Hive Secundus
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This article is about the Location of Necromunda; for the Box set, see Necromunda: Hive Secundus. |
Hive Secundus was once a hive of Necromunda and was considered its crown jewel until the hive was turned into ruins after being infested with genestealers.[1a]
Contents
History
Pre-Imperial
Hive Secundus was established alongside Hive Primus. While Primus focused on industrial production for the Iron Lords, Secundus became a centre of knowledge, innovation, and culture, attracting the greatest minds of the planet.[1a]
Imperial Rule
During the conquest of Necromunda, the Imperium spared Secundus from much of the violence that befell other hive cities, recognizing its value as a cultural hub. For millennia, Hive Secundus remained a beacon of culture, with its crystal domes, lush habitats, and vast archives preserving the planet’s lost technological and cultural heritage.[1a]
Throughout its history, various Houses have sought to exploit the cultural wealth of Hive Secundus for power, but its knowledge was carefully guarded by the Chrono Guild. To protect it, Lord Helmawr stationed an entire regiment of Enforcers with the Chrono Guild.[1b]
Infestation
All this came to an end, though, when one of Hive Secundus' scholars attempted to concoct a Genestealer anti-gene that would prevent the Xenos from infecting a population. The Genestealers that the renegade Hermiatus used for his unsanctioned experiments eventfully escaped in 879.M41, however, after one infected him. Hermiatus would flee Necromunda afterwards, while the escaped Genestealers went onto infect a large number of the Hive's population, which led to the creation of the Cult of the Second Son.[1c]
When reports of growing danger in Hive Secundus reached Lord Cyar Helmawr, he took little action, fearing damage to the hive city or Imperial attention. Lord Helmawr, cautious and reluctant to escalate, sent Guilders and Enforcers to root out the cult. Although some battles were won and many infected were destroyed, the xenos cult had already become deeply entrenched. Over the next few years, the cult known as the Cult of the Second Son, spread through every layer of Hive Secundus, infiltrating both Clan and Noble Houses, while Hermiatus and the Malstrain Patriarch grew their brood in the hive's depths.[1c]
The cult's activities eventually caught the attention of the Ordo Xenos, and Inquisitor Anneth Vestrix led a delegation to Necromunda. Vestrix's agents, along with gangs and Enforcers, worked to root out the cult, while Lord Cyar was arrested for his failure to contain the threat. He was publicly executed for his negligence, a rare punishment.[1c]
As the Inquisition uncovered the widespread nature of the cult, Vestrix requested orbital purification, but was blocked by the High Lords of Terra due to Necromunda’s importance. With no approval for Exterminatus or virus bombs, Vestrix sought assistance from General Militant Lord Jurgen Greim and local forces, while also calling for Astra Militarum reinforcements. The Imperium cut ties with Hive Secundus, while the cult prepared to seize the hive in the name of its alien master.[1c]
War for Hive Secundus
Local defence forces, commanded by Lord Jurgen Greim, unsuccessfully attempted to drive back the Cult, setting fire to its lower levels and forcing many inhabitants to flee back into the city. This led to brutal, ongoing fighting as Necromundans defended their home from the xenos infestation.[1d]
As reinforcements arrived, including Astra Militarum regiments, Adeptus Arbites, and a company of Imperial Fists, the true assault on Hive Secundus began. The hive was fortified and key infrastructure and tunnels were destroyed. The Imperial Fists, under Captain Vorgn, began constructing a vast defensive perimeter, which eventually became known as the Dust Wall.[1d]
For over a decade, the war to retake Hive Secundus raged, transforming its once-beautiful landscape into a bloody battleground, while the surrounding wasteland became a desolate wasteland. Despite several breakout attempts by the xenos cult, Secundus remained contained, but it became clear that the hive could not be reclaimed. The Malstrain Patriarch grew stronger, infecting millions of hivers with its alien spawn.[1e] During this tumultuous time, as the hordes of cultists rampaged and on the verge of complete takover, many of the Gangs of the Underhive, unable to escape to the surface, would try and find other routes of escape ancient and forgotten city-sized tunnels buried beneath the hive known only to a handful of Ratskins[13] It's possible these tunnels might very well be the same, or connected to, the vast maze like network of tunnels dug by the Kin of the Ironhead Squat Prospectors, connecting their various which connect the various Holdfasts.[14a] Though it is also possible, if the rumours of these tunnels having been built when the hives were first constructed, that they are a human relic of the times of the Araneus Continuity, predating the arrival of the kin who arrived following devastation during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy[15][14b].
