A Prison for Gods: The Shard Keys discovered.

The End, is suddenly in sight...

As the sudden strike from the Necrons occurred, many pondered on their motivations.  It was known now that the Overlord Hautsi the "Unbidden" had become impatient, that he had initiated the attacks because those in his employ had fallen to their own agendas.  But not the reasons for the locations of those attacks.

On Tresium, the Adeptus Arbiters precinct were silenced as the air filled with pale coloured scythes.  Invasion rays penetrated the fortress within minutes and the stoic defenders of justice, having endured months of siege by locals were slaughtered.
On Rust, Sordid and even bleak Wake, old allies and foes alike found themselves targeted by the ancient xenos.  On Rust and Wake, the Dark Eldar found themselves quickly surrounded, the Tyranids on Sordid meanwhile, reacted to the presence of the Necrons recon parties.

The importance of the artefacts would quickly become known, firstly their importance was paramount to the Necrons.  This was telling. Their powers, given to those who bore then would be known next.  And finally, their relevance to the rogue world Solemnum and the Prison.

The Shard Keys?

In game terms, the Shard Keys are key pieces of wargear allowed for this campaign only.  They double up as both potent gear which can be equipped by the players Grand Warlords, and they also give boons in the campaigns too.  As explained below, each Key bestows different awards on the battlefield, but similar rewards on the campaign map.  They give points for those who possess them in the campaign map and unlock possibilities in the finale battle, where the Keys will do what they were designed to do.  Open.  Or Lock a door.

Shard's in the campaign.

• In the campaign, each Key counts as an extra 3 Territories, added as map extras at the end of each Turn or Phase. They also allow for bonuses on the final world of Solemnum, where the final battle will take place.  The player who has the Key at the end of Turns or Phases gets the bonus, not the original owner, as a Key may change hands many times.
• They are automatically attached to the players Grand Warlord, who can use their powers on the field.  

 Losing or seizing a Key in battle.

• A Key, may be taken from the Grand Warlord, if he/she/it, is slain in combat.  If the Grand Warlord is slain by an opposing character (the final wound is the one that counts) the Key is automatically transferred to the opposing player.  Note the Key's abilities cannot be used immediately.  You got to take it home and poke it a while first.
• If the Grand Warlord is slain by someone else in combat, the Key is taken on a 4+, the low level warriors may not be briefed on its importance, or care in the heat of battle.

The Shard Keys of the Duat.

Designed eons ago, by technologies long since lost, the Shard Keys are slivers of Star Gods, recycled into sentient keys for impossible locks. These artefacts are powerful, leaking out the essence of their original greatness onto those that carry them into battle. Though the sentience is bestial and confused, the presence of such a key can affect the very reality around it, not warping or corrupting like chaos, but playing with it like a true god of old. 

In an act of ironic punishment, it is send that the Ctan deemed too dangeorous to even use as Shard Weapons in or outside of Tesseract Vaults were locked away in the Duat.  The Prison of Prisons.  These keys were shaved off the essence of the prisoners there and used to forever ensure that the locks remained shut, so long as noone would be foolish or strong enough to bring them together...

Necrons Attack! The Mist Walker - Tresium

"Uhsen’Relah, the C’tan known for it’s use of the local weather patterns.  This Shard Key may affect the local moisture levels to dangerous degrees.  Look for any build up of water or odd weather."

Upon Tresium, as the Adeptus Arbites make ready for a siege against the criminals and invaders, they are surprised by an attack from another side.  Upon the fortress which lies atop the planets greatest source of water, the Necrons attack.  With no-one in the vicinity to help them, the fortress goes silent and disappears beneath the waves.  Whatever happened and happens still, remains to be discovered. But the Necrons have taken the entire area, and show no signs of leaving.

Shard Key Effect:
Uhsen'Relah was well known for condemning his victims to a blinding mist, spanning entire continents in impenetrable white.  Not being enough to simply reduce vision, these mists also confuse sensors and jam communications.  All the while, Uhsen preyed on his victims, separating them and slaying them one by one...
The Bearer of the Mists Shard Key may enforce Night Fighting in any game they play.  This Night fighting may not be countered by any means (E.g. Dark Eldar night vision).

Necrons Attack! The Never Ended - Rust

"Derth’Sanykk, a fearsome C’tan known to for its resilience.  Literally un-killable.  I have been instructed to be on the look out for any obvious extensions of life, or such “miracles” in the Faustian Sector."



Despite the sudden appearance of the Necrons, Ozzy has managed to escape their clutches and even go so far as to discover the relic's true power. With it, he will gain powers on the field and a path to the final world: Solemnum.

