Reimaging the Necron background (Nagash inspired)

Authors's Note:

Here is my partial rewrite of the background to the Necrons. I've expanded on the background surrounding the summoning of the C'tan and the transformation of the Necronyr into the Necrons.

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To Lord Inquisitor Xanlan,

As your lordship has requested, your humble servant and an Adeptus Mechanicus exploratory team, requisitioned a inquisitorial null ship and while under strict astropathic silence passed beyond the Gates of Varl. Upon translating from the strangely calm immaterum, long range sensors indicated the remains of several star systems, each surrounding a long extinguished star. Moving further beyond the beneficent light of the astroniomicon, we discovered a ancient star that lit the night-black of space with light baleful in its intensity. Several planets were found orbiting the star each covered in the remains of a long dead civilisation.

The first we investigated (Ref:5fxl/dl), was covered in immense architecture that although not identical, closely resembled the monolithic structures encountered on Necrontyr tomb-worlds. Although the atmosphere was found to be within breathable parameters, the absence of any visible life on the planet, suggested the need for life support systems to be used as a precaution. Upon landing, the initial impressions sensed by Interrogator Shama were of a cold burning hate that permeated every stone, resenting us for our trespass. We were about to investigate the closest structure when a strange shimmering haze appeared. Our protective suits disintegrated in seconds and a humanoid shape condensed from the silver clouds. The figure was gaunt, clad only in a dark robe. The creature was an unsettling mockery of the pure human form. It regarded us with sadness. It began to speak and although it’s lip did not form the utterances of standard Gothic, that is what I heard. What follows is a true transcript of the creature’s speech.

“I am he, who was spared to give witness and am the last of my race, the Necrontyr.
I and my brother Nekrall were born as twins into the ruling cast of my people, who directed both the war against the hated Old Ones and our search for a cure against the doom wrote into our very being by the Star that gave us life and which claimed us in death. As we grew, our talents developed in different ways. I found myself most at ease planning grand strategy and motivating our warriors with tales of a better day, when our great struggle would be won, the galaxy at our feet and long life for all. I also loved to research the history of our race and its war. My brother had great scientific insight and threw himself into advancing our dual war against mortality and the Old Ones. When my brother first spoke in public, I was amazed. I always thought of him as quiet and retiring, but on the platform he held us captive. He captured our imaginations with dire tales of the cruelty and malevolence of the Old Ones and kept the flame of hate in our hearts alive.

Years past and bought with them the deaths of our superiors. My brother and I became the rulers of the Necrontyr. Our new position changed us. Horrible secrets became mine to know and I learnt that it was we who started the long war and it was we who committed the overwhelming number of atrocities. I slowly tried to heal our bitter race, by slowing the war effort and focusing resources onto improving the lot of the common citizen. For a while I was successful for my brother was distracted.

His wife, Akala was desperately ill, weak with the star-sickness which is our bane. He laboured night and day to find a cure, doing the unspeakable for his love. At the time I bade the rumours no heed, for I could see the desperate fear that weighed upon him and did not wish to add to his burden. Still I was no fool and sent one of my doctors to assist Nekrall in his researches, while reporting to me all he observed.

Then one terrible night, the dread news came. Despite everything Nekrall had tried, Akala had died. My Brother thought he had a cure, but during the procedure, a single fatal flaw emerged. Nekrall became ravenged by guilt and loss. It was at this point I think that Nekrall first started to truly hate and despise the fraility of flesh, his own especially.

I did my best to drag my brother out of his grief, but to no avail. He refused even to see me for 6 world-turns. When he finally immerged from his dwelling and stood once more before me, there was a strange look in his eyes that made my flesh crawl.

Nekrall threw himself into public life once more, filling the crowds with hate-filled speech after hate-filled speech until bayed for the blood of the Old Ones. His scientific pursuits bore fruit with unsettling speed and he announced that soon we would have the power to finally triumph over all. Intrigued by his fevered claims, I tried to place spies within his research teams. All they could tell me was that a great endeavour started by our distant ancestors was about to reach completion.

