Warhammer 40,000 End Times - What would it look like?

[Lord Ezekial]

Here are my musings on the 40k Apocalypse :

The Emperor is dying and the throne failing. One of the high lords of Terra (inquisitor) hears the Voice (ala Talon of Horus) of the Emperor and this Inquisitor brings Cypher to the throne and end the emperors life. The Emperor dies and a laugh echoes through the chamber and the 5th Chaos god is reborn.

The Emperor's death scream calls forth Vulkan, Corax, Dorn (armless of course), Lion El Jonson, and Guilliman, they return to their legions and break ties with Terra. The Ecclesiarchy views this new god as a continuation of the Emperor, and they as well as the Militarum fall to this new god. The Mechanium withdraws to mars and a civil war ensues over if this new god is still the omnihassa (sp?). The inquisitors go to war linked to the side of the "new emperor" chaos god.

Meanwhile in the Warp Abbaddon and the fallen primarchs realize the death of the Emperor and feel the release of a new god. The legions gather and strike at Cadia, overwhelming it easily.

Eldar and Dark Eldar view the "new emperor" as the reincarnation of the old ones and make all haste to Terra.

The Tyranids' hive mind also having sensed the Astronomica failing, move in, similarily the necrons sensing a dire threat completely wake up. The Orks being orks just love that there is a fight going on and start a strong invasion.

The old loyalist legions again are split between their primarchs return and loyalty to Terra. Blood angels sensing the danger, scour their legions and finally eliminate their flaw by spilling each other's blood.

We end at a place where the prodigal and lost sons return and team up making a new empire of daemon and man where they are untied against this evil. The new emperor and his legions are seen as the "bad guys" and their cult has killed billions across the galaxy and are the new force now allied with the Eldar but this new god is far darker than any other chaos god and threats to defeat them and enter an age of total oblivion. Orks are still orks, more tyranids everywhere.

This doesn't really account for the death of anyone but we could kill off a number of ways. I just like the way this shakes up the universe, more power players, the return of legions of marines and the "good guys" being bad

I can expand more on my thoughts but I am in class haha

[flail3]

Well, judging by releases so far id see it play out this way:

Wave 1: 13th Black Crusade:
Big Box: Doombreed
3 generals: Angron, Mortarion and Magnus daemon prince models.
Unit Box: Khornate Champions
Single Blister: Empowered Abaddon

Book 1: Abaddon
Details the 13th black crusade. They dominate cadia and make move for terra. Abaddon leads the grand army of chaos and daemons with the daemon primarchs at there head.
The eldar and dark eldar are forced to create blood pacts when the harlequins explain that the united forces of chaos could destroy the galaxy. They use the webway portals to move quickly to terra in delegations to explain the situation and offer help. Then they also send small delegations to the necrons in desperate hope but none return. Finally they send delegates to the tau who politely refuse.

Book 2: Ghazgul
Big Box: Da war machine (ghazgul in a knight sized suit a bit like a dreadknight)
3 generals: 3 named orks riding in smaller imitation meks
Unit Box: Silent Praetorians
Single Blister: The Silent King
Details the ork response to the crusade, Ghaz doesnt want to be outdone and decides to coincide an attack on terra. Chaos draws close to terra and their secret weapon, a caste of renegade inquisitors unleash anarchy on terra. Chaos attack tau along the way and utterly cripple their empire and wipe out the vespids and destroy the kroot homeworld. The survivors are saved only by the timely arrival of Eldrad who helps them escape via the webway and are given Uranus as a homeworld if they will help the now united species against chaos. Almost all chapters send as much of their force as can be mustered except the ultramarines who are sent to break the tide against tyranid forces before they can muster against the imperium, and in the end only calgar and a reserve chapter come to terra as cassius takes command of the chapter. Overall command of astartes is given to Dante of the blood angels, with a council consisting of the five greatest learnt commanders of the imperium: Bjorn, Calgar, Helbrecht, He'Stan and Azrael. The end of the book has the missing eldar delegations from the necrons return with the Silent king and his personal guard, who understand that there race still isnt strong enough after the slumber to survive another war against gods. They pledge their armies to the cause but do not enter the united species causing the other races to think of them as an unwelcome ally at best.

