The Vadinax Campaign is Goonhammer’s Global Crusade Campaign for Warhammer 40,000. Each week we’ll explore the major events taking place in the sector and talk about how players are shaping the ongoing story.

If you missed the most recent update before this, you can find it here.

The Battle on Keplon

As Ten Thousand Lies sits in the orbit of Keplon Imperial and Chaos forces have clashed in battles across its surface. And while Imperial forces have held steady on the defense, a few bands of powerful Chaos warlords have pressed through those defenses toward an ancient mausoleum on the planet’s surface, intent on capturing some item there. The Architects of Calamity, the Cabal of the Seekers After Ouroboros, and The Apostate Cabal have been chosen to spearhead the final assault of the Chaos forces, and should they succeed, Shanker Gord will be able to claim his prize.

The Joust

While armies fight on Keplon, preparations are being made for noble houses (and not-so-noble houses) from across the sector to participate in The Joust, a decennial, massive tournament to determine the rule of Orlern. Warlords have earned, stolen, fought for, or just straight bargained for invitations over the last few weeks and now the Joust is set to begin, with the following champions being among those stepping forth to claim the prize:

• Striking Star of Buan-Nali, a Wraithknight of considerable strength
• Bonesaw of Houses Azalea, a Knight Desecrator
• Freeblade Pyrrha Urdanesh, piloting “Upon Golden Wings,” a Knight Paladin
• Executioner Fredrick Noct, piloting “Black Headsman,” a Knight Errant

Of course anyone attempting to win the Joust must go through the planet’s current regent, Azule Astra. And word has spread that Shadebinder of House Gloam will be making an appearance in an attempt to expand his foul empire…

In game terms, our players will be clashing not in standard games of 40k, but instead playing games of Imperial Knights: Renegade, a boxed set game released by Games Workshop back in 8th edition. This game is designed for one-on-one combat between knight-sized opponents, with support for some additional xenos combatants released later on through White Dwarf and other sources.

+++STATUS REPORT: PARASBINE SECUNDUS+++

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Fighting surrounds the stricken Auger of Truth as Strike Force Gladius attempts to prevent the genestealer-tainted ship from ever taking to the skies of Parasbine Secundus again. The Marines have had decent success against the tainted Departmento Laborum, but the late arrival of the Trans-Hyperion Alliance has thrown them back on the defensive.

Further east, the pursuing Imperial forces from Kephistrone have taken a thrashing at the (blade-covered) hands of the Sun’Chur Dynasty in Haxan. Not only have the Necrons awoken many of their destroyer cults, but a shard of the Nightbringer has also been identified stalking the darkened alleyways of Haxan. 

Meanwhile at Miltner’s Docks the bickering forces of Chaos have descended into complete anarchy. Thus far Malioch’s forces have been able to safeguard his mysterious construction project, but the forces of Makarios are throwing their full might into the conflict.

+++STATUS REPORT: TERN’S ENDEAVOR+++

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The defenders of Tern’s Endeavor rally and lick their wounds. Triumphant Chaos warbands, glutted with spoils of their triumph at Valern Citadel, begin to muster once again for the next phase of their bloody campaign. The enigmatic Aeldari busy themselves with secret operations while the chief combatants are distracted, and the Orks… well, the Orks make themselves everyone’s problem, as they so often do.

A new phase of the struggle for Tern’s Endeavor begins, as forces begin to turn the arc of their expeditions towards their goals, decisive conflicts looming on the horizon as shaping operations give way to imminent mortal struggle. New forces are mustered up, new materiel brought in from orbit or through more esoteric means, and every skirmish carries with it the promise of more to follow.

A Rain of Iron

On the opposite side of Tern’s Endeavor from Tearfall, a curious new land-mass has begun to emerge. A mess of slag-mound islands arise in a shallow bay, the detritus of their forming splattered upon the lonely crags for errant miles around. Quite the sight, if any was around to witness its forming… but above the planet, shuddering in its geosynchronous orbit, no-one fighting for control of the Empty Eye cares for the fate of shrapnel and scrap metal and bodies that tumble from the atmosphere to their lonely grave below.

For every power that wishes to move against Tearfall and its primary orbital station above, securing an orbital berthing is of crucial importance, and so T’au strike forces and orkish raiders and blood-drenched heretic astartes clash in battles that threaten to rip the ramshackle space station apart. Some might even prefer that option – as greenskins flood in through the lower decks, more than one party has contemplated taking drastic measures in hopes they might still retain something workable in orbit. A fearsome risk, but the immense likelihood of the station’s wholesale destruction might be little downside, if one is about to lose their foothold already…

The Distant Roll of Thunder

Down on dry land (or as dry as any land can be in Tern’s Endeavor, one supposes), combatants are far from idle, as skirmishes and shaping operations begin to lay the groundwork for conflicts to come. Mellar’s Rift – previously only the site of smaller conflicts – has come properly under siege, several chaos warbands combining their efforts against an Imperial defense that seems a touch less vigorous than it ought to. Probing Imperial strikes, in turn, make their advances upon Grand Kriosa, hoping to unbalance the traitor forces by pushing once more against the stronghold of the unruly horde.

And in Tearfall – the ultimate goal of the invaders, undoubtedly – curious messages have been spread, conflicting information of skirmishes between forces somewhere in that indeterminate sprawl of industrial slums. Official censure was quickly placed upon anyone discussing such falsehoods, but one must wonder if the agents of the Archenemy have already begun their work…

+++STATUS REPORT: PERPLIOR+++

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This is Jex Yarum, the people’s voice! In the hallowed halls of Space Station Pumilian Chaos forces continue to seek out foul warp energy in the inner layers of the space station. The false emperor’s forces of the Torchbearer Fleet Dauntless Intuition fought against the glorious Star Gods and foul World Eaters and chaotic forces of the governor’s own treacherous elite guard.

All manner of enemy forces are clashing on the station stupidly looking for answers. Obviously these efforts are futile as the Day of Ascension draws near, but let our enemies fight each other if they must. 

Stay strong brothers and sisters. The angels of the four-armed Emperor are here, and they will deliver us to the next phase of existence. Fight back against our oppressors! Freedom is nigh! -Brother-Magos Speck

On the surface of our great Perplior Orks continue to ravage the outer countryside destroying world eater formations in the mountains.

++ Hobby Progress ++

+++STATUS REPORT: AGRIPPA IV+++

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Lord Markarios of the World Eaters, reeling from his defeat at the hands of both Captain Heracles and Shadebinder on Parasbine, took his wrath out on Agrippa instead, where his swathe of fury was barely slowed by an emergent force of genstealer cultists, who emerged from the shadows only to be stomped into the dirt with extreme prejudice.

The Genestealer forces were utterly crushed. When asked for a comment after the battle, Markarios could be heard laughing as he bathed in the blood of his foes. “These idiots always come from every angle… almost like they’ve planned some kind of grand ambush. It never works. Can you believe these stupid shitheads spent generations planning this weak ambush?”

Markarios went on to add: “this idiot’s great-great-grandfather toiled in secret for decades so I could shoot his three-armed grandson in the face with a bolt pistol fighting over… what is this, some kind of bombed-out church? We’re not even trying to capture this, it’s just on our way to the governor’s mansion. I can’t wait to burn that dump to the ground and kill everyone inside.”

Next Week: Resolution on Keplon

That wraps up our look this week at the results of the Vadinax campaign but check back next week when we find out what happened on Keplon and look at the first rounds of the Joust. And in the meantime if you have any questions or feedback, drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com.