Destruction
In response, Lord Kael Helmawr ordered the destruction of Hive Secundus. The Eye of Selene space station shifted its orbit for the first time in a millennium, unleashing devastating firepower on the hive, including energy beams, nucleonic warheads, and graviton warheads. These forces shattered the hive, ripping away its upper half and causing it to crash into the newly-formed canyon.[1e]
Despite believing nothing could survive such destruction, Necromundan forces immediately began reinforcing the Dust Wall, which was eventually expanded to encircle the ruined hive. Inquisitor Vestrix and Imperial forces departed, and Lord Greim was honoured for his "victory". The Dust Wall would remain, a lasting barrier around the devastation.[1e]
However, despite Hive Secundus's destruction, the Cult of the Second Son survived and continued to dwell within its ruins. The weapons used to destroy Secundus, though, have mutated the Genestealers into a unique sub-species known as the Malstrain.[1f]
Recent Activity
Despite the efforts to guard Hive Secundus, the Genestealers and the Cult of the Second Son have infiltrated its underground tunnels and they now attack anyone who use them to reach the Hive's ruins.[5] Despite the dangers in doing so, some Necromundans enter Secundus's ruins to plunder its riches or hunt the Hive's dangerous inhabitants. This includes the Spyre Hunters of the Hive World's Noble Houses and the Tek Hunters of the Clan House Van Saar, who will often work together within Hive Secundus, so they can each accomplish their own goals.[2] Some Malstrain Genestealers and members of the Second Son have also managed to escape Secundus as well and have gone on to establish footholds on Necromunda[4] and even create several new Genestealer Cults:[9a][9b]
- Children of the Second Son[10]
- Cult of Awoken Eyes[9c]
- Cult of the Purified Gene[9a]
- Cult of the Slithering Star[9b]
- Order of the Shining Enlightened[11]
The number of escapees from Secundus has also recently increased[8b] in the wake of the Noctis Aeterna.[12]
Remains
Secundan Exclusion Zone
The Exclusion Zone is a deadly area surrounding the fallen Hive Secundus, marked by ancient battlefields and a vast pit, where explorers are hunted by xenos horrors and battered by the ongoing effects of graviton warheads.[1f]
The detonation of these warheads during the city's destruction created a permanent gravity storm, known as the Vortex, which constantly draws toxic clouds from the atmosphere, filling the pit and Exclusion Zone with poisonous fog. The gravity distortions in the area can cause objects to fold in on themselves, and even distort time, making it difficult for travelers to gauge how long they’ve been under the storm’s influence. The storm also causes disturbing vox ghosts, with travelers hearing messages from long-dead hunters or even their own desperate cries from the future.[1f]
Anyone attempting to reach the city must first navigate through the remnants of old war zones and open graves, telling the tragic story of the failed attempts to retake the hive. Along the way, they face the dangers of the Malstrain Patriarch's minions, grotesque, mutated creatures that haunt the wastes. These creatures prey on both trespassers and the survivors who live in the shadow of Secundus, eking out a desperate existence by constantly moving between armoured settlements to scavenge resources and evade the ever-present horrors in the dark. For Archeo-hunters, encountering these survivors is a gamble: they may offer aid or supplies, but just as likely will rob them and leave them to be consumed by the Malstrains.[1f]
Secundan Abyss
The Secundan Abyss is a vast, 100-kilometre-wide chasm shrouded by a perpetual storm cloud. To reach its depths, explorers must use ancient cranes and lifts, operated by Ferrymen, which are precariously perched on the edge of the pit. Once at the bottom, they enter a fog-filled world where visibility is limited to the range of their lumens, as the area is submerged in a dense, greenish mist that obscures everything beyond a few meters. The Abyss is a dark, dangerous place, requiring careful navigation through its oppressive gloom.[1f]
