Echoes from the Void

Selleon

Star Port Larazu, viewed through the Holo Cradle in an Augur Chamber. Watercolor.
By Eric Bauer

An unfamiliar frequency has been detected by the derilect stations in the Vordrast system. Segmentum Solar appears to have a hidden neighboring system...

A system hidden in the darkness of space and time, long forgotten.

The message repeats on an endless loop, echoing from a distant past:

+++INCOMING TRANSMISSION+++
IDS 4.323.665.M29 HUTHAR SYSTEM CLASS 4

LOCAL SYSTEM STAR HARVESTER... OFFLINE
CORE TEMPERATURE: -455F
REMAINING POWER CORES: 1267

DIVERTING REMAINING POWER TO EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEMS... CONFIRMED

DEPLOYING CRYOGENIC REPOPULATION CLUSTERS... WARNING
17 CLUSTERS FAILED TO LAUNCH
3 CLUSTERS ARRIVED

REQUESTING IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE. ESTIMATED CRC / EBS POWER LOSS 4.821.609.M43.

STAR PORT LAZERU - QUADRANT 43 - SELLEON 5 GALACTIC COORDINATES ENCRYPTED IN TRANSMISSION. WARNING: A COLONY OF VOT...
+++TRANSMISSION TERMINATED+++

The transmission cuts off abruptly. The Huthar system appears to hold an undiscovered civilization, gone quiet before the Age of Darkness.

Muster a small scout force to investigate Star Port Lazeru on planet Selleon. Head to the surface, and report what secrets this ancient system holds.

The forces of the Imperium, Chaos, and Xenos will be drawn to these whispers. Expect opposition...

ARRIVAL AT SELLEON

The Will of the Serpent flinched as the Void Prowler slowed abruptly.

What forces halt the fleet? Have we not arrived
at Selleon? echoed among the hive.

What visions came before him were of nothing he witnessed during his long service to Hive Fleet Apophis.

Selleon appeared in his viewport, a lonesome planet shrouded by chaos. Flashes of lightness and darkness swarmed his sight, the fabric of space tearing just before its wounds stitching together, and the voice echoing in his mind was plagued with static.

...EBS POWERLOSS 4... ...609.M43. STAR PO... ...ZERU - QUADRANT 43 - SELLEON... ...TIC COORDINATES...

Huthar is destabalizing into a warp storm.

Just as predicted, small streaks of energy accelerated towards Selleon. How generous of them to arrive with such haste. The fleet will be fed, and forgotten worlds, devoured, as all life is prey for the Serpent.

TERTIARY OBJECTIVE
DOWNLOAD CARTOGRAPH DATA (ACTION):

One INFANTRY unit from your army can start to perform this action at the end of your Movement Phase if it is within 3" of the Huthar Port Starmap. This action completes at the beginning of your next command phase.

The player who completes this action the most wins the Tertiary Objective for the game.

PLANETARY CONTROL WINNER:

Permanent +1 to Faction's Attacker/Defender Roll

Thuna 6MK

In this fantasy, the villains win; the heroes die. Slow diving to despair. The dead are not dreaming. Can't you hear them screaming? This is a waking nightmare.
              - ERRA, "Snowblood"

Inquisitor Fidus Kryptman leaned against one of the supports in the Prescience's cargo hold. Fresh winds filled his senses as the massive access door grinded to a halt. Despondent visions met his eyes.

Chaplain Ebias Ixarius marched weakly, under support of Brother Gadrail, with bandages hastily wrapped around his head. Kill Teams Kiersand and Vassir flanked their entrance, with Brother Arkandath's silhouette casting darkness over the scene.

Each of them, down to the last marine, was wounded. Blood of Xenos filth stained their scarred armor.

"Report." Kryptman wasted no time, nor compassion, for what traumas his men witnessed these last few hours.

Gadrail looked as if to speak and stopped, his gaze unfocused and distant. Ixarius righted himself and spoke, but his eyes were looking past Kryptman and at the fierce warp storm gathering through the expansive viewport adjacent to him.

