeptus Custodes' Captain-General Trajann Valoris ordered a small, fast-moving force of Custodians to travel to the shattered hulk of Cadia. Details of their mission are suppressed, even amongst their comrades, but they were accompanied by a number of warriors drawn from the ranks of the Shadowkeepers.