The Balar Salvers are ruthless in their raids for new captives. Some are sold to unscrupulous manufactorums in need of cheap labor, others are sold to xenos, and the rest suffer fates better not considered. Click on illustration for larger view.

New fears about Balar Slavers

There have been rumors lately that the Balar Slavers once again have become a significant threat to isolated worlds across the Corvus Cluster. 

The latest rumor is that a number of towns on the agri-world of Korhal were attacked on 6 093 746.M41, and as many as 5,000 citizens were kidnapped and 3,200 killed. It’s also reported that at least two small settlements were burned to the ground.

The Balar Slavers have terrorized this corner of the galaxy for centuries. For much of that time, the Slavers used Korhal as their main base, a personal fiefdom where the citizenry was terrorized, tortured, and lived as slaves.

Hundreds of Slaver ships plagued the Corvus Cluster until 643.M41, when Imperial authorities launched a crusade against Korhal, killed or captured thousands of Slavers, destroyed dozens of pirate vessels, and freed the planet from enslavement.

Yet some Slavers escaped Imperial justice and continued their piracy. The last documented raid occurred on Korhal a decade ago. In that instance, the raiders were stopped by the Rogue Trader Adeon Drake, who is considered a hero by the planet’s citizenry.

Other recent raids are as yet unconfirmed, but if true, this latest attack on the Slavers’ former home planet raises the ominous possibility that the pirates are rebuilding their strength—and may prove a growing threat for hundreds of Imperial worlds.

The Divine Retribution floats silently near the warp storm known as the Heart of Darkness. Before the ship fell silent, vox communications were interrupted by static, the sound of screams, and the growls of beasts. The Cobra-class destroyer ultimately was destroyed by the rest of its flotilla, as no one wanted to board the warp-tainted vessel.

Navy vessel lost to warp phenomena

A naval flotilla patrolling near the Heart of Darkness warp storm has reported losing the destroyer Divine Retribution to a warp infestation.

Although the Administratum has banned, upon penalty of prosecution, any mention of the event, rumors say the disaster began when the Divine Retribution  broadcast a report of strange phenomena: ship personnel disappearing, crew members reporting strange sounds, and power outages throughout the ship.

Soon after, the ship’s captain, Helena Aisling, contacted the flotilla commodore and warned that she believed a warp taint was present on her ship—and she was initiating countermeasures.

Communications with the Divine Retribution became more difficult in subsequent hours, with vox operators reporting  increased static, as well as the sound of screams, insane laughter, and a last vox message that “something is aboard the ship.”

A team of Ministorum priests volunteered to board the ship and rally the crew through prayer in hopes of exorcising whatever was terrorizing the vessel. Supported by a naval breacher squad, they were shuttled to the Divine Retribution but nothing more was heard from them.

On 6 058 746,M41, the flotilla maneuvered to extreme weapons range of the cursed ship and, after two days of futile effort to contact the ship’s crew, the flotilla opened fire on the Divine Retribution until it was a burning hulk.

It’s said the flotilla continues its patrol  around the warp storm but has adjusted its route to add a full light year’s distance from the dangerous phenomenon.

This pict was taken by a hiding civilian during the Eldar raid. According to witnesses, these blue-clad xenos attacked the original raiders and drove them away.

Eldar terrorize Torrentia

Under attack by a an Eldar raiding party, an isolated town on the rain-drenched world of Torrentia was saved by the most unlikely of sources: more Eldar.

On 6 045 746.M41, the town of Acanthus was attacked by hundreds of Eldar raiders utilizing skimmers to race into the center of the town before an alarm was sounded.

The skimmers strafed civilians in the streets, before bladed warriors leapt to the ground and began chopping off a single arm or leg from  victims and leaving them screaming on the ground.

Other citizens fell to what appeared to be poisoned needle pistols, although other survivors said the victims were taken aboard the skimmers in what appeared to be a drugged state.

The local precinct of Enforcers attempted to challenge the raiders but were quickly killed.

The attack ended when a second force of Eldar appeared, and a fierce battle erupted that left the center of town utterly destroyed before the first wave of raiders fled.

Some witnesses reported that the second group of Eldar did not attack the citizenry but quickly withdrew. It also was reported, but not confirmed, that the clothing, armor, and vehicles of the latter Eldar were significantly different than the original attackers.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our hobby adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.

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