Games - Necron

	Games - Necron

In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000
, the Necrons are a mysterious race of skeletal warriors that have lain dormant in their stasis-tombs for millions of years. They are ancient beyond reckoning, pre-dating even the Eldar. Yet, they are beginning to awaken, for the galaxy is ripe for harvest.

History

A scant few million years after the birth of the stars, the Necrontyr race clung to their short lives from the radiation scourging of their massive and violent star. The Necrontyr spent aeons expanding their technology in an attempt to extend their lives. They used slow-burning tomb ships, full of cryogenically frozen Necrontyr to populate the stars. When they encountered the Old Ones, the other sentient race of the Galaxy at the time, the Necrontyr were angered to learn that the Old Ones were practically immortal. The Necrontyr started a war against the Old Ones to exterminate them as a reminder of their own failings. When it came down to a war between the Old Ones psychic abilities and mastery of the webway portals, and the Necrontyr's technology, the Necrontyr lost, and were almost exterminated. In a desperate attempt to survive, one of the Necrontyr scientists noticed that there were strange readings over the homeworld's star. The C'tan had been discovered.

The Necrontyr

Not a lot is known about the origins or the natural history of the ancient race known as the Necrontyr. They seem to be one of the earliest sentient races in the galaxy. What little that is known portrays a bitter race, confined to their homeworld and cursed by drastically short lifespans due to a perilously close orbit around their sun.

The Necrontyr were desperate to free themselves from their tortured lives, and dedicated their scientific advance to two endeavours: studying their sun in search of a defence against its wrath, and planning an escape to another, more hospitable world.

Necrodermis

The living metal developed by the ancient and long dead Necrontyr, originally invented for use in constructing their ships. It is a metallic substance that appears to grow and heal as if it were part of a living organism.

The Old Ones

It was during their first difficult steps out into the wider galaxy that the Necrontyr first encountered the Old Ones. The differences between the two races were vast; where the Necrontyr had short painful lives, the Old Ones were blessed with incredible longevity, where the Necrontyr were impatient, the Old Ones were infinitely understanding and patient beyond belief.

The Necrontyr grew bitter and jealous towards the Old Ones, and it was not long before this jealousy lead the Necrontyr into a futile war against the Old Ones' civilisation. The Old Ones were worlds beyond the Necrontyr in terms of technology, and the attacks by the lesser race were easily shrugged off. But a new discovery about the Necrontyr home star would change this drastically; the discovery of the first C'tan.

The C'Tan

The scientists studying the Necrontyr home star had discovered a being of incredible power feeding off its massive energy output. The full weight of Necrontyr science was put behind detailing this discovery, and realising the potential implications such an incredible power might have on the war against the Old Ones. It was not long before other similar beings were discovered, and they were collectively called the C'tan, literally "Star Gods" in the language of the Necrontyr.

The scientists at last managed to communicate with the beings using signals many years long - long enough to be noticed by such a high level of sentience. Using new technologies of living metal, the Necrontyr crafted material bodies for the star vampires, and they invited the C'tan to possess and animate their new material forms.

As the awesome power of the C'tan became material, the Necrontyr began to see these new beings not as guests, but as gods. This suited the C'tan well, as in their material forms they had discovered a new delicacy to absorb, that of the living soul, and the flow of power from the Necrontyr towards their new gods was a welcome thrill.

Transformation

When told of the Necrontyr's troubled existence, and their struggled war against the Old Ones, the C'tan were quick to formulate a plan. Using their mastery of physics, the C'tan would fashion new, immortal bodies for the Necrontyr, forged from a living metal similar to that which the C'tan material bodies were composed of. This way the Necrontyr would get their prize of immortality, and would become an unstoppable force against the Old Ones.

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