Book 3: The second siege of terra part 1
Big Box: "The One" (an alpha psyker model, a normal human but created by a great sacrifice of 10 million psykers at the emperors golden throne to give him an instant of power, which he creates an alpha psyker out of an inquisitor. Model is like the chaos renegade psyker with head thrown back and arms outstretched but raised 6" in the air surrounded by lightning and swirling spirits a bit like nagash with really ornate base with robed figures kneeling in prayer around the bottom)
3 generals: none for this release
Unit Box: Adeptus Custodes
Single Blister: Constanine Valdor
The siege of terra, chaos arrives and causes a lot of damage, angron famously casts down the outer wall of the palace and breaks upon the marines defending. In an almighty duel calgar breaks angrons sword, but in the end doesn't save him as angron steals back gorechild from kharn and decapitates him. Holding calgars head high above the wall, the forces surge forth. It is only the timely arrival of "The One" that saves the second ring of the palace from falling. In a display of raw power, magnus and "the one" engage in a duel that decimates both sides, but ends with magnus being banished back to the warp. Meanwhile, Mortation goes after the grey knights and in a brutal display of power, enacts revenge and kills Draigo, however in his death draigo banishes mortarion back to the warp once again. The Battle is going badly, the tau are forced by now to engage in close quarters combat ending up with them dying in droves, daemons run amok through terra, chaos icons are raised all over the world, and he last bastion of hope, the imperial palace, is crumbling under attack. The orks attack but are engaged by the combined forces of the eldar, ghazgul strides forward destroying all in his path. Nothing can seem to harm him, as he cleaves through the arrayed wraithknights before him. Eldrad disappears and all seems bleak until the four phoenix lords appear and create a stalemate. It is now that abaddon makes his appearance known, and as he steps forth upon terra he destroys all in his path. As he approaches the last circle of the emprors palace, valdor steps before him.


Book 4: The second siege of terra part 2
Big Box: Greater avatar of khaine
3 generals: Russ, Gulliman and Johnson
Single Blister: The Solitaire
The battle between the orks and eldar has reached a stalemate, but more orks are arriving by the second, and every casualty from the eldar is sorely felt, they are about to lose hope when eldrad returns, and with him the greatest shard of khaine to survive, kept at the heart of ulthwe, the greater avatar of khaine. It strides forth and in an epic duel kills ghazgul. But not all orks witness his death and keep on fighting, until the harlequin Solitaire reaches into the minds of all the mustered orks to show them the death of their leader. Broken and in disarray the orks are butchered by the eldar and dark eldar.
Meanwhile on Terra, "The One" is finally killed as angron has surged far ahead of the rest of the chaos forces that are now being set upon by the victorious eldar. Leaving nothing but a pile of broken bodies angron makes his way to the stairway to the emperors golden throne. It is then that the final play of the empror is revealed. The missing russ, the sleeping lion and the now revived gulliman stand guard at the base of his throne. In a battle that shakes the very foundations, under the weeping gaze of the emperor himself, the former brothers fought. In the end angron is banished back to the warp, and each primarch sheds a tear for a brother lost, before entering the fray below. With primarchs at their head, the imperium and united species push back the forces of chaos. In a duel that has lasted many hours, valdor finally bests abaddon, but before he can deal a death blow horus teleports back to his ship. Their assault broken, chaos retreat and the battle is won. The necrons retreat back to their own empires, along with the eldar. The tau are welcomed into the imperium and the primarchs are regarded as heroes. However the chapters who still mourne or miss their primarchs grow jealous, and either blindly crusade to find them or grow apart from the other chapters. Meanwhile, the fateful duel between the primarchs had more consequences than just that, as now for some reason, something is not working right with the golden throne.....

[Mr Mystery]

If bodies of the two unknown Primarchs are held on Terra - Emperor posseses them.

That'd be equally daft and cool!

Would also like to see swathes of the Imperium abandoned to their fate, as resources are poured into the defence of Terra - not only would that be characteristically an Imperial response, but blows open breathing space for the other big boys, giving us more scope for fun and games once the setting is shaken up.

Overall, Black Crusade would have to be repulsed. Death of The Emperor would likely be the death of 40k after all!

My mate suggested some kind of warp mishap related reappearance of a Great Crusade era Mechanicum Exploratory fleet - so there's new toys galore!

[ElectricPaladin]

I really love the idea of the Inquisitor becoming a super psyker. Can it be Ravenor? Or better yet, Eisenhorn?