"The Ork and Tyranid incursions have been contained for now, but the influences of the warp remain unchecked." Ixarius had a faintly desperate tone, which seemed to bring the rest of his men in agreeance, detectable in their shift of stature alone. "Damn heretics. This is no mere incursion. That wretched wasteland was littered with traitors and daemons alike. We must call a council, sir. Our brothers have surely met the same resistance."

Kryptman spun to the nearby terminal and contacted the bridge. "Notify those in command of each patrol. I call on our bretheren to debrief in council."

He waited for no reply or acknowledgement and brushed passed the patrol, peering into the distance. Through the fog and smoke, Star Port Larazu presented heathen shipcraft accelerating upwards into the hellish warp-torn sky. Whatever the Void Prowler sought, it had not found, for the forces of Chaos were aligned to the same exit vector and proceeding with intent. They had what they needed.

Contempt filled his thoughts as each vessel disappeared into the void, high above their disorderly rout.

He returned to the console. "And track that fleet. I want coordinates and vector calculations within the hour."

Watch Company Quartus waited. A whine of thrusters and engines took over the now silent landscape. Each landed, and disposed of a single representative, marching towards and into where Quartus rested.

A Skitarii Marshal, 'Decay' Rho-Alpha, entered silently, bearing little wear or signs of conflict. "Both Mechanicus patrols echo success. A Necron scout party has been disposed of, though is regenerating in greater strength opposite of the port from which we stand. Our Cog Knights have sustained damage, and need repair."

A stern voice echoed among the gathering, interrupting the marshal. "Some humor calling this meeting on a ship named after that which we know not, Inquisitor?" Grandmaster Vardan Kai growled with rage. "We are ill prepared for this endeavor. Did I not speak of the daemon threat? And what of the flesh terrors of our traitors ravaging our men?"

The Grandmaster reached out adjacent to him and motioned as if to pull some invisible object out of thin air. White and blue energy sparked, and Dadrail Tyrrhenon of the Dark Stalkers marched forth from the gate. He carried a data slate, and extended his arm to Kryptman.

"We successfully extracted cartograph data from a terminal at the Star Port. Sir, this system is a labyrinth of warp energies we have not yet witnessed. The storm above our very heads screams with purpose. The path to Thuna..."

Kryptman moved to the terminal yet again and connected the data slate, breaking Tyrrhenon's attention with insolence. On the overhead screen, a starmap of the Huthar system appeared with three major celestial bodies, in addition to the local star.

A tech-priest by the name of Gallin Krol from the 501st Expeditionary Fleet entered and joined the discussion. "Inquisitor, this system displays an abnormal presence of security." He gestured towards the cluster of moons around the second planet on the screen. "This is where the broadcast is coming from. The 6MK moon orbiting Thuna. It's designation suggests artificial construction. Whoever came before us is unfamiliar. Intriguing that the derelict broadcast communicated in Imperium standard time."

At last, the remaining captains joined the council. Niedrich Benedemnus of Kastro and Andrezius from Agripinaa marched along side Cincinnatus and Athena Gratia. They stood stoic among the other leaders of the Imperium scout forces.

The console rang out. "Inquisitor, the chaos fleet set off for Thuna 6MK. Planet Gnurn is currently orbiting on the opposite side of the system. 6MK must be their destination."

"I need a volunteer to deliver a scout party to Gnurn while we give chase to 6MK. Perhaps we can gather..."

"The warp storm prevents such travel. My paladins have already determined the route is impassible". Vardan was jumpy.

Kryptman let out an inaudible sigh of frustration. "Then we set for Thuna. The legions of Chaos have the initiative. Slaughter them. Make haste for the system and prevent our enemies from discovering any more of Huthar's secrets. And reach that broadcast station. We must know of this system's inhabitants and it's purpose. Do we have an accord?"

A unified statement echoed in the hold. "For the Emperor!"

As the last of the men exited his ship, and the battle-worn men of the watch company left to tend their wounds, a silent shadow to the Inquisitor's left flickered gold. The Custodian's voice echoed in the hold, heard only by Fidus.

"This will be your last failure, Inquisitor."

TERTIARY OBJECTIVE:
INTERCEPT SOLAR-VOX TRANSMISSION

Garbled transmissions fill the communications detectable on Thuna 6MK. Accessing one of the Augur Array Stations may provide a clue towards the secrets of Huthar.

