Archonate
The Archonate was a Chaos-aligned Human empire active in the Sabbat Worlds region of the Galaxy during the forty-first millennium.[1a]
Overview
The Archonate was formed around a single powerful ruler or "Archon", who in turn presided over the various Chaos affiliated warlords of disparate factions dubbed Magisters. The Archonate also had a number of loosely affiliated client states that while in formal opposition to the Emperor were not explicitly aligned with the forces of Chaos. This made the nature of the Archonate truly insidious, because while its core culture was rooted in that of Chaos many less heretical factions also came to fall under its sway.[1b] This also allowed the Archonate to effectively rule over much of the Sabbat Worlds for centuries until the Imperium organised the Sabbat Worlds Crusade to reclaim it.[1a]
The Archonate included a large number of sub-factions each headed by one of the Magister's aligned to the Archon. Consisting of a mix of cultists, Traitor Guard, heretics, pirates, mutants, insurgents, and even xenos such as the Loxatl[5], the major sub-factions within the Archonate included:[2a]
- The Blood Pact - Led by Urlock Gaur[2c]
- The Charismites - Led by Shebol Red-Hand[2a]
- The Darkwatch - Led by Asphodel[2d]
- The Infardi - Led by Pater Sin[4]
- The Kith - Led by Sholen Skara[2a]
- The Sons of Sek - Led by Anakwanar Sek[2a]
- The G'uttkhra - Led by Rusheck Vakkim[2a]
Besides these forces, a number of outside Chaos forces also became aligned with the Archonate, such as Iron Warriors[2f] Chaos Space Marines and Chaos Titans of the Dark Mechanicum.[3a]
History
The Archonate first arose in the 600s.M41, when a charismatic warlord dubbed Nadzybar was able to unify the disparate Chaos forces of the region into a broad coalition. Unified under the banner of a single warlord, the Archonate was able to rapidly expand and seriously threaten Imperial rule in the Sabbat Worlds region.[2]
In response to nearly losing the entire region, the Imperium launched the Sabbat Worlds Crusade in 755.M41 to reclaim it.[2b] After decades of tough fighting, the Imperium was able to eliminate Nadzybar[2b], but the Archonate proved fluid enough to still function effectively with his replacements. Archons such as Urlock Gaur[2c] and Magisters including Asphodel[2d], Qux[2e], Enok Innokenti[2a], and Anakwanar Sek[2a] would hamper the Imperial war effort in the Sabbat World for decades to come.[2b]
By the end of the 700s.M41, the Archonate was finally beginning to shatter under the weight of the Imperial offensive directed by Warmaster Macaroth and Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt. Despite this, it still continues to plague the region.[3b]
Sources
- 1: The Vincula Insurgency (Novel)
- 2: The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book) - First Edition
- 3: The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book), 2nd Edition
- 4: Honour Guard (Novel) - Chapter 1
- 5: The Deeper Wounds (Short Story)