The Iron Graveyard
The Iron Graveyard is a dangerous region surrounding the base of the fallen Hive Secundus, consisting of twisted steel girders that once supported the hive's structures. After being ravaged by gravitic warheads, the girders now form a jagged, forest-like expanse of metal posts rising up into a shrouded sky. Vehicles must carefully navigate the area, avoiding deadfalls and the risk of being crushed by fallen beams, especially during temporal quakes.[2b]
Despite the hazards, some explorers are drawn to the Iron Graveyard in search of hidden treasures, as some domes that survived the hive's collapse are reportedly perched among the girders. However, these domes are dangerous to reach and no one knows what, if anything, remains inside.[2b]
The Iron Graveyard is also a favored ambush site for the Malstrain. The eerie, fog-filled metal woods are rife with danger as the girders interfere with auspex or sensor devices, making it easy for Genestealers to lie in wait. As travelers move through the area, they often feel the first tremors when the metal pillars shake, followed by the terrifying sight of armed shapes leaping from the girders to attack. The area is particularly perilous for Abyssal Ferrymen, who regularly navigate it, though even they are not immune to the deadly ambushes that occur in this haunted, metal wilderness.[2b]
The Underhells
The Underhells is a dangerous, labyrinthine network beneath Hive Secundus, extending deep into the ground; it is difficult to measure its true depth. After the war, the Malstrain Patriarch retreated into these depths, building a nest in the lowest levels of the ruined hive city.[1g]
Years of warfare and neglect have turned the region into a chaotic, decaying maze of steel ruins, unstable corridors, and collapsed structures. In the upper levels, explorers may encounter recognizable areas, such as ruined agri-farms and hab domes, but as one descends deeper into the Underhells, dangerous remnants of the hive's infrastructure such as broken lift shafts and geothermal heat sinks must be navigated, but these areas are also heavily contested by both the Malstrain Patriarch's servants and feral survivors.[1g]
As explorers move deeper into the true Underhells, they encounter tunnels marked by the Cult of the Second Son's symbols, littered with the remains of those who fell victim to the horrors lurking there. These regions, once critical parts of the hive such as generatoriums and reclamation plants, are now abandoned and decaying. Worse yet, the cult has burrowed new, crude passages that extend beneath the city and even into the wasteland beyond.[1g]
The perpetual darkness, amplified by the psychic presence of the Malstrain Patriarch, makes navigation nearly impossible without succumbing to madness. Despite these dangers, the Underhells hold immense value for treasure hunters. In the final days of the war, the Cult of the Second Son hid vast wealth, including artwork, ancient relics, and precious data crystals containing the lost knowledge of Necromunda.[1g]
See also
Sources
- 5: Codex: Genestealer Cults (8th Edition), pg. 17 — The Cult of War
- 6: Necromunda: The Aranthian Succession: Cinderak Burning, pg. 51
- 7: Necromunda: Underhive (2017) Updated Rulebook, pg. 37 - Necromunda Timeline: Secundus Infected
- 8: Necromunda: The Aranthian Succession - Ruins of Jardlan:
- 9: Necromunda: The Book of Ruin - Genestealer Cults
- 10: Necromunda: Ash Wastes, pg. 11 - Welcome to the Wastes
- 11: The Warhammer Team Are Rocking Some Wild Necromunda Gangs (Posted on 21/07/2023) (Last accessed on 10/06/2024)
- 12: Necromunda: The Aranthian Succession: Cinderak Burning - pgs. 14-16
- 13: Gang War 5 pgs. 15-21 - Apocalypse, a Necromunda Campaign of Epic Proportions
- Necromunda: Halls of the Ancients
- 15: The Horus Heresy Book Three - Extermination, pg. 77