Place the Augur Array Station in the center of the battlefield. One infantry unit may roll one D6 if within 3" of the Augur Array Station and attempt to decrypt the signal at the end of their movement phase. This does not count as an action. You cannot intercept the transmission in the first turn.

• 1: AUTOMATED DEFENSE SYSTEMS ACTIVATE. The Augur Array Station's defence mechanisms detect intruders. Deal D3 mortals wound to the unit.
• 2: WARP STORM INTERFERENCE. Horrifying sounds fill the ears of the unit. -1 Leadership until start of your next movement phase.
• 3+: SUCCESSFULLY INTERCEPTED DATA.

If an enemy unit is within 3" of the Augur Array Station, a 4+ roll is required to successfully intercept the signal.

The player who decrypts the most data wins the tertiary. They will receive a portion of the complete message.

PLANETARY CONTROL WINNER:

Players of the faction who wins the Planetary Control for the chapter gains the following ability:

At the beginning of the game, before the attacker/defender roll, roll one D6. On a 4+, the player gains 1 CP for the game.

Gnurn

Shadows bloom in the skyline.
Surface tension keeps dust in my eyes.
I can't take back the skeletons that haunt me frame by frame.
I can rapture the imprints sent to bore into my brain.
And I know that I feel the end is imminent.
              - Spiritbox, "Rotoscope"

The air was artificial. Thuna 6MK's atmospheric emanators shook the surface support piercing the void of space over the collapsed hemisphere. It was a beautiful sight... in its own way. The moon's crafted surface gave way to the planet's cold metal core. A feint orange light suggested moon was breathing its last mechanical breath. In the flashing blackness of space above, small silhouettes of tendrils and wings flickered directionless yet with purpose.

The tears in reality woven in the warp storm briefly parted to reveal a concerning secret of Huthar. The sky did not greet its visitors with a warm glow, but rather a distorted lens of colorless starlight. The system's star was now a black hole, surrounded by what was once star harvesters now sinking pitifully into it's horizon.

What was unclear became hard truth; Huthar floated dead and cold through the void.

The air no longer carried the thin bitterness of metal, but was forcefully replaced with a hollow stench and foul decay that would leave bare skin sweating with disgust.

A trail of sloughed flesh followed the risen grandson who peered into the vastness of chaos above him. He took in this information, disappointed at the lack of opportunity. Was there no life left to gift his blessings?

Laughter filled his senses. Amused laughter, yes, but unwelcome and unpleasant by nature. Glitched and irregular. Terror himself appeared shrouded in pale flesh, surrounded by phantoms of the night, angry with the failures of his ally. He cared not of the tides of this war, for his pleasure was found in murder.

The blade of Mercy met an unforeseen yet welcome rival.

High above the meaningless squander, this new information sparked a particular sense of enjoyment. Perhaps .75 seconds is necessary, especially among the others aboard, even the Warmaster, enjoying the intoxicating hedonism available. The journey had an end; a path paved; a final destination. The vaults of Gnurn hold the key.

...

The sanctum stood still. The teleportarium chamber was pitch black and sealed behind thick panes of glass and a small security door. Offline and frozen in time.

Two lights in the room were all that gave what light existed on Marthammor: a phosphorescent blue pouring out from a lightless orb floating in the center, and a single monitor revealing the face of the watchman in the darkness.

Countless cables, wiring, injectors, and various life support systems built the post in which he sat. An eternal task. Technically conscious, for one purpose. Monitor the Altar of Transcendence and ensure its stability until a suitable savior arrived.

A servant. Martyr. Volunteer. Prisoner. Bonded to his duty. Waiting for what seemed to be the inevitable.

His eyes shifted slightly to the new alert. "PROXIMITY SENSORS ACTIVATED: VAULT 634DE-45912." The emotionless response suggested this was not the first occurrence of this message. Centuries past have withered such feelings. The engineers made them far too sensitive. The wasteland of Gnurn threw too much debris to warrant any concern or care. Regardless, the video feed would provide him something other than the surge of scrolling status messages since the predicted death of the local star.

The watchman issued a mental command to the system before his eyes, and a video feed flickered to life.

Another pair of eyes met his gaze.

Hope.