Shard Key Effect:
Now unlocked to its full potential, the bearer of this Shard Key becomes nigh un-killable.  Wounds re-knit before their eyes, regenerating fatal injuries and severed limbs with contemptuous ease. 
Derth'Sanykk's Death Shard Key essence gives the bearer Feel No Pain 4+ (which cannot be improved beyond 4+) as well as It Will Not Die.

Necrons Attack!  The Frozen Rage - Sordid

"Sezalak, the Frozen Rage, this being delighted on drowning entire worlds into premature ice ages.  Look for out of the ordinary low temperatures."



On the frozen ruins of Sordid's capital city, the key lay amid the ruins.  Tasked with the retrieval of the Shard Key, Nemesor Armaza was hunted and "compromised" by the legendary Deathleaper.  The retrieval team was intercepted by the Tyranids and broken but metres from their extraction point, the Nemesor meeting his end under his hunters gaze.  Disgusted by the failure, Overlord Hautsi has... delayed the Nemesor's resurrection indefinitely.
Despite redundancy planning suggesting the Tyranids wouldn't appreciate the Shard Key's importance, the secondary retrieval team found the Key to have been taken.  It seems the Hive Mind is more cunning then previously thought...

Shard Key Effect:
The bearer of this Shard Key can use the essence of Sezalak, the Ctan of the frozen rage. They are encompassed in a personal blizzard, both obscuring them from their enemies and flash freezing any foolish enough to engage them up close: slowing blood and causing frostbite as well as freezing armour and weapons.
The bearer of the Frost Key gains Shrouded and any enemies in base to base contact have their initiative reduced 1.

Necrons Attack!  The "Twisted Hoof" - Wake

"Little is known about this C’tan, though one mention describes it has bearing “no proof of tongue nor sounds rung.”



In the Valley of Fears the sadistic Dark Eldar have beaten back the tides of bone coloured automatons.  Their previous discovery called them to search the area, deeper this time, and they have located Wake's Shard Key.

Shard Key Effect:
Mysterious and nefarious in equal measure, the bearer of this Shard Key of the "Twisted Hoof" become paler, their skin showing a web work of their veins.  A fell light appears in their eyes as they kill their enemies up close, the faintest wisp of their souls seems to scream in the air before being devoured by the bearer, each blow seeming to be fatal. An eater of souls, they also display an odd shuffle as they walk, a quirk taken from the Shard Key's namesake no doubt.
The bearer of the Twisted Key, gains Instant Death to all combat attacks however they may not Sweeping Advance.

So where does this leave us!?

Well, firstly, Chris has now stumbled across not one but 2 Shard keys, making Ozzy move from comical joke of the campaign to royal pain in the ass. The Tyranids have received a boon too and it seems both Eivind and Chris are within punching distance of dismounting even Rory's Black Scorpions hold on the campaign.  Regardless, the Conquest Points rewarded in the last game may shift the balance enough to see anyone take the prize.

This campaign has however, moved much away from banal measures of success as numbers, to more narrative drives.  Wimaro's Craftworld Eldar and their conflict with Ozzy has been nothing short of brutal.  Cast from Rust in the opening blows of the campaign, they finally came back with a vengeance and secured a clear beach head on the devastated former Maiden world.

Likewise, the conflict between Rory's elite Black Scorpions and Thomas' Imperial Guard has gotten personal.  And religious. Calls of heresy against the space marines chapter have gone heard, especially since Thomas' priest has caused so much grief to Rory.  Rumours abound that Thomas has gone so far as to model his own space marines and a renegade space marine chaplain off Rory's chapter, just to get to him are most likely well founded.  What the future holds for the Black Scorpions remains to be seen, but with the Ecclesiarcy itself in hot pursuit, and the Scorpions holding firm in their beliefs of survivalism.  This will be a story in its own right.

Meanwhile Magnus' Imperial Guard regiments have had a mix of fortunes, having taken a beating recently by the Craftworld Eldar, their part in the narrative has largely been fighting with the Adeptus Astartes, no longer allies, will they focus on protecting mankinds innocence?  Or their own need for vindication?

Or will Eivinds Tyranids, responsible for the death of all life on Warrens End (although no-one believes such a simple entity could use a complex machine... blame the Necrons why don't you!!), may well surprise all by consuming the whole of the sector.  Starting with Acre.

But, speaking plainly for a second, I'm not sure.  Real life has been a pain in the ass for all of us yesterday and the effort required ot even organise the games above has been hard. Despite this, the moral of the group is solid.  The feeling is "lets finish this" and in late May, Solemnum will see her last conflict as the conclusion to the Faustian Schism plays out.

This has been an amazing campaign so far.  Seeing players develop fluff, armies, techniques, alliances and grudges alike.

Who survive or leave victorious?

Thanks for following!
R