On Carnage there was utter chaos. The traitor legions, divided and weak, could put up little resistance to the chaos threat. Resistance in the eastern hemisphere collapsed as soon as Lorek's forces were defeated, but in the west the Iron Warriors had kept the remaining major settlements of Geskōṉ, Karez-e Khārī and Kōṟaw under their control for over a week despite continued necron pressure by 2810.012M42. On the following day they launched a counter offensive in the hope of easing the pressure on the cities, but were defeated on the Plains of Parsha in a vast swirling set piece battle. Hundreds of thousands of cultists died in the battle, buying time for the traitor legions to get to the heart of the necron army in an attempt to decapitate it. The attempt failed and the forces of chaos were obliged to retreat once more. All of the major cities on Carnage were abandonned by military forces, and a vast train of refugees choked the road to Shayrābād, the last remaining chaos controlled settlement on the world by 0111.012M42.
On Gamordal things were little better for the Imperium. The planet, invaded by necrons in 04.012M42 had held out longer than the major chaos world of Calliden, but it was clear to all that the Harakhty Dynasty had regarded the world as a side show. When Calliden fell, the necrons had made fresh gains on Gamordal, as the invasion of the imperial world was given more military attention. Even so, the necrons continued their wars against chaos and the alliance at the same time, so the Imperium had never faced the full might of the necrons against them.
General Veers, now distracted by operations to invade Grimlock in the Upper Perseus Deeps, had little time and scant resources to spare for his commander on Gamordal. General Potter, an able if unspectacular officer, had been leading the defence of the world since its invasion, and had complained time and time again of lack of equipment and men to do the job effectively. The Imperium also suffered because their supply lines from Corticant and Farport were long and far from major warp routes, and supplies often failed to get through - often due to necron raids from the neighbouring system of Enaloth.
In any case Gamrodal simply wasn't important enough for Veers to waste valuable resources over, despite Potter's insistance that the necrons needed to be resisted fiercely everywhere. When the aliens launched another major offensive on 2710.012M42, Potter appealed again, and was declined.
The necrons launched a two pronged thrust east from the Pellareia plains, quickly isolating imperial guard units in Port Tersius and Callagreick, where vicious street fighting had been going on for weeks. The necron push quickly reached the Rasheik peninsula overlooking the Kerash Bay, trapping some imperial forces in the region of Ventrax, while the rest were increasingly bottled up in the Gamordal valley. Crucially the ports of Gamordal had been lost, making the trasfer of supplies even more difficult.
On 3010.012M42 the Red Angels provided General Potter with assistance, launching a lightning raid on the Eastwier Farming Collective in an attempt to open the road to Port Tersius. The under equipped Astartes fought admirably against the aliens, but the forces of the Harakhty Dynasty had access to overwhelming numbers and equipment beyond the reckoning of mankind. The Red Angels assault was brushed aside by the necrons, who continued their advance east. By 0611.012M42 the situation had become desparate, and talk of "evacuation" became open for the first time in Imperial HQ.
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