A chill crept down his motionless spine. An unmistakable horror, and an incomprehensible figure words failed to describe.

Despair.

Ancient instincts were found deep within his mind, lost for ages but not forgotten.

Another command issued. Another alert raised.

"GNURN SYSTEMS UNRESPONSIVE..."

Again...

"GNURN SYSTEMS UNRESPONSIVE..."

Please...

"GNURN SYSTEMS UNRESPONSIVE..."

Hopelessness, trapped in the course of imminent inevitability.

TERTIARY OBJECTIVE:
VAULT SEARCH

Star map data shows Gnurn, a once lush world, is now inhabitable save for its network of tunnel systems. Entrances to the tunnel system appear throughout the planet's surface.

Place 4 bunker entrances around the battlefield in the following positions:

• 2 bunkers 30" off of the short edge of the battlefield and 11" off each long edge of the battlefield.
• 2 bunkers 22" off the long edge of the battlefield and 15" off each short edge of the battlefield.
• Doors should face the edge of the battlefield. The bunker may be on top of an objective marker.

Players can control the vault entrance as long as they are within 3" of the vault model. The player who controls the vault will be determined in the same way that control of an objective is determined, with the exception of the vault model being considered the objective marker.

ENTER VAULT TUNNELS (ACTION):

Up to two INFANTRY unit from your army can embark into the tunnels if it is within 3" of each vault entrance during your movement phase. Remove this unit from the battlefield. They are now located in the vault tunnels, and can search the various vaults for key code intel. Only two of each players units are allowed to be embarked in the tunnel at any time.

For each friendly unit in the tunnel system in your movement phase, roll a D6. On a roll of 5+, that unit discovers a Teleportarium Key Code. Each time a friendly unit attempts this search, reduce the required roll to a minimum of 2+.

If an enemy unit is currently embarked in the tunnels: on an unmodified roll of 1, when searching for Teleportarium Key Codes, a tunnel fight occurs. The unit that rolled to search for the Teleportarium Key Code and one random enemy unit will be deployed onto the tunnel fight side board. Each unit will be deployed within 3" of the short side of the tunnel fight side board and on the same side of the table as that players table edge. For the remainder of the round the side board follows the phases and procedures as the main play area but contained inside the tunnel fight side board.

If no enemy units are left in the tunnel fight at the beginning of the movement phase you may remove all of your units in the tunnel fight and continue to search for Teleportarium Key Codes or exit the tunnels as normal.

If a tunnel fight is currently on going and another 1 is rolled when attempting to discover a Teleporatrium Key Code, and there is currently an enemy unit in the tunnel fight, then that unit is deployed to the tunnel fight as prescribed above but no enemy unit is added to the tunnel fight.

If the unit involved in the tunnel fight had moved any other time this turn with the exception of embarking in the tunnels it may not move any further in the tunnel fight side board.

Units that are currently tunnel fighting cannot attempt to discover a Teleportarium Key Code.

If it is not the first turn of the tunnel fight for a unit you control, in the movement phase, the player who's turn it is may choose to have that unit retreat from the tunnel fight by exiting the tunnels through a valid tunnel entrance and suffers D3 mortal wounds. Follow EXIT VAULT TUNNELS below.

EXIT VAULT TUNNELS:

At the start of your movement phase, any units currently in the tunnel system may exit from any uncontrolled or friendly-controlled tunnel entrance. Follow disembark rules when a unit is redeployed to a tunnel exit. If the unit is unable to exit the vault tunnels, they may do so next turn. If any unit is inside the tunnel system at the end of the game, consider this unit destroyed.

DESTROY TUNNEL ENTRANCE (ACTION):

One INFANTRY unit from your army can start to perform this action at the end of your Movement Phase if it is within 3" of a vault entrance. The unit places a timed explosive on the tunnel entrance. If this unit is still on the battlefield at the start of your next command phase, the tunnel entrance is destroyed, and cannot be controlled, entered, or exited from for the rest of the game. Remove the tunnel entrance from the battlefield.

The player who discovers the most Teleportrium Key Codes wins the tertiary for the game.

NOTE: Track the number of key codes each player discovers. This will impact your ability to complete the tertiary objective in a future chapter.

