Kâhl Snorri Starstrider and the Oath-pledged Throng have sworn to protect Kindred Beltspire, even if it takes them beyond the Cicatrix Maledictum. A member of the Varangian Protectorate on the edge of Ultima Segmentum, the warriors of the Kindred Beltspire find themselves under threat from splinters of Hive Fleet Jormungandr. Dispatched by a cryptic response from the Kindred’s Votann, Starstrider and his Throng have braved the Great Rift and arrived in the Gratus system, in search of an artifact with the power to save Kin and Hold.
After the fracturing of Craftworld Biel-Tan the battlefleet 𝘈𝘬𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣ê𝘵𝘩 (Aeldari: she that has Downfallen) was sent off among countless other fleets to search every world in their warpath for evidence of lost Aeldari ruins: seeking to recover ancient pre-Fall tech and resources, lost soulstones containing the spirits and dormant knowledge of millennia-old dead eldar, or the rare discovery of a forgotten intact Webway Gate.
The sudden uncloaked presence of Splinter Fleet Akallabêth in the proximity of Gratus LXIX is an ominous but inevitable sight in the wake of the discovery of Archeotech in the system and the subsequent mad scramble.
Inscrutable as always, the Aeldari of Akallabêth have offered alliance to one of the disparate factions involved in this war: the motive for this rare collaboration a complete mystery. But the Aeldari are said to never make a move without a purpose, and the Splinter Fleet will take any action to achieve its aims: rumors say possibly even allying themselves with their dark cousins from Commorragh.
The Chapel World of Thevanus has been a home of the Adepta Sororitas since the Age of Apostacy. Its holy status allowed much of the world's lush flora to be preserved from the industries of the Imperium and it became a popular site for pilgrimage. The followers of rot saw such beauty as an afront to their god and in the 40th millennia, Lord Septrix of the Deathguard attacked. Landing deep in the forests, he soaked the roots of the old growth trees in a vile concoction of disease and filth. Flowers bloomed and the rot carried on the wind until it covered the world. The order of Sacred Rose, who tended this garden in the Emperors name, burnt every invader and every tree to ash. Abbess Alchermilla and her fellow Martyrs were buried in the ash. Today, the local Order takes it's name from thorny briar that sprouted from their graves to cover the world's surface, ready to choke the life from any who would seek to defile the Emperor's garden.
Antiviral Executor Tiberius-Kappa-82 and his Department have been sent to Gratus LXIX to investigate some network transmission anomalies that have been detected in Imperial communications in the area. On the trip over, the Tech Priests had a spirited discussion regarding the merits of the work of Magos Kruskal versus that of Enginseer Prim. Their cogitators warmed up by this theoretical discussion, they are now preparing a practical presentation on the relative merits of Arc versus Volkite weaponry.