That's gonna leave the mark, thought Medathron as he contemplated how lucky he was that Ork missile only bounced off his armor plate. Luck or not, he was still standing and Nob's remains were scattered all over the place. He saw that rest of the Ork force was retreating towards their encampment, in the distance the greater Ork force could be seen gathering. But Medathron knew that besides this imminent greenskin threat, a hidden one was approaching. Scout reports spoke of a Iron Warriors Host that was heading for the Celestial Stairs and the ruins beneath. That and the Word Bearer outpost north-west of their position gave Venerable Dreadnought much to think about.

"Blood Angels" he spoke in vox, addressing his whole assembled force "Gather our dead and pick up their gear. Leave nothing for scavenging. Be swift, and when you are done, regroup in Ultramarine Outpost. For Sanguinius"

His men obeyed and scoured the battlefield, carrying the dead Marines and their gear back with them, inside of the Outpost. Thunderhawks landed in the clearing, next to couple of Predator tanks, getting refueled and rearmed. Medathron was already there, waiting his force to regroup and planned his next move...

OOC waiting for the map, etc

OOC: Next time I will try to not make it out of a reflex when an idea strikes me like a lightning bolt! BTW! We still have to bring ToD to an end lolz!

E-gasp!!! Brother Urian, How is it that I didn't see you create this thread!!!! I shall join the story shortly!!! (If there is still room) You began a few days ago and you already have a large amount of posts... You already know my character.

Alpha looked up as the Lictor, still loyal to the Hive Mind, notified the breakthrough. The Ultramarines were in the tunnels, but they still have some way to go before reaching them. Alpha noticed a significant boost in his synapse, and knows the Hive Fleet have arrived. Quickly, he assigned the core defenses to reform the convoy, as he headed to the wall separating him from the chamber that housed the artifact. The time has come. He directed the two trygons beside him to strike at the wall, and within minutes it came down.

Climbing through the hole himself. He was followed only by his tyrant guards. The Hive Tyrant Prime gazed upon the artifact, taking in all of its characteristics and potential for power. Meanwhile the convoy will start heading south, well away from the fighting to tunnel to safe place to head into orbit away from the hostile fleets.

OOC: Please describe the artifact when you can Urian

OOC: this RP has unlimited amount of space of players ^^

OOC: btw you can make use of Leviathan as you wish, just ask me before you throw the Swarm Lord in..... Don't want him to wander around directly from beginning until death and have him be revived over and over and over and over and over ^^

~~ Inside the Maze - Artifact Site ~~

The Artifact was quite big and made out of what looked like pure gold. It sat in the center of the chamber, all ways leading to here and now the maze started to make a sense to the Alpha Tyranid as if a lightning stroke him and enlightened him. It was more than a maze, it was a blueprint and this was part of it.

Blueprint for what? Most likely nobody knew... Except the newly made Hive Mind which came here and made the plans perhaps long ago once the queen had found something... But it was not important as the Tyranids gaze was still focused on the artifact.

The material looked golden, but it wasn't, it looked slightly different, smelled different... and it had a weird effect on him, as if dragging his gaze into it, calling out to him... And others. Surprisingly the Tyrant Guards were not affected at all.

It's shape was weird, like a sarcophagus, like a rectangle box with insignia, it looked older than the time of this galaxy. It was unfamiliar to the Alpha Tyranid but he could easily determine it did not belong to anyone in this galaxy. Though now that he was closer than ever and the seals were broken, it's power flowed free.

~~ Outside - Celestial Stairs ~~

As if the Celestial Stairs were built as a power conductor, the psy energy laid free by the artifact deep beneath unleashed a lightning storm. First a single purple-green lightning bolt hit the atmosphere, then clouds formed as if out of nowhere. It started to rain and just a fraction of a second later more lightning and thunder appeared, everyone with psyker abilities felt a pain in the back of their head as if trying to invade them. The eldar were most affected by it.

Tyranids of the new Hive Mind world-wide started to kill eachother the moment a Synapse creature was 50 meters or further away. Wraithguards and Wraith Lords became completely irritated except a Wayseer would be in the same distance, Weirdboys would explode in green lighting in the radius of 5 kilometers around the Celestial Stairs. Librarians of the Imperium and Sorcerers of Chaos were spared, able to resist it as they recognized the print as the Astronomicon.

Though as if the Chaos Gods or the God Emperor would whisper to them they could hear a voice in the back of their head, only whispering, speaking a language foreign to even the Eldar and Chaos Gods, though short after the voice would fade.

Last but not least reports that came in to the warriors on the battlefield were told that the clouds only occurred in 20 kilometers perfect radius around the Celestial Stairs and that the atmosphere blocked the first lightning as if an energy shield or something contained it within the planet.