PLANETARY CONTROL WINNER:

Players of the faction who wins the Planetary Control for the chapter discovers a free relic within the vaults of Gnurn (Warlord or Crusade Relic).

Marthammor X8

Do you remember who we are?
These tyrants will build an abyss,
but the rest of us wish to exist.
We're hiding like a shadow in the dark.
              - Architects, "Deep Fake"

The video feed inside Vault 424-S342-A appeared completely still. The Watchman briefly thought the feed was malfunctioning, but the sound of dripping water at irregular intervals proved the theory invalid.

Among the thousands of vaults in the subsurface of Gnurn, this room held the only damning information that would lead to his death.

Death. The end of his service. On one hand, his kin would be kept safe should the Teleportarium codes stay hidden from the invaders. On the other, death would be the only thing that could release him from his duty. On another monitor, he issued a mental command to query the life support system status.

2771982 days of vital nutrients remaining. Perhaps a welcoming end.

A rhythmic sound of boots hitting metal echoed through the Watchman's implant, growing louder by the second, increasing in speed and intensity. Aged rusted metal and dirt shook off the wall as multiple low frequency explosions pulsed outside the vault door; a sound the Watchman had not heard in many years: bolter fire.

A screech harmonized with large claws scraping the walls outside of the room, and the bolter fire stopped.

Two steps. Seconds passed. A fist slammed the door. The next strike broke the top hinge. The third freed the door from its frame.

A shadow of thick armor, wide shoulders and red technicolor eyes stood in place of the door, scanning the room intently. The marine's gaze found what he sought; documents, dataslates, and a terminal with all of the necessary information required to enable Marthammor's teleportariums to its core.

He shifted his gaze directly towards the camera. The Watchman felt his gaze. The marine knew he was being watched. He swiftly readied his bolter, and a flash of light was the last frame the Watchman saw before the feed cut out.

A welcoming end, indeed.

MISSION DETAILS:

MISSION BRIEFING

Players venture towards the final destination in Huthar; Marthammor's artificial moon, X8. The sole intent of this moon is to act as a gate towards the inner sanctum located within Marthammor's core. X8 houses a number of teleportariums, granting direct access to the shield world powered within. Whoever lived in Marthammor before lives on the other side of this structure.

Chapter 4 uses a new custom mission. This mission cannot be found in the Crusade Missions. All mission details are listed below.

The first game of Chapter 4 uses Dawn of War deployment. The second game of Chapter 4 uses Hammer and Anvil deployment.

MISSION RULES

Place a Teleportarium in the center of the battlefield. Place two terminals halfway between the Teleportarium and the no-mans-land edge of the battlefield, along the center line, on either side of the Teleportarium.

Vox Shroud: Units must deploy wholly within their deployment zones, even if they have an ability that allows them to set up elsewhere. If a unit can move after deployment but before the first turn begins, it must end that move wholly within your deployment zone. Any time a unit is set up on the battlefield, either because it is arriving from Strategic Reserves or Reinforcements or it has been affected by a rule that instructs you to remove the unit and set it back up on the battlefield, it must be set up wholly within your own deployment zone.

Eternal Darkness: The planet's lightless surface complicates target acquisition. When resolving an attack, subtract 1 from the hit roll if the target is more than 18" away from the model making the attack.

Enter the Teleportarium (Action): Any unit from a player's army can start to perform this action at the end of their Movement phase if every model in that unit is within 3" of the Teleportarium. You can only attempt this action once per terminal, per turn, when you have at least 1 unit within 3" of a terminal (maximum twice per turn). Units that were added to your army during the battle cannot attempt this action. The action is completed at the end of your turn. You CANNOT complete this action during the first turn.

If a unit completes this action, remove it from the battlefield — note that it has been teleported from the battlefield and does not count as being destroyed for any reason.

MISSION OBJECTIVES

Control The Teleportarium (End Game): Score 5 victory points if you control the Teleportarium at the end of the game. Treat the Teleportarium as an objective for the purposes of Objective Secured.

Teleported to Marthammor's Core (End Game): Each time a player's unit is teleported from the battlefield, that player earns a number of victory points relative to that unit's point cost. If the unit is part of a unit that has split into multiple units during the battle, you only receive victory points if every one of those units has been teleported from the battlefield; if any part of the split unit fails to be teleported from the battlefield, no victory points are awarded.

