FILE REFERENCE: 60M-NC-NECRON SUBJECT: Necron (The Ancient Doom / Soulless Ones) CLASSIFICATION: Xenos Terminus / Majoris CLEARANCE: Vermilion // Inquisitorial Review Mandatory DATE: 999.M41 (Standard Terran Cycle)
The Necron represents a threat of geological antiquity. While Humanity scrabbled in the mud of Terra, and even before the Aeldari rose to their zenith, the Necrons ruled the galaxy. They are not merely xenos; they are the architects of a prehistoric epoch of war that nearly shattered reality.
Originally a biological race known as the Necrontyr, cursed with short, radiation-blighted lives, they sought immortality through a pact with star-gods known as the C'tan. In a process called "Biotransference," they shed their weak flesh and encased their consciousness into bodies of living metal. In doing so, they gained eternity but lost their souls. They are not true machines in the eyes of the Mechanicus, for they were not forged by human hands, nor do they possess a Machine Spirit. They are an abomination of consciousness trapped in cold matter, a static, unfeeling mockery of life that predates the Imperium by sixty million years.
The physical form of a Necron is composed of a substance identified as "Necrodermis" - a polylaminar living metal capable of self-repair at a molecular level. They possess no internal organs, no blood, and no biological weakness. They do not tire, they do not fear, and they do not stop.
Their society is stratified by a rigid, hard-coded hierarchy. The lower orders—Warriors and Immortals—retain little to no personality. They are effectively automatons, slaves to the command protocols of their overlords. It is only the nobility—the Lords, Overlords, and Phaerons—who retain the full faculties of their former selves. These leaders are driven by ancient codes of honour, madness, and a terrifying desire to reclaim their lost empire. Because they possess no souls, they have no presence in the Warp. To a psyker, a Necron appears as a void, a hole in the universe where life should be. This "Pariah" effect causes intense unease and nausea in living beings near them.
For eons, the Necrons slumbered in vast stasis-crypts known as Tomb Worlds, waiting for the galaxy to recover from their ancient wars. The horror of their existence lies in their location. Many Imperial worlds—mining colonies, hive cities, even Forge Worlds—were unwittingly founded upon the dormant surfaces of these Tomb Worlds.
Now, they are waking up. The "Great Awakening" is not a singular event but a cascading failure of their stasis protocols. Across the galaxy, the ground shakes, and green lightning splits the earth as legions of silent, skeletal warriors march from beneath the foundations of Imperial cities. They view Humanity not as a rival, but as an infestation of vermin squatting in their ruins. They do not seek to conquer; they seek to exterminate and sterilize "their" galaxy of the biological filth that has proliferated in their absence.
Necron technology is arcane and surpasses Imperial understanding to a degree that is deemed heretical to contemplate. Their primary weaponry utilizes "Gauss" technology. These weapons do not fire projectiles or thermal beams; they project a focused magnetic field that strips the target's molecules layer by layer. A victim is not burned; they are flayed into atoms, dissolving into nothingness. Even the heaviest Astartes Terminator armour provides scant protection against a concentrated Gauss flayer volley.
Their most demoralizing capability, however, is their "Reanimation Protocols." When a Necron is felled by bolter or las-fire, its self-repair systems engage immediately. Shattered limbs reattach; severed heads fuse back to necks. Unless the chassis is utterly annihilated by high-explosives or melta-weaponry, the enemy will simply stand up and resume the advance. Furthermore, if a Necron is damaged beyond local repair, it will "phase out," teleporting instantly back to its Tomb for reconstruction. Confirming a kill is nearly impossible.
The Necrons are designated Xenos Terminus—a threat to the existence of all biological life. They are divided into "Dynasties" (e.g., Sautekh, Mephrit, Nihilakh), each with its own heraldry and territorial ambitions. While they currently suffer from internal fracturing and the madness of their leaders, a unified Necron empire would possess the power to snuff out the stars themselves.
Of particular concern are their "Destroyer" cults—Necrons who have succumbed to a nihilistic madness, modifying their bodies into floating weapons platforms with the sole goal of extinguishing all life. Even other Necrons view these entities with caution.
The Necron is the death that walks. They are the past coming to bury the future. There is no bargaining with them, for they view us as temporary bacteria. They are cold, efficient, and inevitable. The only response to a Necron awakening is the immediate application of overwhelming force. If a Tomb World is identified beneath an Imperial colony, the recommended action is Exterminatus. It is better to lose the planet to a Cyclonic Torpedo than to feed the legions of the Ancient Doom.
Thought for the Day: The grave has no voice, but the Necron speaks in silence.
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