The Vadinax Global Campaign starts this week and we’re rounding out our previews by covering the local campaigns that are part of the larger story. Each of these is run by a store or player group somewhere in the world. You don’t have to be a Goonhammer patron to play in these local campaigns – anybody can sign up and play against other people in the campaign to claim territory on that specific planet!
Welcome to Nox Veritas! I’m here to guide you through the war torn landscape of this shrine world as we enter the story of the Vadinax Crusade. The campaign is being run by yours truly, Rocco Gest, and Joe Pascarella with assistance from other admins and moderators of the Long Island Wargames (LIW) community. The planet of Nox Veritas is a world of Joe’s creation and players will be fighting over control of the planet.
Nox Veritas
Within the Imperium Nihilus, the shrine world of Nox Veritas was fueled by the steady stream of pilgrims worshiping at the many shrines and churches that dotted the planet, providing faith to those who see the light of the Emperor. The psychic backlash from the opening of the Great Rift was felt throughout the Vadinax Sector. As the spiritual center for the Ultra Vernor Expanse, Nox Veritas was devastated by the Rift opening. Those who worshiped chaos in the shadows seized the opportunity to lay waste to the planet
The shrine world had a history of Chaos cults boiling beneath the surface. Once the Great Rift opened these seemingly minor cults attacked the shrines with reckless abandon. Soon, the PDF was overwhelmed, and Ruinous Powers began to seep into this holy place.
As the PDF were fighting back the growing Chaos tide on the planet, the skies above Nox Veritas began to darken and thunder, as legions of Orks crashed their crude Roks onto the planet surface. These Orks were once part of a massive Waagh on it’s way to the planet Armageddon. However, they were consumed by the warp and vomited into the Vadinax sector when the Great Rift opened. The Orks were surprised at this change in destination, but they were all too happy to make planetfall. With Nox Veritas bombarded by Chaos within and Xenos from above, the PDF fell, the Astropath transmissions ceased, and slowly the planet fell to Chaos and Xenos. The Shrines fell, but those who continue to fight on Nox Veritas have not lost faith in the Emperor.
Most of Imperial high command in the Vadinax Sector would see the failure of the defenses at Nox Veritas as heretical cowardice. High Admiral Demetrius saw through this and knew that the devout were still fighting in the name of their God Emperor.
The High Admiral called in favors and held many briefings with similarly high ranking officials. He was able to convince them that allowing Chaos to gain a foothold into real space here, would damn the entire sector. The High Admiral was granted the necessary forces from within the sector to form the Veritas Crusade.
The Veritas Crusade has been fighting to free the planet of the taint of the Ruinous Powers for centuries since the turn of the millennium. The war has grown to a fever pitch and this is the final push the Imperium can make to wrest control of their shrine world before it is lost forever.
Planetary Regions
Deus Veritas
Deus Veritas is the most densely populated hive city, and the center for trade and worship on Nox Vertias. Standing almost 50km tall, the Hive City is modeled in the shape of the God Emperor, His sword at His side and His right arm reaching out to bless the planet below him. It stands as the ultimate testament to humanity’s will and determination. Close to one billion souls call this hive city home and the Emperor’s outstretched hand serves as a landing port for trade vessels and pilgrim ships seeking to visit the planet.
Manufactorum Primas
The main manufactorum of Nox Veritas, Manufactorum Primas is responsible for supplying items used in the rituals of the Cult Imperialis across the entire sector. From candles to oils to parchments, all manner of important items are created here. The size of a small city, it is overseen by the few Mechanicus personnel on the planet. A rather pious group, unusual for the Martians, they worship the God Emperor alongside the Machine God as equals. Before the opening of the Great Rift, the planetary governor took great pride in this fact. Now they are too consumed in managing the defense of Deus Veritas to pay attention to the failing efficiency as Manufactorum Primas is besieged by the Xenos and Chaos forces.
Southern Agri-fields
Responsible for growing and producing the food for the planet and its numerous pilgrims, Nox Veritas’ southern agri-fields stretched for miles in every direction. It was a mix between automated growing fields and lush forests filled with wild game local to the planet. Though the fields are war torn the soil remains fertile and is a key location for any force looking to control the planet.
House of God Emperor, Tomb of Saint Nilam
The largest shrine of Nox Veritas is the Tomb of Saint Nilam, an Adepta Sororitas battle sister said to have saved an entire planet from the corrupting influence of a malicious cult, by sacrificing herself in a with a daemon prince of Tzeentch. Now, millions of pilgrims from all over the Expanse make the journey to pay their respects and pray at the shrine. Those who fall during the pilgrimage are carried by the survivors to be buried in the vast cemeteries that surround the mausoleum.
Centrum Inferni
Nox Veritas’ second most densely populated Hive City, Hive Ignis, was the first population center on the planet to fall to chaos. When the Orks landed and planetary forces were otherwise distracted, cultists within the hive began to revolt and throw off the shackles of the Imperium. Already in a position of power as a preacher within the Hive, Germanicus began to further radicalize members of his flock. Through his natural charisma, Germanicus was able to turn them away from the light of the Emperor and the Imperium, unifying the many warring cults that erupted in the turmoil of the Ork invasion. Having successfully wrested control of Hive Ignis from the Imperial oppressors, Germanicus renamed the city to Centrum Inferni. This victory caught the attention of Grand General Kozhrok, and exalted Bloodthirster yearning for battle against worthy foes.
