Kronus

Kronus is the planet where Dawn of War: Dark Crusade takes place.

Map	Basic Data		Planetary Image
	Name:	Kronus
	Segmentum:	Ultima Segmentum
	Sector:	Lithesh
	Subsector:	unknown
	System:	unknown
	Population:	unknown
	Affiliation:	Imperium
	Class:	Civilized World/Tomb World
	Tithe Grade:	Unknown

Kronus is dominated by its one habitable continent. Abandoned by the Imperium of Man, the planet eventually came under the sway of the emergent Tau Empire. It was a largely peaceful colony, until an Imperial Guard regiment under the leadership of General Lukas Alexander arrived upon the planet, in pursuit of the Eldar Farseer Taldeer, due to her actions during the war on Lorn V. Taldeer, in turn, had arrived upon Kronus to battle the recently emerged Necrons. The Necrons had gone into stasis upon Kronus millennia earlier, after their war with the Old Ones.

The Ork Warlord Gorgutz had also made his way to Kronus, following the collapse of his Waaagh! on Lorn V. After the Ork Warboss had "landed" his Rok on the Green Coast, he quickly set about subjugating the Feral Orks on the planet, in an attempt to rebuild his Waaagh!

The Word Bearers, under the leadership of the Dark Apostle Eliphas the Inheritor, had come to Kronus in order to avenge their defeat at the hand of the Ultramarines during the Horus Heresy. Opening a Warp Gate in the Deimos Peninsula, they sought to turn the planet into a Daemon World.

The Blood Ravens Space Marines, led by young Brother Captain Davian Thule, arrived on Kronus in search of artefacts left behind by their forebearers. Striking from their Castellum Incorruptus in North Vandea, they sought to eliminate all other factions on the planet, including the Imperial Guard soldiers under general Alexander.

The Ethereal Caste, the leaders of the Tau Empire, could not, and would not, allow one of their colonies to fall without putting up a fight. Thus, they sent Aun'El Shi'Ores and Shas'O Kais to the planet to reconquer it in the name of the Greater Good.

Thus, the once quiet colony of Kronus, became one of the most savage battlefields in recent history.

The conflict raged was a brutal one, with each faction engaging in heavy fighting with one another. In the end however, the indomitable command of Davian Thule saw victory for the Imperium, despite the decimation of Imperial Guard forces under General Alexander. Davian Thule struck hard and fast from his bulwark in North Vandea. He broke the back of each and every enemy force on Kronus; Farseer Taldeer fell to her death in the cold snow before his forces as her battered and broken warriors fled the world. The Necron Lord and deathly manifestation of the Nightbringer were defeated beneath the Thur'Abis Plateau, Davian Thule and his warriors personally delivering an explosive to the heart of those catacombs which burried that place in rubble. Gorgutz saw yet another of his Waaagh's crushed, but in his typical notorious fashion fled the world. Eliphas too suffered defeat at the hands of Thule's Blood Ravens and the Force Commander personally witnessed that Dark Apostle torn to bloody ribbons by his dark masters. Aun'El Shi'Ores was slain by the stoic advance of the Space Marines too and his body recovered by the hastily retreating Tau forces, an emotionally broken Shas'O Kais leading his defeated survivors off the world.

One can only presume that in the wake of a Blood Raven's victory, as is confirmed in Dawn of War II, the world is then returned to Imperial hold.

Places of Note

Headquarters Regions

• Deimos Peninsula: Once the most beautiful place on Kronus, the Deimos Peninsula was turned into a pure hellscape after the arrival of the Word Bearers on the planet. It now houses the Warp portal responsible for bringing more of the Chaos Marines onto the planet.
• Thur'Abis Plateau: Sitting in the middle of the great desert on Kronus, the plateau was actually a catacomb of Necron origin, and this is where the Necron emerged to destroy the living once again.
• Green Coast: Situated in the South Western part of the continent, the Green Coast is the main habitat for the Orks living on the planet. After having "landed" his Rok in the area, Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead'unta has made this his base of operations.
• North Vandea: Situated on the north eastern coast, the region of North Vandea houses the Blood Ravens Castellum Incorruptus, and serves as their main base of operations on Kronus.
• Victory Bay: Originally known as "Ironworks Bay", the city was renamed after the forces led by Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander discovered the ancient Hellstorm cannon, taken from an Imperator Titan, in the middle of the city. It has since been named the Imperial capitol on the planet.
• Or'es Tash'n: Known as Asharis during the Imperial era, Tash'n is the Tau Empire capital on Kronus, and houses a large number of Tau and Kroot inhabitants. It is situated slightly to the north-west of the Thur'Abis Plateau.
• Tyrea: Located on the far northwestern corner of the embattled continent, Tyrea is the site of Taldeer's primary base of operations on Kronus. A large gateway connects the base to her wraithship on the edge of the Kronus system.

Other Important Regions

• Pavonis: A great city located roughly in the center of the embattled regions, to the north of the Thur'Abis Plateau, Pavonis is the planet's primary spaceport. The region is home to an Adeptus Mechanicus tracking system combined with Tau Air Caste technology, which would allow those who controlled it to avoid enemy fire while making deep strikes from orbit, making attacks anywhere on the planet (with the exception of the headquarters regions) possible.
• Vandean Coast: The planet's primary manufacturing facilities are located in the Vandean Coast. Though dormant, it can be reactivated by an attacking force, allowing more production of troops and vehicles for the war effort.
• Eres Badlands: Located west of the Deimos Peninsula, the Eres Badlands is the location of a powerful Daemon of Khorne imprisoned beneath the surface, seeking the blood of mortals to feed its power. In return for providing the souls demanded, the Daemon would grant any who could control it the power to make multiple attacks.
• Hyperion Peaks: Located north of the Green Coast. With its extremely rich minerals and Manifactorias in almost perfect condition, the owner of this land can deploy forward bases on his/her campaign, which is a devastating advantage in battle. But its not easy to capture it, due to it is in a middle of one of Kronus greatest deserts, the commander have to face a heavily dug in enemy, no support lines on his/her own, he/she have to send in a single strike team to purge any resistance before the dig in could be established.

Sources

• Dawn of War: Dark Crusade - Real time strategy game by Relic Entertainment.
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Real time strategy game by Relic Entertainment.