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These devices were activated by a [[Chaotic]] ritual, requiring blood sacrifice to initialize them. Despite being utilized by the forces of the Ruinous Powers, the origin of the Black Cubes goes back far further, even pre-dating the existence of Chaos itself, having been created by the Old Ones, in an era of conflict that can only realistically be The War In Heaven.
Once begun, the process could not be reversed and typically took a day for it to begin its work. It could alter the climate of a planet completely, turning the air into noxious vapours utterly inimical to any form of life, stirring winds to levels that scoured the earth from the bedrock and raised the temperature to the point where oceans would boil; everything on the world, organic and inorganic, would be destroyed.
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The '''Black Cubes''' were ancient weapons of planetary destruction that were used in a war among the [[old ones|first races]] that inhabited the [[galaxy]]{{Fn|1a}}. Only five such cubes were known to have been created. Despite the name, it's not entirely certain of what it looks like, one has never been seen by the Imperium beyond its effects once activated.
== History ==
{{Spoiler|source=Legion (Novel)}}
The [[Nurth|Nurthene]] rebels, the [[Echvehnurth]], possessed one Black Cube which they used against the forces of the [[Imperial]] '''670th''' [[Expedition Fleet]] during the [[Great Crusade]], some short time before the outbreak of the [[Horus Heresy]]{{Fn|1b}}. A final offensive was made by the Nurthene against the Imperial forces with their deaths fueling the weapon to activation{{Fn|1a}}. This would leave the planet Nurth as a [[Dead World]].
==Sources==
*1: [[Legion (Novel)]] by [[Dan Abnett]]:
**{{Endn|1a}}, Part One - Thirteen
**{{Endn|1b}}, Part Two - One