Waagh Scrapyard
In the outer badlands of Nox Veritas, formed from the scraps of fallen ships and Orkish engineering, stands the Waagh Scrapyard. Within its makeshift walls, mek boys forge new weapons of war and nobs ready their boyz for the fight of their lives. At the center of it all stand Waagh City, ruled over by Warboss Ankro. All manner of Ork live here, and as such the city’s several districts are distinct, from the opulent and garish structures of the Bad Moons to the sprawling test tracks of the Evil Sunz.
Dramatis Personae
High Admiral Demetrius
While most of the Administratum forces were opposed to retaking the fallen Shrine World, Demetrius saw that retaking the planet would serve to bolster the faith and resolve of the forces fighting throughout the Sector and Ultra Vernor Expanse. Using every favor owed, backroom deal, and strings he could pull, the High Admiral was able to siphon off and divert forces from other major and minor conflicts throughout the Expanse in order to gather the fleets of warships needed to create the Veritas Crusade. Knowing that the ground forces could not be led by just anyone, Demetrius turned to his long time friend and ally, General Jehanne and fought for his promotion to Warmaster despite communication with the High Lords of Terra being impossible. The two had become fast compatriots approximately 76 standard years prior, when Jehanne had successfully repelled enemy boarders who had found their way onto the Admiral’s flagship, Blinding Fury, during the mining-slave revolts in the Aeronod Mining Belt.
Mangos-Antiquitis Theseus
What is worth more? Duty or knowledge? Before Vadinax, Theseus would have said knowledge without a moment’s pause, for without knowledge, what good is duty? It’s hard to say that in the face of the Fabricator Locum of your home forge, though, especially when he says the future of Illiad IV hangs in the balance. The Fabricator Locum never told Theseus the significance of this system or the powers that fight within. Maybe there is a resource the Locum knows about? Perhaps it’s to prove loyalty to the inquisitors in the system to prevent another exterminatus. Theseus seems to think so.
Whatever the reasons for the Fabricator Locums’ orders, explorator fleet 3704 changed course for the Vadinax Sector and Nox Veritas, their ultimate purpose unclear, but when the forge calls, its smiths must answer.
Vykât Thuûrk, Kâhl of Surtur Rising Expeditionary Fleet
Vykât Thuûrk is a vicious and angry man. The Urani-Surtr Regulates set him out beyond the Cicatrix Maledictum to cause problems for enemies of the Ancestors and that’s exactly what he plans to do. On his way to combat foes in the Tychon System, Vykât Thuûrk was diverted to Nox Veritas where he finds many foes of the League laying waste to a shrine world belonging to the deranged Imperial Cult of the Imperium of Man. Seeing this as good exercise for his kin and an affront to the Ancestors, Vykât Thuûrk endeavors to wrest control from the invaders and lay waste to the Imperial and chaos shrines alike.
Warboss Ankro
Warboss Ankro first came to power during the Ork invasion of the Eldar planet Veloria within the Octarius Sector. The Eldar inhabitants, sensing the planet’s soon destruction, chose to enter the warp as a means of escape. Ankro followed, choosing to leave the greater battle in order to continue chasing the Eldar. When the Great Rift opened, Ankro’s fleet was cast from the warp and thrown across the galaxy into the Ultra Vernor Expanse, and the real space around Nox Veritas. While some of his fleet was able to stabilize after being viciously cast from warp-travel, much of it ended up entering the planet’s atmosphere, and crashing to the surface. Ankro would use the crash site as a base of operations for conquering the planet, naming the fields of ruin, the Waaagh Scrapyard. It would be from the various wrecks of Ork voidships that Ankro would rebuild his great Waaagh! and wreak havoc upon the Imperial planet and its inhabitants.
Preacher Germanicus
Upon the opening of the great rift, chaos and corruption took root within Hive Ignis. Cults dedicated to each of the gods of Chaos began scrambling for power as the city officials were powerless to stop them. Germanicus, formerly a preacher within the city’s church, used his position and charisma to begin uniting the warring cults, unifying them all under the banner of Chaos Undivided through his zealous speeches.
Grand General Kozhrok, the Decapitator
Grand General Kozhrok is the Supreme Commander of the Khorne Daemon warband known as the Void Walkers and is an uncharacteristically level-headed Bloodthirster. A being as old as time itself, Kozhrok grew from the rage, wrath, hope, and despair brought about from the souls of those lost to genocide. He fought in so many battles for the glory of Khorne that combat against lesser beings began to bore him. He now seeks worthy foes in glorious battles of wit and strategy. Only when he finds one worthy dirt on his palms will he take to the battlefield personally. Until then, he leaves the glory of battle to his subordinates, granting them the power they need to fight in his stead. Whispers from the warp and the guiding hand of Khorne showed Kozhrok the Vadinax Sector, where numerous forces gather to oppose each other on Nox Veritas, a planet torn asunder by war between the forces of Chaos, the Imperium of Man, and Xenos interlopers. An excellent place to find those worthy of besting in battle!
How to Play
Now that you’ve become familiar with Nox Veritas and our corner of the Vadinax center, it’s time for the fun to begin. We will be posting updates on our Instagram and Facebook page as well as our Website. We meet regularly at Brothers’ Grimm Games in Selden, NY on Tuesdays and Thursdays and you can join our Discord to schedule games with other members all over Long Island and the NYC area. Also I will be running my own series of articles chronicling my Leagues of Votann army’s conquests through this crusade and the Vadinax global crusade. I hope this inspires you to forge your own narratives with your friends and gaming groups.
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com.