Keep Them Out (Progressive): Score 5 victory points at the end of the battle round if no enemy units have been teleported from the battlefield in this battle round. You cannot score this mission objective in the first or fifth battle round.

VICTOR BONUS

After the battle, the victor can select one unit from their army that has been teleported from the battlefield in the battle (you must select a unit that can gain Battle Honours) - that unit gains one Battle Trait of your choice after the battle (make a note on the unit's Crusade card and increase its Crusade points accordingly).

DEPLOYMENT MAPS

Game 1:

Game 2:

PLANETARY CONTROL WINNER:

Players of the faction who wins the Planetary Control for the chapter are granted the following bonus: +1/-1 to First Turn Roll in the Final Match (Chapter 5) at Boltercon.

Marthammor

I knew, in time, my watch would end.
Starved for the warmth of another.
Starved for the taste of bread.
Starved for life unbound.
I welcome my release of duty.
              - The Watchman

Have you felt what it is like to lose your feet? To fall into nothing, awaiting the crash? Trapped in a promised path?

Your friends stayed behind to grant you this passage, as you greet their gaze one last time. Perhaps the bravest among you. You become enveloped with darkness as you venture into Marthammor.

Immediately, you are overwhelmed with uncomfortable sensation. Your arms feel detached, yet strangled with forces unseen. Stretched, squeezed, and bent in time, falling through flashes of light and dark.

Blood and armor and time cloud what can be seen. Claws of beasts rip into flesh and chainswords cleave as the flickering images of brutal war echo around you. Soundless screams of the dying, their faces marked with helpless horror. The battle is not won, but it is not lost. Not yet.

You are in the void. Pure blackness fades to view. Streaks of blue light suggest others have made it this far, tumbling through space and time. Ahead, a faint white light, like a distant star, welcomes the invaders of Huthar.

Static broken communication fills your mind as your comrades reach out for contact, but that technology does not work in this place.

Images invade your mind from a source unseen. Images of a peaceful colony, sowing the fields of Selleon. The fires of industry burn on Thuna. A successful race, it appears. Shorter and stockier than what the Imperium of man might consider standard for their enlisted. And then, to the tunnels of Gnurn. For a deep secret was unveiled. In the depths of the ore fields beneath the surface of Gnurn, a secret no man could survive. Pure unstable chaos infused the core, attempting to breach its prison. Those unlucky enough to be the First Eyes were seared from reality. Almost instantly, Huthar responded. Not the Votann that held residence here, but the interlinked systems they crafted. Marthammor, the AI construct, initiated containment protocols, and at once, the dyson drones sped towards Gnurn. Marthammor's core chamber shifted and fed reserved material to construct a safe haven; a shield world. All across Huthar, automated transport pods sprung to life, and alarms sounded. As if their entire civilization were drilled in practice, they were delivered to Marthammor with haste.

The dyson drones arrived at Gnurn and weaved through the cavernous ore fields and began constructing a containment structure within the planet itself, around its core. The Votann architects knew their craft well. These systems worked tirelessly in mere days to complete the isolation. A success, but a failure as well, for chaos found its way through the cracks to freedom. It took nearly all of the dyson drones in the system to seal the final surface, sacrificing themselves for their creators. But the warp energies manifested, intercepting some of the late transports delivering the colony to Marthammor. Those who survived stepped beneath the Altar, and were sent onwards to their artificial haven, awaiting salvation, while the warp energies began to multiply and infect the system into an unstable and eternal storm.

The distant light in the void drew closer. Just as it consumes you, your eyes meet the end of the road.

A dark chamber rests before you, housing a large spherical altar made of metal and light. The watchman sits with wide eyes as your friends and your enemies arrive steadily throughout the chamber. A swift shadow growls and crosses your vision and feasts on the helpless man sitting alone at his terminal.

Mechanical sounds echo through the room in response, and all light fades, all except for the Altar of Transcendence; now offering the only thing that can be seen. Strange visions appear warped and distorted around its core sphere. Faces. Peering across their plane of existence into the room, frozen with fear. Some faces are familiar. Faces of the colony. The shield world, and its entrance, stands before you.

