The Great Khan Hunt
A 40k Narrative Campaign
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Prior to the Start of the Campaign
As yet unidentified forces have arrived at Mt. Malleator and joined the Cults of Chaos.
Companions have arrived and joined the Imperium of Mankind in the form of Adeptus Custodes.
The Imperium of Mankind has established a base of operations at Fortress Butsakh with the arrival of the Cadian 52nd armoured regiment.
Hive fleet Prometheus has reached Corusil V and infested it at the site designated Reclamation Pool Theta.
The Cults of Chaos have established a base of operations at Mt. Malleator with the arrival of heretic astartes of the Awoken Chalice.
Who else will make a claim on the planet's surface?
All the astropaths on the planet have at once started repeating a cryptic prophecy:
«The Great Khan is returning! The Khan of Khans is returning! He is returning here!»
«A hawk lands on the horse's head. Where it locks eyes with the Indigo Hawk its gaze follows east but shies away upon seeing the Khan.»
«On the steppes stands a fortress that once bore the name Zugtakh. It escapes the confines of its stables and runs to new land. There it exclaims what it saw on its journey "To the west! To the west! There I saw the hunter!"»
«Butsakh points. Not at his primarch but left of him. The keshig gives warnings of the heretics.»
«Emerging from Arc K'vuo wanders a freezing woman. She seeks warmth and wanders west, but too slow. She sees the khan but turns to ice before she can resume her course.»
«The eagle says farewell to its chicks, they wish it well meeting the Khan. "I have other business to attend first. Then I shall fly at the edge of the rainbow skies before meeting the Khan." The chicks gaze after it, sitting perched above the hive.»
«In the workshop on the coast the tinkerer often looks to the city of rising stars, and then turn her gaze to look at the city of iron. Not today. Today her gaze stops upon seeing the Khan.»
«High atop a mountain, neither in west, nor east, stands a man at the edge of a field of fire. There he decides to reach the highest summit he can see, and as he walks, the khan of khans is on his left.»
«The forces of Mt. Malleator march east and march on. They march on as far east as their dark gods will take them. Yet not as far as the eastern mountains aflame. Why not? Because one man endeavours to stop them. The great khan of khans, the primarch of the Star Hunters, father of the White Scars, Jaghatai Khan.»
«The Great Khan is returning! The Khan of Khans is returning! He is returning here!»
Week 1
The Xenos Alliance has established a base of operations at Arc K'vuo with the arrival of the Kroot called Corrupted Divided.
As yet unidentified forces reinforced the Cults of Chaos at E3.5, forcing Tyranid C to retreat to site B3. Chaos B march to E3.5.
Eager to stop Hive-fleet Prometheus from spreading across the continent from the Arctis Theta space port, the Awoken Chalice attempted a drop assault on the space port, to disastrous results. It is a miracle they managed to retreat to B7 without lasting injury, while the Tyranids claim C4.5, and devour sites B5, C5.5 and B6.
With undercover operations, custodes of the Companions and heretic astartes of the Awoken Chalice fought to sabotage Hive-fleet Prometheus at the Arctis Theta space port, with the Companions taking control of one of the air-strike weapon-systems.
The forces of Chaos has completed blood rituals at the hive cities at G2.5 and H7, causing mysterious lay lines to appear across the continent. Intelligence says three of these will intersect at the Khan's position.
Chaos A has traveled from space port H5 to C4.5, landing as Tyranid D swarmed on site.
The tyranids have begun devouring the north-west corner of the continent, but were interrupted B5 due to the disturbance of Chaos A's arrival.
The Imperium of Mankind has marched out, claiming land, and investigating sites F12, D11, H11 and H10.
Week 2
The Xenos Alliance fought off the Forces of Chaos at the space port of Steppes Ultima before claiming the space port as their own.
The Tyranids and Forces of Chaos fought over sites D3 and B7 until they could fight no more, retreating, and leaving the land abandoned.
The Companions then fought off a Convoy Ambush by the Corrupted Divided at site D11, and fought the kroot off again at site E10.5 while acquiring Casventi.
Eager to take revenge on the adeptus custodes that interfered with their last mission, Nikauron Kell led the Awoken Chalice on another Drop Assault against the Companions, but were rebuffed. The Awoken Chalice has learned their warband champion worships Slanesh, and has intentionally led them to accrue battle scars. They'll take his orders no more.
The unidentified forces of Chaos have been identified as the Forsaken Pearl, and when they encountered both Hive-fleet Prometheus and the Corrupted Divided at the volcanoes of Meridian Ignis they wore them down through attrition until they were victorious, and learned the Secrets Enshrouded.
The Cults of Chaos have claimed sites D3 and B7, and traveled with space ports to sites C9.5 and G9.5, dropping on xenos and imperial forces at each site. They also attempted to fortify site D3, but were swarmed by Tyranids before the bastion could reach completion.
The Tyranids have swarmed Chaos-claimed sites and forces, and gotten embroiled in conflicts. They have also claimed the southern tip of Meridian Ignis and devoured all the surrounding land.
The Imperium is not able to do much before they're assailed by forces alien and heretical, but they claim sites G9.5 and G10.5, and investigate G10.5.
The forces of the Xenos Alliance have marched out from Arc K'vuo, and immediately gotten into many conflicts, outmaneuvering the Imperium and flanking the forces of Chaos.
Week 3
Hive-fleet Prometheus attempted to siege the Companions at the space port at site I6.5. Valerian led his troops to victory, and even though the fortifications fell, the Companions fought off the Tyranid invaders.
Valerian led the Companions in a siege at site F8, trying to push back the Tyranids. The bastion was however protected by powerful synapse creatures. Many Custodes and Sisters lost their lives that day before retreat had to be called. The hive-fleet Prometheus was too entrenched.
