The Icarus Gate
In the time of the ancient Necrons, the Trazyn Dynasty ruled the greater half of an old star system known as The Icarus Gate. The gate served as an outpost, strategically positioned between 2 warring planets, Aonith and Baregale. The Icarus Gate was to be the perimeter barrier between these warring planets and the Necron Tomb Worlds deep within the galaxy.
Aonith
Aonith was home to an ancient Eldar race. Colonized for its resources, Aonith had once served as a main fueling hub for local mining operations. However, since the mining resources had been considered exhausted, Aonith had lost much of the traffic that supported it. Without the mining industry, Aonith was converted to a tactical outpost, housing mostly reserve troops for the larger Eldar forces. The planet now functioned as a storage depot while retaining fuel stocks and supplies for the occasional scout ships.
Phylite
Baregale was a previously abandoned planet void of any significant life but rich in the element Phylite, a rare heavy metal byproduct of supernova reactions. Normally destroyed in the intense heat of a stellar explosion, Phylite can sometimes be found intact after rare cataclysmic events known as "Cold Clouds." A "Cold Cloud" is formed when a star partially implodes, creating a pseudo black hole at its core. Most of the star matter is consumed within the void. The reaction is so powerful that heat is instantaneously sapped
from the explosion, resulting in a supercooled cloud of condensed gases and flash frozen particulate matter. While most of the Phylite produced by this reaction is cast into the void, small traces escape and are thrown about the galaxy. The element is greatly sought after for its energy potential and universal scarcity. It is considered among the most valuable substances in existence. Though not fully understood at the time of its discovery, Phylite has made its way into various history books. It is mentioned that High Eldar Farseer Eldrad Ulthran wielded a staff inset with Phylite runes, which some argue were the source of his immense psychic power. Small Phylite mines had been constructed on the surface of Baregale, but abandoned once the Eldar had deemed the valuable resource exhausted.
The Hunger
Drawn by the tiny energy fluctuations of Phylite still left under the planets shell, a small brood of Tyranids from Hive Fleet Ferrous touched down on the planet and began consuming what little deposits still remained. The infamous "Iron Tide", as Hive Fleet Ferrous had come to be known, had consumed countless planets in their search for heavy metals and rare minerals. Over centuries of evolution, their genetic code had been rewritten with some of the properties of these elements. Their skin became cracked and brittle, but their chitinous outer shells had become hearty and strong, reinforced with the metals they had consumed. They hungered now for diverse flavor, and their mouths watered at the promise of the rare element.
From the Dust
The consumption of Baregale had left the planet devastated. Dust plumed miles into the atmosphere as the beasts dug and eroded the terrain. As they began to tunnel, the soils had broken loose, casting large pieces of the planets crust into space. The planet began to lose its orb-like qualities and quickly became a frail twisted silhouette in the night sky. The Eldar, in tune with celestial activity, began to sense that something was wrong. A scouting platoon was sent to investigate the disturbance. Touching down on the planet, they could feel the vibrations of activity within, but could not see anything from the surface. Confused, the platoon decided it would return to Aonith and call for an investigative team to determine the cause of the planet's blight. They set off from Baregale shrouded in an intense dust storm, making navigation difficult. However, while they flew blind through the storm, a beady watchful eye had been scanning and observing. The Eldar had wandered into the spider web and the Tyranids were not going to let a meal get away.
Invasion
By the time the scout party had noticed their stalkers, it was too late. The Tyranid force had caught the scent of the Eldar occupation on Aonith and moved in for the strike. The surprise attack left the Eldar overwhelmed and outgunned. Tyranids tore through their command posts and disabled communication with nearby fleets. They were alone. There would be no aid. With no further hope, the remaining Eldar forces fled the planet. They escaped through a furious swell of writhing Tyranid bodies. The bugs were distracted, having cracked open the doors of the supply depot, and paid little mind to the escaping colony of Eldar. The tyranids swept the planet clean leaving behind only a few untouched storage bays and the useless fuel stocks. The bugs had evolved beyond simple hydrocarbons and found no use in the remaining fuel supply. The Tyranids eventually left Aonith, setting their sights on a new planet, which emitted a psychic signature unlike any the brood had ever sensed. Unbeknownst to them, their curiosity would lead them to the first Necron outpost within The Icarus Gate.
Sentry
Beneath the planet's surface, ancient metal bones rested. This was the tomb of the mythic Necron Warlord Sentry and his unstoppable force, known in ancient tongues as "The Defiant". This elite group of Necrons are renowned in Necron lore for their rough nature and tactical prowess. It is the traditional Necron way to approach issues with logic and reason. Sentry, however, was programmed slightly different. He rose up the ranks of Necron Lordship through trickery and unpredictability often overriding command protocols to confuse and overwhelm his opponents. Despite his battle prowess, the inability of the Necron people to comprehend the workings of Sentry's mind labeled him a threat and an outcast. A new dilemma arose: what was to become of the General who was both hero and pariah? Sentry was given an honorable discharge, pulled from Necron society and forced to live for a higher purpose. He was banished to the holiest of Necron Tomb Worlds, eternally bound to defend the rest of the Necrontyr.
The Awakening
Sentry's Defiant were trusted with the sole purpose of protecting the most sacred of Necron artifacts, the Chronus. Buried deep within the planet's core, the Chronus was kept safe by Sentry's forces. When the first Tyranid claw met the planets surface, the ancient eyes of Tomb Lord Sentry were opened. Slowly, the general rose to once again defend his curse. The ensuing battle lasted for hundreds of years after countless waves of Tyranid forces had swarmed the Tomb World. In the end, Sentry and his Defiant had slain the beasts whose iron shelled corpses became buried deep within the dust. When the last of the Iron Tide fell to his blade, Sentry looked out among the battle field, uttering the first and only words he had spoken in a thousand years. "Strange," He hung his head low, "they fight with the same persistence as us, yet we strike them down. At the very core, we are just as they. In the end, both our kind have hearts of iron."
The Present
Since The Great War, Sentry has been slumbering in a timeless sleep, brought on by the very artifact which he protects. The Chronus projects an illusion ridding the Necrons of the concept of time, creating a barrier somewhere between self aware and self consumed. Without time to worry them, the Necrons have been able to experience complete focus. Were the Chronus to fall, the perception of time for all Necrons would be stretched to infinity. They would no longer know peace of mind as their world would be consumed by iterative calculations, bringing with them only pain and sorrow. The Chronus bears the weight of time so that no entity in the universe has to fully endure the agony of an infinite existence. Their ignorance is the only thing keeping them sane.