Three towers pulse a bright blue in reaction, and form an unnatural connection to their parent construct, the Altar of Transcendence. A deafening shockwave bending light and time emanates from the large orb in the center of the room, enveloping the new arrivals.

Many of those who stand beside you, and some of those who stand against you, fade violently from existence. They are no more.

Those remaining draw their weapons and prepare for what may be their last fight, in a lost and forgotten corner of the universe.

Will you save the colony? Will you leave them imprisoned and consume their world? Will you terminate the Altar and unwrite the Votann from existence? Will you enter the shield world and attempt a diplomatic shared life among the warp torn system of Huthar?

May the last one standing decide.

MISSION DETAILS:

MISSION BRIEFING

Visions of the past, delivered through unknown means, filled your senses as you fell through the void into Marthammor's core chamber. With the arrival of all factions, and the swift death of the Watchman, Marthammor's core chambers attempted an automated defense activation that left your forces dwindled. Only the best of you survived, and will take on the final battle.

Your faction will fight to the last remaining man, with the survivors deciding the fate of the entire system's colony of Votann survivors decimated from the chaos warp discovered in the depths of Gnurn. Controlling the automated defense systems intertwined with the mysterious technology within the Altar of Transcendence will grant your allies the ability to manipulate time and space to your benefit.

This mission is played on a 5' circular battlefield. Reference the deployment zone image below.

MISSION RULES

Place the Altar of Transcendence in the center of the battlefield. Place a Transcendental Pylon objective marker (3 total) 10" away from the Altar of Transcendence, along each line dividing the deployment zones. Each deployment zone has a depth of 20", and must be 15" away from any other deployment zone at any point.

UNIFIED COMMAND: Elect a faction leader. Each faction receives 5000 points to split among all players in their faction. Each player must construct a battle-forged matched play list, built from their existing crusade cards and units throughout the campaign. The point split does not have to be equal among all players, but the combined point cost of each list for each faction must not exceed 5000 points. The faction leader is responsible for all team roll offs. All Planetary Control bonuses are available for the final game.

BALANCE THE SCALES: Each faction starts with 30 command points. Then, each faction must add their crusade points. The faction with the highest crusade point total receives zero bonus command points. The faction with the second highest crusade point total receives the number of command points equal to the difference between their faction sum and the highest total, divided by two. The faction with the third highest crusade point total receives the number of command points equal to the difference between their faction sum and the highest total, divided by two. The team who won +1 CP from Planetary Control receives +2 Command Points at the beginning of every turn.

ARRIVAL IN THE SANCTUM: The faction leader from each faction should roll a single D6, using any bonuses from Attacker/Defender received throughout the campaign. The winning dice roll chooses one of three deployment zones located on the circular battlefield. The second highest chooses from the remaining two deployment zones. The last faction receives the remaining deployment zone.

Once deployment zones are chosen, a blinder wall will be set on the table, masking each deployment zone from their enemies. Everyone has 15 minutes to complete deployment of all units. Reserve units are declared once the blinder is lifted. Everyone has 5 minutes to review the board before the first turn roll off is initiated.

DISRUPTED SPACETIME: (Aura) The reality around the Altar of Transcendence is warped and chaotic, pulsing irregularly throughout the battle 10" away. By interacting with the Pylons in various ways, the Altar of Transcendence will discharge warp energies onto the battlefield.

ECHO CHARGING: All pylons at the beginning of the battle have zero Echo Charge Counters. There are three ways a pylon can be Charged to activate DISRUPTED SPACETIME. Charges last until discharged. Pylons cannot be destroyed. Pylon stats are Strength 8, Toughness 9, 7+ Save, Leadership 20, and have the Fortification keyword. You may charge a pylon in the charge phase, but the model only considered to be engaged for the purposes of rolling fight phase attacks. No other rules apply for being engaged in combat.

1. Receives 6 Mortal Wounds from Psychic Abilities in a single psychic phase: +1 Echo Charge (once per turn).
2. Receives 10 damage in a single shooting phase: +1 Echo Charge (once per turn).
3. Receives 10 damage in a single fight phase: +1 Echo Charge (once per turn).