Yea, I read that at the beginning. I am working on catching up with all the posts... so MANY! lol So far, my character(s) will fit perfectly. I'll drop my bio-sheet in as soon as I catch up with the other posts (or get tired of reading through the hundreds present).

Annoyed that the artifact is this... unwieldy, Alpha signaled. Another group of tyrant guards led by a lesser tyrant entered. Instructions were sent and immediately the tyrant oversaw his guards lifting the artifact and carrying it back to the convoy heading south. The Ultramarines were closing in fast now, and Alpha needed to react quickly. Another message was sent out, and half of the maze fortress's tyranids begun joining the convoy leaving the Maze behind, while the other half begun using every ounce of Biomass to deploy combat units.

Nearly every bio-pool was drained in the matter of a half an hour, the contents recreated into units. Alpha split the massive army in two. The lower half would leave the area and make contact with the Hive Fleet above at a safe location. It would be led by the head Zoanthrope, the leader of the Zoanthrope council and the first to pledge his mind and body with unwavering loyalty to the Hive Mind. Alpha himself will lead the other half, covering the retreat with an underground slaughter the likes of which not seen in this galaxy since Behemoth.

The Hive Tyrant prime parted ways with the Zoanthrope council and the tyrant guarding the artifact with its guards. Alpha's own guards were about to follow him when he waved them off. They would guard the head Zoanthrope, and use it as the primary link to the loyal hive mind. They would guard it with the same ferocity as they do him, yet though they guard a different target, they will still answer to the Hive Tyrant Prime. He bid them farewell as he headed back closer to the surface to welcome the intruders.

Passing millions of tyranids joining the exodus, the Hive Tyrant finally arrived at the tunnels where the Ultramarines would arrive at. Before him rested the last wall separating the tyranid fortress (now army) from the outside world. Alpha could hear the booms of the melta bombs creeping closer and closer. Beside him, from warriors to Carnifexes, deathspitters to heavy venom cannons to bioplasma launchers, all pointed at the wall in front. Termaguants and genestealers waited to pounce on the intruders. The Heavy Venom cannon on Alpha dripped as he waited for the Ultramarines to break through.

On the other side the lictor was also moving into position. It had stopped tailing the leader but placed itself near the cases of melta bombs that were in reserved. As soon as the break through occurs it will make itself move, as the Ultramarines have wisely stored their spare explosives far in the back of their expeditions, well away from any enemies encountered in the front. Unfortunately for them, the tyranids were not the same as the savaged orks, throwing themselves at their foes until their blood floods the battlefield.

Trygons and other tunnelers had strike force ready to burst into the tunnels that the Ultramarines are arriving at. They would strike from every direction, front by Alpha and the main force, left and right, above and below by the strike forces, while their rear guards would be cut off from the surface. They will all die here, and once they do, Alpha will begin a fighting retreat back to rejoin his army.

2nd Army led by Zoanthrope

It was risky, but fitting all of the increasely large convoy in one massive tunnel cavern will get as many tyranids out of the warzones as possible as quickly as possible. The tunnel was made surprisingly quick, but then again every tunneling tyranid was ordered to assist in its construction and stability. It was so large one might think a Trygon was a termagaunt had one looked at a cut out of it.

However, despite the size, there was no creature greater than a hive tyrant moving in the river of flesh below. Alpha had specifically commanded the construction of smaller units for the evacuation. Losing a hundred termaguants is still less biomass than losing a single hierodule. The massive army moved southward, with an effeciency only capable through a mass consciousness driving every creature.

The Zoanthrope will clear the warzone. The traitor queen will fall. Hive Fleet Kraken will rise again.

Edit: done.

((Well the one I posted was an example. I'm down with scrapping it as it only takes me like 5 minutes to make one of those and I have a bare version of the same one. Either way, I personally need a world map just as bad as I need region maps.))

1 KM from the Ultramarine/Blood angel outpost

"Come on, come on you, come to uz..." The kommando nob muttered to himself as dreadnought ripped the mega nob apart. "Yeah follow de orks right to uz... No no NO! Zog!" The dreadnought had turned around instead of pursuing the fleeing orks further. "An' here we waz wiff rokkits and tankhammaz, waitin for a gud kill." The orks started to pack up and uncamo their trukk. They were the kommandos that the big mek had sent ahead to scout the outpost, they had set up an ambush in a small brook covered by trees. "Wait boss! Sum spiky boyz are commin! Kupple miles away!" This indeed was an interesting development, they would wait and see if there would still be an opportunity to use their weapons...