Then all of the ruling cast were invited to a great ceremony. My brother presided, telling us that creatures of unimaginable power that dwell within the stars had been swayed to our cause and were willing to take new forms of metal to lead us to victory. As we watched agape, we saw the central metal pedestal engulfed by searing flames that seemed come from the sun itself. The flames shaped the block into a vast figure, towering over us, its details obscure, its bulk covering us with its shadow. The flames died and then the shape came into focus. It was a thing of death made for the bringing of death and it took all the courage I could find to move my eyes up towards its countenance, past a vasy scythe that seemed a part of it. When finally I stared at its cowled face, I saw a docile blankness, utterly at odds with the horror of the rest. Without taking my eyes from it, I heard the click and hum of a switch and then I saw a grotesque transformation. The creature’s face slowly filled with malevolence until I could no longer look, such was its dark power. I fled, chased by fear. Before I turned and ran, the last expression on its face reminded me of Nekrall.

I looked again, my peers were screaming, many collapsing on the floor drained of all that made them. Despite the carnage, Nekrall was unscathed, staring at this butcher of a God with something I could only interpret as… satisfaction.

With the depth of much of the council, Nekrall soon began to claim ultimate power. More of the Star Gods were summoned, but none as deadly as the first and the Old Ones soon began to fall before their vast hunger. As his power grew so did Nekrall’s paranonia. The first of many bloody purges were carried out by both his bodyguard, fanatics who spoke only his words and assassins who struck only from the dark.

Eventually, my spies finally succeeded in gaining access to the research that permitted the Star Gods to walk the material plane. To my disbelief, they swore on the gravest oaths that these so-called Gods were actually mindless, possessed of only animal instincts. It was the living metal that gave them form that also gave them personality, and each personality was a fragment of that of my… my.. brother. The Deceiver, the Dragon and the Outsider, each had been infused with the dark cunning, scientific genius and insanity of Nekrall.

They also confirmed that Nekrall had also been working on another project, cloaked in even further secrecy. The only information they could give me was that the homeless had been disappearing only to be found later reduced to slack-jawed walking corpses, their souls gone but their brains physically intact.

My mind a whirl, I ordered them to gather the information into a document suitable for distribution to the masses. This they did with commendable speed. When it finally lay in my hand I felt like this nightmare was at an end. I strode towards the assembly hall, ready to tell the world of my brother’s villainy, my pace quickening as I reached the podium. Around me were the remaining council, who I would soon win to my cause. Imagine my horror, when instead of words of condemnation and revelation, I heard my voice congratulating Nekrall and giving him my full confidence. I then marched as though my body was not my own, into my brother’s inner sanctum. He stood before me and he spoke. He told me of his plan to flense our race of its morbid flesh and replace it with the cool purity of metal and that I alone would be spared. His agents had infected me with microscopic machines that would keep me bound to his will, doomed to live forever as a witness to his works.

I watched as my race was devoured by the machines of my brother, all turned to soulless metal beings, the council members the leaders, resplendent in the gold finery and robes they wore in life, Nekrall’s bodyguard as the warrior elite and his assassins into whip-bodied butchers of all. Nekrall underwent a dark apotheosis becoming a giant sketal figure, clad in ebony living metal, infested with nanoscale machines capable of repairing immense damage in a eyeblink and a sword with oblivion as its edge.

I bore witness as the empire of the Old Ones collapse utterly and the Star Gods began to rebel against their master. They knew that he intended to use them to rid the galaxy of life so that none could oppose his will. They eventually succeeded, slaying their dark father and banishing his essence to a black pyramid on the moon of our homeworld.”

The Witness pointed upwards to the moon, its sickly pale light suddenly sinister.

“It is there my Brother rests. I beg you do not disturb his rest. I have no idea what you beings are or the state of the galaxy, but I do know that you will find no answers, only death”

The Witness then vanished before our eyes, as mysteriously as he first appeared. As you requested, we continued with our investigation, leaving a small team to continue exploring the Necrontyr home world, I and the majority of the research team made haste for the planet’s moon where we hoped to undercover yet more wonders. I shall endevour to keep you informed.

-:Transmission ends:-

Addendum

- No further transmissions. Likelihood of personnel loss 98.5%