Necron gains in the Deeps

Following their invasion of Carnage the necrons wasted no time in following up their initial assault, launching a devastating advance across the plains of the world.

Three separate advances caught the forces of chaos badly unprepared, but the Claws of Lorek made a stand in the broken country at the rocks of Surkh, hoping to prevent the unstoppable alien advance across one of the last bastiens of chaos in the Deeps.

Lorek was desperate to halt the necrons before they made inroads into the important settlements near the great marshlands, but their efforts resulted in predictable and costly defeat. Lorek’s armies were smashed and Karez-e Khārī fell on 1610.012M42. Meanwhile in the east Mamagul’khvar was captured by the necrons on the same day, leaving chaos forces with only Geskōṉ and Kōṟaw as major settlements under their own control.

The failure of Lorek to halt the necrons did not prevent his forces from attempting to wrestle mastery of chaos forces from the grip of the Iron Warriors however. In a vicious battle on Mordecai the Iron Warriors found themselves under attack by the Claws of Lorek, who had become alarmed at reports and rumours suggesting their leader was about to come to “terms” with the Harakhty dynasty. The uprising was quashed by the Iron Warriors, and fortification of Bastien and Mordecai was stepped up. Either the rumours had been unfounded, or the violent actions by the Claws, despite their lack of success, had convinced the Iron Warriors to dig in and resist the necrons for as long as possible.

Meanwhile on the tau world of Parataea the Alliance suffered a setback, as necron forces burst out northern hills of the world where they had built up their forces in secret over several months. The necrons surprised Shadowstrike’s forces, overwhelming the tau defences near T'Varsh. The tau settlement was taken, and the necrons moved closer to victory on yet another world, although the alliance fought bitterly for every yard of ground.