[flail3]

I thought of it, but i tried to keep it in standard 40k verse, otherwise id have rex fight angron and i did think of ravenor as the alpha, just wanted to have it a bit more along what gw might do.

[YorkNecromancer]

I always thought it might be interesting to have a really simple and obvious reveal.

The Emperor has always been dead; he hasn't been psychically lighting a beacon - that was just a lie the AdMech made up. The Golden Throne does all the work, and they don't know how it works (because only the Emperor did), and so they've been lying for years. So who or what has been focusing all the energies, fuelling the Imperium?

Khorne.

Because in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.

Khorne has outgambitted everyone. The Imperium has been consecrated to his name all along; every prayer made to the Emperor fed an aspect of him: Khorne as Warlord, the dictator who rules through martial prowess and might.

The Inquisition discover this and all hell breaks loose.

The Astartes immediately factionalise: some declare this revelation heresy, and name themselves 'loyalists' (probably Dark Angels, Imperial Fists, and all those whose loyalty to the Emperor means they can never break through their denial). Others declare themselves 'true sons of the Emperor', and wage war on the Imperium (Grey Knights, Ultras, Salamanders). Some stick their head in the sand and try to maintain the status quo (Iron Hands, Raven Guard). The Astra Militarum immediately splits along similar lines. Khorne lends his favour to the 'loyalist' faction; he never sends daemons or psykers - Khorne-as-Warlord is far more subtle than anyone expected, representing as he does war fought with strategy and guile. However, the AdMech loyalists uncover 'new STC templates'; actually Daemon Engine designs, and begin their mass production.

Including mass production of Daemonically-possessed Iron Men.

The Ecclesiarchy refuses to believe the lie and goes mad, declaring war on everyone, taking half the Inquisition, The Deathwatch, and the Red Hunters Astartes with them

The Eldar sense the shift in the Imperium and lose their minds; they immediately call a conclave and begin amassing a huge fleet of everyone they can - Dark Eldar, Tau, even a few Ork Freebooter Lords. The Necrons see the shift of power and ally with this xenos fleet out of sheer pragmatism.

Just as this all kicks off, The Hive Mind arrives. Not a Tyranid tendril: the motherf***ing Hive Mind itself. The number of Tyranid bioforms in the Imperium has reached sufficient mass and created a large enough synaptic web that every Tyranid fleet-tendril joins to form a single mind. And it is both self-aware, sapient and intelligent. Reports start to come in of Hive Tyrants who come wishing to negotiate - the Hive Mind uses them as voice boxes (think Locutus of Borg but fifteen feet tall and droolier). Some species join them (Tau in particular seem to find the Hive Mind's arguments compelling) and thus Tyranid armies start to see allies for the first time. Tyranid instinctive behaviour begins to alter subtly, becoming cleverer, more strategic, as the Hive Mind ASSUMES DIRECT CONTROL.

And Abaddon? There is no 13th Black Crusade under his command. Not when Draigo shows up, butchers him, and reveals that he has been Khorne's ace-in-the-hole all along - the reason he's so damned Mary-Sue invincible? So absurdly overpowered? He's Khorne's avatar in this plane. Not possessed by a Greater Daemon, not a Daemon Prince: A LITERAL CHAOS GOD. He made himself flesh, and forgot who he was so he couldn't be caught. He hid himself amongst his worst enemies and learned their ways. He trained their greatest champions. He knows every one of their secrets.

So, Abaddon dies and, Highlander-style, Draigo-who-was absorbs his power FOR THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE. Discarding his Grey Knight armour (but keeping the Titansword and Dr'yachen), he opens a portal to allow Angron, Mortarion, Fulgrim, and Magnus the Red through, each of whom is gifted a fleet and a Legion of Chaos Astartes.

Smiling, the then begins the Final Black Crusade.

So, there are now several power blocs:

• Loyalist Imperials, in the service of Khorne.
• True Children of the Emperor, at war with the Imperium.
• Those who want to go back to how it was; those Imperials who just want this all to go away.
• The Ecclesiarchy
• The Xenos Fleet
• The Hive Mind
• Khorne's personal Black Crusade

Yeah, it's silly, but, you know. 40k generally is.

[vigbrand]

With all this, when will the Emperor finally be released from his fleshy prison and finally get the chance to be reborn as the Star Child to reign in the utter chaos the Imperium is in, not just from enemies without but subversives with in? now THAT would be an End Time Event! Courage and Duty!