Mek compound (AKA where I first looted all the tanks)

This was indeed a sad day for Wurrtek. First the gribblies collapsed the tunnels right in front of him. Then the shiny boyz blew hole in his wagons and he didn't have anything to show for it. No loot, no good killing, just one carnifex.
While sipping at the squig brew infront of him, an idea struck him. It started to gain more and more traction in his mind. "Boyz, rememba doze flyas we looted? Load up sum killa kans, deff dreads and the diggas! We got shtuff to do!"
He strode out of the crude bar the orks had built and oversaw the loading and fuelling of the vehicles. Suddenly he noticed the huge storm erupted from the mountain covering everything under the celestial stair in rain and shadow. It would make flying difficult, but not immpossible, at least by orkish standards.
Thinking this must be the artifact, he thought of the possibilities... The galaxys largest Tellyporta! A kruzer sized Shokk attack gun! Yes, if this thing fell into his greedy green hands...

Imperial City Ruins
All hell had broken loose by the time Atrius even laid eyes upon the bunker serving as the lone entrance to the armory. Tyranids had sprung up from the sewers, tiring of trying to find a route that would get them top side quickly and enmasse the warriors ordered the Termagants to claw their way up through the various manholes in the city, filling the streets with roving broods of furious xenos while most of the warriors lurked below maintaining their hold over the small swarm from the relative safety of the sewers. Reports came in of combat back at the sewage plant and that already the small force of PDF soldiers had been decimated and the civilians had broken into the streets only to be caught by roving gangs of cultist, flocks of furies or further broods of alien monstrosities.

"We just lost contact with our hold out, it's just us till our brothers arrive. They're getting bogged down by cultist ambushes and now Tyranid skirmishers. " Matthew frowned back at their Sergeant.

"Eyes forward! Warp damn these xenos and heretics, if nothing else the abominations will fight each other as readily as ourselves." Atrius snapped as mounting frustration was finally vented. "Sergeant get your men into that bunker, any supplies, munitions and defenses left within are to be brought up. Davian, Matthew take cover in the nearby buildings and watch the approaches. Silently each scout broke off to find himself a perch in the ruins overlooking the roads. Atrius meanwhile took stock of their new hold out; It was a large eight sided structure on a raised platform of solid rockrete rimmed along the top with defensive walls with a thin gap between the roof that allowed garrisoned soldiers to fire from. Three stair ways allowed access to the roof from the North, West and South. As far as he could see it lacked much in the way of automated defenses, stubber emplacements having been blown apart along with chunks of the walls.

The PDF Sergeant met him once more as they walked in. "Completely cleared of any supplies my Lord. Anything that wasn't scavenged appears to of been destroyed by an explosion of some sort. " A las shot flashed down in the chamber below and both men descended the stairs into the bunker and the armory built beneath. One of the PDF troopers lay braced against a wall with his lasgun pointed up toward a smoking crater that was once his face. Atrius spat in disgust. "Get your men up to the firing ports now, don't need any more such incidents. " Turning away Atrius returned to bunker. "Matthew, contact Sergeant Deris and tell him we're all in position and waiting for him. "


The Razorback's heavy bolters clinked as it ran dry, having spent all of it's shells the transport was left with only it's armored form and the lone pintle mounted storm bolter to strike down the enemy. Their pursuers had become bogged down by several broods of termagants. Seizing the opportunity Deris ordered brother Damien to let loose with the flame thrower while the Razorback exhausted it's supply of shells to get them through the xenos and heretics surrounding them. Once more making progress through the streets a familiar voice came to his ear, one of Atrius's Neophytes. "We're in position at these designated coordinates, enemy forces engaged on nearby roads with more enroute. " Deris received the new locations coordinates within his helms visor and reworked their path.

"Just broke free of enemy conflict, we are advancing directly to your position. Devastator Squadron has gone silent, seems we may be the only ones left in the city. Status on evac?"

"HQ is under siege and cannot spare any Thunderhawks. Reinforcement also seems to be similarly out of the question, going to contact our forces outside the Ruins and see if they have anything to spare, I wouldn't get my hopes up though."

"Hope is the first step to disappointment young one. Deris Out." The Tactical Sergeant sighed within his helmet, the Ruins were at the heart of this whole conflict and he imagined they were under even greater assault than their command compound. Several armed civilians to his right were suddenly cut down by a volley of bolter fire, Word Bearer renegades were pushing through the ruins with bolt pistols barking and chain swords roaring. " Keep moving!" He waved the Razorback forward along with the horde of forty some PDF and civilian militia down the road. "Combat Squad Secundus engage, Primary maintain speed with convoy." At his command a single marine broke forward to join the Sergeant in a brief run to reach the head of the convoy. Damien and four others forming a firing line to deal with the Word Bearers, seeing so little of his own combat squad hit Deris like a Baalite scorpions stinger through his stomach. They would be avenged in time...

Atrius knelt in the shadows behind a bunker wall, surveying the roads ahead of him for enemy forces. His eye twitched as his ears picked out a sound amongst the fighting raging through the city, he could hear bikes.

[OOC: Sorry if this is spamming things up folks, lemme know if it is and I'll simmer down.

Edit: Had to make a quick change to Deris' paragraph, forgot his squad got knocked down to 7 after my last post!]