Soldiers of the Forsaken Pearl attempted to wrestle the power station of D11 away from the Imperium, but encountered the Cadian 52nd Armoured regiment who fought them on the fields outside. While the 52nd had mainly been relegated to garrison duty up to this point in the campaign, they proved their mettle by halting the heretic's advance, holding the line against those who have strayed from His light.
The Tyranids fought off the Cults of Chaos at D3 before devouring all signs of life on the bridge they had crossed. The Tyranids at site B8 fought off the Imperial forces who marched on them, before they themselves marched on the highly-prized Bastion B9.
The Awoken Chalice and Corrupted Divided formed a villainous alliance to both take revenge on the Companions, as the three armies gathered on an unidentified energy reading in the desert site D9. The Corrupted Divided won the battle, but the Companions uncovered many clues of the prophecy. Alas the mobile troops of the Awoken Chalice were boxed in by their supposed allies, and unable to escape the slaughter of the Companions.
The forces of the Imperium and Cults of Chaos marched on each other at site H8. Both fought valiantly, but were ultimately forced to retreat and regroup.
The Cults of Chaos have been on the move, claiming sites E3.5, G6.5 and F6. They also completed rituals on the Ancient Line at B9, and the Lightning line at E12.5. Chaos B was ordered back to site D3, only to find that Tyranids have begun consuming their peninsula. Chaos D, trapped behind enemy lines, have launched an attack on an imperial power station from behind.
The Imperium has made claim to sites I6.5, H7, G8.5 and C11.5, and have looked for clues to finding the Khan at sites I6.5, H7, A9.5, G8.5 and C11.5. Chaos D reached the Bastion of F8, only to find it taken by the Tyranids. Imperium B found themselves in a similar conundrum marching into the Meridian Ignis, the volcanoes having gone cold.
The Tyranids continue to spread, devouring new land before anyone can stop them. They've fortified site F7, and descended upon the space port of I6.5.
The forces of the Xenos Alliance have swarmed to the space port at C9.5, outmaneuvering the imperial forces that would have intercepted them otherwise. There everything is peaceful, apart for the Tyranid infestation spreading from the west, and the forces of the Imperium and Chaos making battle in the desert just south of them.
Week 4
The site of the Khan's return has been found, and forces are gathering to fight over him.
Acting on outdated intel, the Companions returned to the desert of D9 and fought the Corrupted Divided. But the desert was more dangerous this time, and only a few managed to evacuate. Just in time to hear alarming reports from the Cadian 53rd.
The Cadians deciphered the prophecy, and made their way in all haste to E10.5 to recover the Khan. However, the Awoken Chalice knew the Khan would soon be discovered, and hatched a plan. Already operatives had been sent to sabotage the imperial forces trying to stop Chaos from reaching the Cosmic line and complete their ritual. Now the heretic astartes just had to stop anyone who got any ideas about getting to the Khan too soon. The Awoken Chalice fought off the Cadian 53rd armored regiment, and looted their supplies.
On their way back to Mt. Malleator, the Awoken Chalice encountered hive-fleet Prometheus in the mountains made unstable by the tyranid infestation. Yet again the Awoken Chalice lost to their old foe, but at a heavier cost to the aliens this time. Using data collected on this mission, Nikauron Kell of the Awoken Chalice reassembled a relic, the Beads of Dispergat. Which together with the Maelstrom key, has allowed the Awoken Chalice to vanish from the planet, as their ritual is enacted.
Now forces of the Imperium of Mankind, Cults of Chaos, and Tyranids causing Destruction, are gathering at site E10.5 for the Final Battle.
The Tyranids have claimed and devoured sites G1.5, G2.5, F2, B9, B10 and A9.5, but were attacked by forces of Chaos and Xenos respectively before they could spread further.
The Cults of Chaos have claimed sites G3.5 and F4.
The Xenos Alliance has claimed and investigated site D9 before launching an attack against the Tyranids at their border, only to have the Imperium march on their borders as well.
The Imperium of Mankind have claimed and investigated site I7.5.
Finale
Hive-fleet Prometheus and the Companions of the Adeptus Custodes arrived at site E10.5, having learned this is the site where the Khan is prophesized to return. The Cults of Chaos did not arrive at the site, but instead attacked the lunar artillery on Corusil V's moon, Indigo Hawk, hoping to bombard the Custodes, and stop the Khan's return. The Cadian 52nd Armoured Regiment was already there, planning on aiding the Imperium.
For 10 millenia, Jaghatai Khan has been held captive by the Drukhari, tortured, experimented on, until the awakening of his psychic potential created an opening for his escape. He carved himself out of the Webway, in a confused and frantic state, not sure if anything he saw was real.
He emerged right in front of the Custodes and Sisters of Silence, and ran from the presence of the pariahs. He ran towards monsters he had never seen before, but he saw his Void-bike! A unique jet-bike from the Horus Heresy capable of extra-planetary flight. His way out of here. In his wild state he carved his way through custodes to get off this planet, not realising they didn't fight back. Only while beset by huge monstrosities did he heed the Companions words, that they were here to get him off the planet, to protect him.
Finally, the traitor marines of the Awoken Challice wrestled control of the Lunar Artillery, but too late. The Cadians had stalled them just long enough that they lost their window.
The Companions escorted the returning primarch off Corusil V, even as a rift in real-space appeared, and the world was sucked into the warp. The Imperium has another loyalist primarch, and in these days they could sure use a hero from the days of yore. But can they trust him? What did the dark eldar do to him? Has he truly returned to his senses? Even if he was in a stable state of mind, are his psychic powers safe? Can the White Scars expect their khan of khans to arrive at Chogoris, or will he be taken upon a black ship back to holy Terra?