Serenade
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Name: | Serenade/Cephris/Cepharil | 
|
| Segmentum: | Unknown | ||
| Sector: | Unknown | ||
| Subsector: | Unknown | ||
| System: | Unknown | ||
| Population: | Unknown | ||
| Affiliation: | Various | ||
| Class: | Necron Tomb World, former Exodite Maiden World and Imperial World (presently Dead World) | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Unknown | ||
Serenade, known to the Necrons as Cephris and to the Eldar as Cepharil, is a world located on the Eastern Fringe [1d].
History
Though it appears natural and sports its own complex ecosystem, Serenade is in fact an artificial world created many millions of years ago by an unknown civilization. Its creators may have been Old Ones, C'tan, the ancient Necrontyr or Necrons, or some other race entirely. The world's outer shell hides its inner core, which is made of Noctilith.[1b]
After its creation Serenade became part of the Necrontyr Infinite Empire and subsequently became a Tomb World for the Ammunos Dynasty. According to legend it became the resting place of their last Phaeron, Nephreth. Nephreth left a star map to his tomb via an artifact known as the Astrarium Mysterios. The tomb itself could only open every few centuries or millennia when certain astrological formations aligned.[1] A notable feature of Serenade was the "Song" of the planet, in fact a reflection of a numeric sequence emitting from Nephreth's tomb. The sequence, "3211-1545-4131-5322", repeated for eternity and would subconsciously influence the lifeforms and cultures of the planet. It could be seen in almost every facet of life on Serenade over the millennia. To Necrons, heavy exposure and investigation into the song could result in succumbing to madness.[1b] It was eventually revealed that the song's numeric sequence, when applied to sections of the historical dramas of the Necrontyr, translated to "do not be deceived".[1e]
In M31 Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner began to compete with one another over who would gain access to Nephreth's tomb and the wonders within. Trazyn struck first, fighting through hordes of Eldar Exodites who had settled on the Maiden World then known as Cepharil to try and get to the tomb.
Year later, by order of the Awakened Council, the duo were forced to work together to defend the world then known as Cephris from Ork invasion under Painboss Bigsaw. The early Human settlers on the world were amazed at their apparent Necron saviors and in time confused them for Space Marines. Many many millennia later, statues resembling the Necrons were erected across, now known as Serenade. By this point Serenade's natural beauty had begun to erode under the grind of Imperial pollution.[1a]
In an effort to be rid of Orikan, Trazyn unleashed a Genestealer into the depths of Serenade to assassinate the Cryptek. However Orikan fought off the attack and it escaped. Many more centuries later, the Genestealer had since erected a full Cult and launched an uprising upon the world. After being overrun with Genestealers, the Imperium was forced to enact Exterminatus, transforming Serenade into a dead world but leaving the tomb deep below still intact. After its final death, Serenade became a forgotten rock by the galaxy at large.[1c]
Trazyn returned to the dead world to finally claim the tomb of Nephereth, but instead only finding shards of the Deceiver inside. With the help of Orikan, the two were able to defeat the shards.[1f]
