Editing War of Beasts (section)

==The Conflict Escalates even MORE==
===Wake the Dead===

[[File:Wake-the-Dead.jpg|320px|thumb|right|Diplomacy is a thing for other people.]]

It was at this point that one '''[[Farseer]] Keltoc''' from Craftworld [[Saim-Hann]] had a vision suggesting that it was important for its forces to intervene in the conflict, as ''something'' there would influence the future of the [[Eldar]] race. Apparently a home-grown [[Tzeentch|Tzeentchian]] cult led by one Vannadan planned to trigger a magma explosion that would eventually wipe out the leaders of Vigilus' defense, which would lead to the loss of the planet to Chaos, so they can't have that now, can they? Amazingly, this is one of the few times the Eldar had genuinely good intentions not just for themselves but others.

Using an underground [[Webway]] gate to avoid their dark kin, the Saim-Hann task force, led by [[Autarch]] '''Rhyloor''' and [[Spiritseer]] '''Quelanaris''', swiftly isolated the Chaos cultists and slaughtered them to a man. Word of their arrival spread to the [[Imperial Guard]] stormtroopers stationed nearby, and the Imperials rushed to the location fully convinced that these were the same Eldar who had been gleefully raiding the Hivesprawls during the past few months (the Imperium does not distinguish between types of Eldar because all xenos are equally deserving of annihilation).

Quelanaris and Rhyloor tried desperately to explain to the arriving Stormtroopers that, no, they were nothing like the [[Dark Eldar]] dicks who ''were'' the cause of all the trouble and that they had just eliminated a major threat to the planet (keep in mind the Imperials had no idea that the humans they had just killed were Chaos cultists or indeed even knew there was a Chaos cult on Vigilus). The Tempestor Prime in charge did not know or care about the difference between the Craftworlders and Dark Eldar let alone believe their story, and the Imperials opened fire. Many Eldar were cut down, including Rhyloor, but Quelanaris managed to escape with his fallen comrades' spirit stones. Vowing vengeance, he had the spirit stones installed into waiting Wraith Constructs and led a second strike Force back to Vigilus to avenge the Autarch.

Some time later, this strike force attempted a direct attack on the Imperial leadership council as revenge for their recent losses. Yes, you read that correctly: to get revenge for being mistaken for the Eldar who had been attacking humans (because they also attacked humans), these dumbfucks decided to create the very doomsday event they had originally shown up to prevent. It's unlikely the other Craftworlds were amused when they found out - Saim-Hann's leadership sure wasn't smiling. Primaris Lieutenant '''Eothrus''' of the Ultramarines attempted to talk down the Spiritseer, having heard about Saim-Hann assisting the Space Wolves on Stygius from Haldor Ice-Pelt, but Quelanaris refused to listen to him. A firefight broke out and Quelanaris was ultimately forced to flee when the Ultramarines gained the advantage.

===The Carnival of Pain===

[[derp|While the Imperial Guard wasted their time with the Craftworlders,]] the ''actual'' Dark Eldar continued their merry time harassing and generally making the residents of Hivesprawls Hyperia and Oteck ''wish'' for the swift release of death. Led primarily by the [[Haemonculi]] coven of '''The Altered''', [[Kabalite_Warriors|Kabalite]] troops joined with Wych cults and Haemonculi constructs in raids that were both spectacular and deadly. The Altered in particular had a specific beef with the [[Ultramarines]], as Guilliman had kicked their ass in during the [[Indomitus Crusade]], and took particular amusement in hauling entire ''squads'' of Ultramarines back to [[Commorragh]] for "entertainment". Not sure how one can torture a Space Marine, exactly, considering how their bodies react to pain was modified by the Emperor to be beneficial to them. But the act itself might be the point. In any case, the losses accrued from trying to take squads of Space Marines alive probably was downright crippling to the Dark Eldar forces.

===Holding Back The Foul Tide===

Back in Dontoria Hive, the newly-arrived Primaris Chapter [[Necropolis Hawks]] fought to hold back the Gellerpox Infected while the [[Crimson Fists]] and the [[Iron Hands]] worked to create a barrier with the assistance of du Languille to hold back the Chaos-spawned plague. Using the PDF's [[Hellhound Tank]]s, the Fists set fire to the hive's promethium pipelines, creating a literal firewall around the infected zone.

