Echvehnurth
The Echvehnurth was the military force of the Chaos-tainted humans encountered on the planet of Nurth during the Great Crusade, who actively opposed Imperial compliance.[1a]
Description
They wore pink silk robes and silvered breastplates engraved with their symbols, entwined reeds and crocodilia. Instead of banners, their formations trailed kites. They possessed forms of armoured fighting vehicles, as well as firearms, but preferred to fight with a local pattern of polearm called a Falx, which showed remarkable sharpness and resistance. Their most notable weapon-form was known by the Imperials as 'air-magick', and appeared as a multi-coloured hailstorm, with each falling pellet having notable explosive and penetrative power. This 'air-magick' was powerful enough to damage even Titans, and made Imperial air-power unusable.[1a] It transpired that 'air-magick' was a Chaos-derived weapon.[1c]
History
During their last days, Imperial strategists became increasingly frustrated when, against all expectations, the Echvehnurth had managed to fight the 670th Imperial Expedition Fleet to a stalemate.[1b] When Lord Commander Teng Namatjira asked for help, the involvement of the Alpha Legion—and less directly, that of the Cabal—seemed to turn the tide of the war back in the Imperials' favour. This turn of events would not last however, as the Echvenurth and the remaining Nurthene possessed an artifact called a Black Cube, and activated it as a last act of defiance.[1d] Nurth was transformed into a dead world practically overnight, nearly destroying the Imperial forces on the ground, and wiping out the inhabitants of Nurth.[1e]
