260
edits
Changes
From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
m
no edit summary
In 589.M39, a [[space hulk]] dubbed the ''[[Cauldron of Savagery]]'' came out of the [[Warp storm]]s at the rimward edge of the [[Drusus Marches]] and razed several undefended Imperial colonies. As it was right on the edge of the sector, only a few small scout ships managed to reach it before it re-entered the storms. Some escort ships were assigned to follow the hulk's route through the storms, but none ever returned and were considered lost with all hands. Deep void patrols were assigned to watch that part of space from then on for over a century, but all they ever encountered were pirate wolfpacks and the occasional reaver.{{Fn|1b}}
In 123.[[M40]], the ''Fire of Heaven'' and two [[Chalice Class Battlecruiser]]s were lost while on patrol in the [[Hazeroth Abyss]], as well as a pair of [[watch station]]s later in the year. Although the [[Hazeroth SubsectorSub-Sector]] was heavily fortified and kept reinforced as a result, there have not been any subsequent Imperial forays into the Abyss since and the perpetrators of the destruction have never been identified. This tragedy also resulted in the complete rescindment of the aggressive patrol policy, instituted following the invasion of Valon Urr, 656 years previous.{{Fn|1a}}
For fourteen years, between 556 and 570.M40, the [[The Periphery|Periphery subsector]] was suffering under terrible and frequent raids by [[Drukhari]] pirates, known as the [[Cabal of the White Sorrow]], resulting in the enslavement of around two million Imperial citizens. The Battlefleet consistently failed to bring these raiders out into open conflict, and badly lost several skirmishes. Eventually, in 570.M40, the Battlefleet lent three ships, a Battlecruiser and two light cruisers, to a flotilla of [[Mechanicus]] [[explorator]] ships and [[Rogue Trader]] vessels led by the famed Rogue Trader [[Kobras Aquairre]] who managed to trap and subsequently crush the pirate fleet.{{Fn|1a}}
