The Lore

In the grim darkness of the far future, in the confines of the Ultima Segmentum, the worlds of Morologus Novem have emerged from their slumber and already face annihilation.

Located on the edge of the Cicatrix Maledictum, this long-forgotten place has recently become the focal point of all ambitions.

The fall of Cadia had sent shockwaves throughout the galaxy, engulfing many worlds and costing countless lives. In the years following the catastrophe, the currents of the Warp, even more impetuous and treacherous than before, had destroyed or diverted many fleets. One of them, carrying members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, was thus forced to emerge urgently into the material world, crashing in a region presumably devoid of interest and named "Morologus" for reasons lost to time. To their great surprise, they detected a system that showed numerous traces of a rich, prosperous, technological human past.

Later dubbed the "Cape of Despair" by some impetuous Rogue Trader, the Morologus Novem system suffered heavily from the tides of the Immaterium, particularly violent at its approach. However, these worlds and their pale star stood dramatically at the gate of a supposed narrow and perilous passage towards the Imperium Nihilus, attracting the attention of Imperial, Xenos, and Chaotic forces alike. The Cape of Despair became a strategic zone, a dangerous strait bridging the gap between the Imperium Sanctus and the Imperium Nihilus.

An Imperial fleet attempting to painfully emerge from the turmoil of the Warp near Morologus Novem. Illustration by Vukasin Ivkovic.

It should be noted that the disappearance of Morologus Novem (then called "Morologus") from the registries of both the Adepti Administratum and the Mechanicus can be attributed to mundane bureaucratic failures. However, subsequent investigations revealed information about massive shipyards, now vanished, comparable to Mars' Ring of Iron, orbiting one of the system's planets. The cause of their current absence remains unknown, or constitutes knowledge that the Adeptus Mechanicus is unwilling to share.

Imperial forces, driven by the necessity to secure lost technologies and maintain a position against encroaching Chaos, began amassing several flotillas to defend Morologus Novem. The Orks, always attracted to conflict, quickly sensed an opportunity for plunder and bloodshed. For their part, the forces of Chaos quickly caught wind of the new activity in the region, and seeking to exploit the weakening of the veil between the material world and the Warp, they soon converged on the system. More surprising perhaps, the Necrons seemed to emerge from their eternal sleep around this system, which inexplicably resists the terrible tides of the Immaterium.

Amidst this chaos, superstitions concerning some artifact buried beneath the surface of one of the worlds spread like wildfire, a technology, a weapon, or perhaps a dark secret that could tip the balance of power in favor of those who control it. The once sterile halls of the Forge World of Pyrgopolinices now resonate with the crash of war, as factions clash in a struggle for domination, each seeking to unveil the mysteries of Morologus Novem.

As all forces converge on this zone, the fate of the system and the entire Cape of Despair hangs in the balance, its uncertain future shrouded in the shadows of the Warp.

The Imperium gathers its forces at Morologus Novem. Illustration by Eddy González Dávila.