At the height of the Maxilla Empire, the orks had built a massive ship-building yard in orbit above the planet of Krun. Click on picture for larger image.

“The problem with fighting orks is their unpredictability. Sometimes they are stupid, and one can defeat them with good tactics and strategy.”

“At other times, however, they display a cunning that borders on brilliance, and when that’s mixed with their absolute ferocity of purpose, they can be unstoppable—the doom of entire worlds.”—General Vacante Jordanes, ranking Imperial Guard officer in the Corvus Cluster

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Situated on the eastern edge of the Corvus Cluster, the Maxilla Empire was a small yet aggressive ork empire that threatened Imperial worlds at the end of the third century of M41.

The empire was founded by the ork warlord Maxilla Grimblade, who conquered at least seven Imperial worlds before his military ambitions were rebuffed on the world of Damysus III. At the height of his success, Maxilla ruled an empire of 19 planetary systems.

This fledgling empire eventually collapsed when the Imperium launched a retribution campaign in 398.M41. Maxilla was killed, and his empire was torn apart by internecine rivalries involving 24 lesser warlords. This infighting lasted for more than three centuries and largely distracted the greenskins from any serious threats to Imperial territory.

Today, however, there is growing evidence that orks in this region are reuniting in purpose—not to launch a Waaagh! against humanity but to defend itself from a previously unknown xeno species that has invaded the former ork empire.

To support his rise to power, Maxilla turned his homeworld of Krun into a planet-wide Mekboy Workshop. Annual production of weapons and vehicles grew to a level similar to that of a small Forge World. Click on picture for larger image.

Rise of Maxilla

Imperial records make clear that orks have inhabited various regions within the Corvus Cluster since the Great Crusade arrived in the early years of M31.

Although isolated greenskin raids were reported over the millennia, it was not until late M40 that Imperial authorities received intelligence of a growing migration of orks into the eastern border of the region.

This was not a Waaagh! but simply an influx of orks seeking new territories to conquer. Unorganized, and often fighting one another, the orks quickly seized a dozen small planetary systems that were uninhabited or of such little significance to the Imperium that their loss was viewed with indifference.

According to Ordo Xenos records, infighting among the various warlords occupied this sizable ork population for centuries. When any warlord appeared to be gaining  dominance, the other ork warlords would ally long enough to bring down the threat—and then return to fighting amongst themselves.

The status quo ended in 311.M41 when a warlord known as Maxilla Grimblade finally defeated all rivals for control of the world of Krun, sparking a surge in the number of Mekboyz and an exponential development of advanced technology. By 317.M41, Maxilla launched an invasion of the three other habitable worlds in his planetary system.

With these worlds conquered, and a growing lust for battle among his followers, Maxilla launched his forces into the interstellar void and began unifying other ork systems under his banner. This success alarmed Imperial officials, who considered Maxilla’s efforts as a budding Waaagh!

Despite several Imperial attempts to assassinate Maxilla, the warlord became the dominant warlord of the region by 335.M41. It had taken Maxilla, whose constant fighting prompted his growth into a three-meter-tall monstrosity of xeno muscle and fury, more than two decades to defeat his numerous rivals and declare the founding of the Maxilla Empire.

At its height, the Maxilla Empire consisted of 12 planetary systems, with a total of 23 habitable planets, and an estimated population of 1.7 billion orks.

The capital world of Krun was highly industrialized by ork standards. with massive numbers of Mekboy workshops, junk yards, and foundries.  By 365.M41, a huge orbital manufactorum was detected over the planet, and two decades later, the orks had built up a significant naval force.

Click here to read Part 2 of this article.

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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.