===The Mortwald Defense===

With the destruction of the waterworks at Oteck Hivesprawl, water was getting harder to come by at Vigilus. Dontoria's own water source was also in danger of contamination due to everyone forgetting that the [[Death Guard]] had already made landfall.

Mortwald, the source of most of the planet's food and medicine, was also under threat. Defending it were regiments of '''Ventrillian Nobles''', '''Vostroyan Firstborn''', '''Catachan Jungle Fighters''' and '''Cadian Shock Troopers''' as well as the native regiments of '''Vigilant Guard''', all under the command of '''Deinos''', the [[Awesome|surprisingly-competent]] brother of the Imperial governor.

When the Greenskins came, the trench network Deinos had prepared showed its worth and slowed down the advance of the Orks for weeks. Within the walls of the Hivesprawl, the Guard proved themselves equally adept at putting down Genestealer Cult uprisings. Lord Deinos was adamant - ''Mortwald will not fall'' - and his mantra became the rallying cry of the defenders there. Across the Mortwald front, the various Imperial Guard regiments all had their moments to shine. The Catachans were stationed amidst the massive cactus forests of Mortwald, which made up much of the planet's sustenance. Initially upset about being positioned away from the frontline and amidst flora that was tame by Catachan standards, the Catachans soon changed their minds when dozens of Ork Fighta Bombas managed to make it through the AAA fire of the trench lines and began airdropping Storm Boyz from their bomb bays right into the cactus forests. The Catachans were waiting for them, and soon Ork heads were seen mounted on top of the tallest cacti.

This stalwart defense was only improved by the arrival of the [[Imperial Fists]] 5th Company under '''Brother-Captain Dravatis Fane''', though his forces would be tested as Ork [[Stompa|Stompas]] emerged by the hundreds. Although his forces had to retreat to higher ground, Fane led a counterattack. With him were loyalists [[Imperial Knight|Knights]] from '''House Terryn''' as well as Freeblades formerly from the traitorous House Mandrakor.

In a charge that was the stuff of legends, the knights attacked the Stompa horde. Supported by the [[Reaver_Battle_Titan|Reaver Titan]] '''Heresium's Bane''', the Knights actually forced the Orks to break. Rather than running them down, the Imperials halted (notwithstanding the Freeblades who wanted to pursue them) as they insisted that the [[Noblebright|defending the people of Mortwald came first]]. This decision would soon bite them in the arse as a few days later the Orks attacked. While it was driven off easily enough, these attacks increased in strength week after week, until the Imperials were facing machines the size of ''reavers''. 
Fane had enough. He ordered an expedition into the wastelands to find the factories churning these machines out, and put them out of commission. Permanently.

The Imperial forces found a large scrap city east of Mortwald and, under the cover of a dust storm, attacked. With [[Warhound_Scout_Titan|Warhounds]] as support, the Knights identified, then destroyed the major factories. With the mission completed, Fane ordered a withdrawal, but the Freeblades, in their zeal to redeem themselves, ignored this and [[RAGE|charged straight into the ''next'' scrap city]]. Much facepalming ensued as while the Knights killed countless orks in their reckless attack, they soon found themselves surrounded.

Fane led an airborne rescue force alongside elements of the [[White Scars]] Brotherhood led by '''Olujin Khan''' and [[Dark Angels]] Ravenwing commanded by '''Meneraeus''' to aid the beleaguered Knights. The [[Stormtalon|Stormtalons]] of the White Scars destroyed the anti-air and artillery emplacements, and without these the [[Bike_Squad|Bike Squads]] of the two Chapters cut a path through the Orks. Without warning, the Ravenwing [[Fallen|suddenly abandoned the attack and thundered into the dusty wilderness of the Vhulian Swirl]]. The White Scars, now bereft of support, found themselves on the verge of being swamped by Greenskins, so Olujin was forced to call a fighting withdrawal.

===Water War===

Back at Megaborealis the Mechanicus and Iron Hands was getting their Genestealer problem somewhat under control. The Sons of Manus would lead the attacks, then the Mechanicus would handle clean-up. Using xenos-detection tech, the Genestealer nests were found and destroyed, forcing the Pauper Princes to slink back into the shadows and resort to guerilla warfare to strike back.

The same could ''not'' be said of the Stygian Spires region, which controlled the asteroid water mining operations of Megaborealis. Led by the Grandsire Wurm itself, the Cultists overwhelmed the Skitarii defenders and before long, the top levels of the water plant were taken over by the Patriarch and its kin.