Echo Charges carry over between turns, but are removed when the DISCHARGE PYLON action is completed. Pylons are considered enemy units for the purpose of abilities that affect the closest enemy model. Each pylon has a separate count of Echo Charges.

DISCHARGE PYLON (Action): Select from the following two variations of this action to perform:

• (Action) The Void Defends: At the end of your movement phase, a unit can start to perform this action if within 3" of any pylon. This action completes at the end of your turn. Remove all charges from the pylon. Deal 1 mortal wound for each Echo Charge removed to all enemy units affected by DISRUPTED SPACETIME.
• (Action) The Void Returns: At the end of your movement phase, a unit can start to perform this action if within 3" of any pylon. This action completes at the end of your turn. Remove all charges from the pylon. One model in each friendly unit from your army affected by DISRUPTED SPACETIME can regain up to XD3 lost wounds, where X is the number of Echo Charges removed from the pylon. If every model in that unit has a Wounds characteristic of 1, that unit can instead be replenished. When a unit is replenished, you can return XD3 destroyed models to that unit with their full wounds remaining, where X is the number of Echo Charges removed from the pylon. Each returned model no longer counts as having been destroyed for the purposes of Morale tests this turn.

MISSION OBJECTIVE

PEER INTO THE VOID (Progressive): Score 10 Victory Points if your faction controls the Altar of Transcendence at the end of your turn.

OFFERS TO THE VOID (Progressive): Score 1 Victory point for each enemy unit your faction destroys affected by DISRUPTED SPACETIME. Mortal wounds inflicted by discharging pylons, when performed by your faction, count as having been destroyed by your faction.

ECHOES FROM THE VOID (Progressive): Score 2 Victory Points for each Echo Charge your faction discharged from a pylon.

MISSION & CRUSADE VICTOR

The faction with the most Victory Points wins the Echoes from the Void campaign, and chooses the fate of the Votann Colony.

DEPLOYMENT MAP

Map not to scale. Measurements on image also referenced in rules above:

League Details

Overview

Echoes from the Void is a Warhammer 40k Narrative Crusade League where three factions partner to venture into an undiscovered and long forgotten system in the Segmentum Solar sector. Players are grouped with other players of their same faction (Imperium, Chaos and Xenos).

Factions at War

Each chapter offers a permanent reward to all members of the faction who scores the most Planetary Control (PC) points. These PC points can be gained through the following ways:

• Crusade Victories
• 1 point per victory of your first two Crusade games of the Crusade cycle
• Maximum 6 points per Crusade cycle
• Hobby Goals
• 1 point for each hobby goal completed by Crusade league members, if that goal contains building or painting models from their faction.
• Hobby goals containing models of any faction reward that faction PC points
• Maximum 10 points per Chapter.
• Tertiary Objectives
• 1 point for Tertiary Objective win
• Maximum 6 points per Crusade cycle
• Tertairy Objective details can be found in each Chapter
• NOTE: Same-faction Crusade games cannot score Tertairy Objectives, including catch up games.

In the event of a Planetary Control tie, the following tiebreakers apply per chapter (in order):

1. Number Tertiary Objectives Completed
2. Number of Faction Victories
3. Number of Hobby Goals Completed
4. Sum of faction's gained XP

Crusade Rules

Players will create lists varying from 500 to 2000 points throughout the Crusade league. The victor will be decided in the final game at BOLTERCON. Rally your friends to complete hobby goals and defeat your opponents in battle for a higher chance at victory.

At the end of each game, report your game result to a Bolters at Dawn staff member who will update the PC Status tracker.

At the end of chapter, every player belonging to the winning faction receives a permanent reward that can be used every game for the duration of the league. The winning faction will be announced in Discord, and their logo displayed on the chapter's Planet.

Unpainted model(s) may be used for a crusade cycle (Game Day to Game Day). After its use, the model(s) must be painted to Battle Ready standards.

While there are narrative additions to the Crusade League, all existing Crusade rules found in the Core Rulebook apply. All battle honor traits and scars must be rolled for in front of another player, or announced in discord. Please use Administratum to configure your Crusade army and record your games.

Make up games must be completed and submitted to Administratum by 11:59pm on the day before the next Crusade Game Day.

Schedule