[Gridlock]

I think that with the Necrons the end times will start with the C´tans breaking free of their prisons, helped by The Deceiver who had hidden itself among the Necrons (it would be right up it´s ally to do something like that).
With the C´tans once again free the Necrons stands with a choice submit to their servitude and hope for mercy or fight to once again impression the C´tans.
This basically spark a civil war amongst the Necrons some choosing the side of the C´tans others fighting for their freedom.
The ones fighting for freedom would be unable to use the C´tans but would gain access to weapons capable of destroying the C´tans Avatars.
Now i say Avatar because a real fully powered C´tan has been described (at least in the old codex) as a being capable of levelling cities, with the merest gesture.
Something like that would be TOO powerful for tabletop as it would basically be turn 1 I win, i basically look at you and your army is gone.

So to explain why this isn´t so, i would put it like this The C´tans have learned from past mistakes instead of putting all their eggs in one basket and risking being blown to bits once again and imprisoned they now go by the divide and conquer tactics.
Implanting the smallest piece of their essences into their Necron slaves they are able to monitor the battles they participate in.
Should they feel that it is required they can take direct control of said soldier and change it´s body into a living Avatar of the C´tan that the C´tan can control directly.

(this would open of for some great miniatures and conversion of necron bodies twisted into the likeness of a C´tan.)

As for the Eldar and Dark Eldar they would have their own problems to deal with Slaanesh has lunched a full scale war against the Eldar and Dark Eldar.
Alot of craftworld is under siege some are drained and destroyed.
Commorragh is underseige as well, tasked by Slaanesh him/her/itself to bring down the city Fulgrim and his emperor´s children laying siege to the Dark Eldar city.
The Dark Eldar getting more and more desperate are throwing even their prisoners at Fulgrim and his horde in the hopes of being able to stem the tide of the battle.
When all hope seems to fail they finally get desperate enough to release their most powerful Prisoner with the promise of returning him and his people should he succeed in fighting of his brother and his armies.

[Andrew Christlieb]

Oh it's the end times? Meh

[Porkchop Express]

I think that with the Necrons the end times will start with the C´tans breaking free of their prisons, helped by The Deceiver who had hidden itself among the Necrons (it would be right up it´s ally to do something like that).
With the C´tans once again free the Necrons stands with a choice submit to their servitude and hope for mercy or fight to once again impression the C´tans.
This basically spark a civil war amongst the Necrons some choosing the side of the C´tans others fighting for their freedom.
The ones fighting for freedom would be unable to use the C´tans but would gain access to weapons capable of destroying the C´tans Avatars.
Now i say Avatar because a real fully powered C´tan has been described (at least in the old codex) as a being capable of levelling cities, with the merest gesture.
Something like that would be TOO powerful for tabletop as it would basically be turn 1 I win, i basically look at you and your army is gone.

So to explain why this isn´t so, i would put it like this The C´tans have learned from past mistakes instead of putting all their eggs in one basket and risking being blown to bits once again and imprisoned they now go by the divide and conquer tactics.
Implanting the smallest piece of their essences into their Necron slaves they are able to monitor the battles they participate in.
Should they feel that it is required they can take direct control of said soldier and change it´s body into a living Avatar of the C´tan that the C´tan can control directly.

(this would open of for some great miniatures and conversion of necron bodies twisted into the likeness of a C´tan.)

As for the Eldar and Dark Eldar they would have their own problems to deal with Slaanesh has lunched a full scale war against the Eldar and Dark Eldar.
Alot of craftworld is under siege some are drained and destroyed.
Commorragh is underseige as well, tasked by Slaanesh him/her/itself to bring down the city Fulgrim and his emperor´s children laying siege to the Dark Eldar city.
The Dark Eldar getting more and more desperate are throwing even their prisoners at Fulgrim and his horde in the hopes of being able to stem the tide of the battle.
When all hope seems to fail they finally get desperate enough to release their most powerful Prisoner with the promise of returning him and his people should he succeed in fighting of his brother and his armies.

I quite like this idea. The problem that I see with it though is the numbers of Emperor's Children. They are supposed to be both very fractured and very small in numbers, and would probably be non-existent if it weren't for the genius of Fabulous Bill.