Invasion of Grimlock - initial moves

The imperial invasion of Grimlock had already been underway for several weeks by the time the main contingent of Librian and Corellian Guard regiments arrived, along with three whole companies of Space Wolves and a company of Imperial Fists. Veers had secured an intitial bridgehead in the region of Haxoa, and in late 11.012M42 began his initial breakout, Renegium and Sumadon fell as planned, along with the important cities of Valpond and Coldoak, but Veers felt success was almost certain when the strategically important peninsula of Atlis fell to imperial forces. Then the other combatants arrived...

The forces of chaos had built up their defences as best they could, but knew that on sheer numbers they would be unable to stand in the way of the imperium. Once again the master of chaos turned to the orks for help, and as before the forces of Da Verminator, Thrugnik and Snazzgubbins heeded the call, in exchange for booty, loot and a good scrap the greenskins would join in common cause with the chaos defenders of Grimlock.

However, Warsmith Stahl and Lorek had more to worry about than a mere imperial invasion. As if triggered by the upsurge in fighting, tyranids burst out of the wilderness zones of Grimlock, indicating that long range spores had been laid by the passing of Nemesis, and now their forces had matured. Within days much of the eastern hemisphere had been overrun by the aliens, with Vastin and the city of Blackdell becoming the forst major city to be consumed by the hive mind. The war was now one of survival.

With the arrival of the tyranids the eldar, who had been openly aiding the imperium in their invasion, changed tack. Contacting their Tau allies they now offered the planet to the Tau. The ethereals, who wanted to avoid a chaos or imperial base close to Tarsis Major, agreed, not realising that the eldar in fact wanted the tyranids to become bogged down in a long and bitter war with their allies, halting their advance. So on 01.012M42 the eldar and tau forces burst out of the webway between the Atal and Errin seas, and in the north west, where they made swift gains. Very soon the chaos forces found themselves confined to pockets, and a defended hub in central south Grimlock. By 0212.012M42 the four way war for Grimlock had began in earnest.