The Warhammer 40,000 universe is vast and cruel, and even 10,000 scribes sacrificed daily to the minor Chaos god of typing lore really fast couldn’t record everything that happens across the galaxy in a single solar year.
That’s where seasons come in. As we mentioned previously, seasons are a new way to explore the Warahmmer 40,000 setting. Each season will focus on a key conflict for six months, letting players soak up the narrative and undertake grand campaigns within each war zone.
First up is War Zone Nachmund, home to the besieged planet of Vigilus. This unlucky little pebble sits at the throat of the Nachmund Gauntlet – the thin strip of safe space that cuts through the roiling storms of the Cicatrix Maledictum and connects the two halves of the Imperium together.
This fact makes it quite the tactical treasure and a hotly contested theatre of battle. To get you ready for a turbulent season of warfare in this setting, we’ve put together a potted history of the struggles Vigilus has endured so far.
The Beast Descends
Not even days after the Cicatrix Maledictum tore the Imperium in two, an Ork fleet capitalised on the chaos and smashed their ships into the great plains of Vigilus, unleashing a brutal Speedwaaagh! on the planet. Understandably, this vehicular vanguard did more than make traffic worse as the Orks began to besiege the hivesprawls.
The Pauper Princes Awaken
As the greenskin invasion intensified, a threat from within revealed itself. The Genestealer Cult known as the Pauper Princes, which had been slowly spreading its treacherous tendrils through the nobility of Vigilus for two centuries, exploded into action. They sabotaged the defences of various hivesprawls, which left the door wide open for Drukhari raiders, as well as incursions by daemonic Gellerpox and putrid Death Guard.
Nemendghast Falls to Chaos
On the fringes of the Vigilus Sector, the Ultramarines rooted out a force of Black Legionnaires and Daemon Engines known as The Daemonkin, whose abhorrent flesh factories were in the process of creating Noctilith Crowns – devices that would soon be used by Abaddon the Despoiler to infuse Vigilus with the corrupting energies of the warp.
Vigilus Stands Defiant
The pandemonium on Vigilus saw the planet almost fall to the combined forces of Chaos, Orks, and the Genestealer Cults. The canny Marneus Calgar pitted these frightening forces against each other and, in a slightly less wise move, challenged Abaddon to a duel in the palace known as Saint’s Haven.
These two legends of the 41st Millennium clashed beneath a blood-red sky, but despite Calgar’s valiant efforts – and one seismic uppercut delivered to Abaddon’s chest – he was cut down by the daemonic blade Drach’nyen.
Calgar’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain, though. He bought just enough time for an Aeldari vessel to cripple Abaddon’s flagship, The Vengeful Spirit. Incensed, the Warmaster retreated, and Calgar’s loyal Victrix Honour Guard retrieved the Chapter Master’s broken, but still living body.
The Maelstrom Breaks
Which brings us to the present.* Vigilus was never truly saved, and Abaddon does not take setbacks lightly.** The Pauper Princes plot and scheme, Speedwaaagh!s have turned the wastes of Vigilus into an apocalyptic destruction derby, and the forces of Chaos continue to spread their corrupting influence wherever they can.
If that wasn’t enough, the war for the Nachmund Gauntlet is heating up again, as the Asuryani of Saim-Hann muster to defend the Exodite planet of Daethe, targeted by the Warpsmith D’vok. You can find out more about this deadly skirmish in the Eldritch Omens battlebox!
That’s Vigilus in a nutshell! Like many settings in the 41st Millennium, it’s ripe with opportunities for canny commanders, and you’ll be able to join in during Warhammer 40,000’s first season.
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* Warhammer+ subscribers can read the entire saga of Vigilus up to this point, as the background sections from the campaign books Vigilus Defiant and Vigilus Ablaze are both available on the Warhammer Vault now.
** The last time his plans were foiled, he blew up a whole planet, so things aren’t looking great for Vigilus.