Changes

Striking suddenly and essentially without warning, the Necron forces of the sector struck not a single [[Imperial]] world but scores of planets and outposts, conducting total genocide of the local populace wherever they struck. The [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] world of [[Harrow Watch]] and the [[Frontier World]]s of [[Pallasite]], [[Khatris]], and [[Borrus]] had their populations erased seemingly instantly. On [[Libethra]], the [[Fortress-Monastery]] of the [[Angels Revenant]], contact was also quickly lost. Only at the [[Inquisitorial Fortress]] of [[Apollyon]] was the alarm first raised, allowing for the sector [[Battlefleet]], [[Imperial Guard]], and local [[PDF]] units to be mobilized. However, at this time, the Imperium was still unaware of who exactly they were facing. The [[Sector Lord|Sector Commander]], [[Calibron Laan]], took the opportunity to strip away garrisons from other worlds and instead protect his domain of [[Amarah]].{{Fn|1a}}

Though the Imperium expected more devastating attacks after the initial round of destruction, months went by without any sightings of the enemy. [[Lord Inquisitor]] [[Hiram Ntshona]] of the [[Ordo Malleus]] was firm in his belief, however, that the enemy was [[Daemonic]] in nature, not heretical or [[xenos]]. After many months of waiting, the enemy again made itself known in the form of a massive pulsing signal that overtook the sector, initially overloading the minds of [[Astropath]]s. In the signal were the sounds of agonizing screams, whispers in an unknown tongue, and most disturbing of all the phrase ''"[[Maynarkh Dynasty|Maynarkh]] comes"'' in Imperial [[Gothic]]. Even worse, it became known that Libethra, the Angels Revenant homeworld, had been reduced to a pile of ash. Soon, terror and panic gripped the entire sector in the face of this frightful message and the true scale of the mysterious foes initial strikes became known.{{Fn|1a}}

On [[Drucilla Majoris]], a [[Hive World]] of six billion, all contact was soon lost and the powerful [[Ramilies Class Star Fort]] ''[[Fortress Tarris]]'' came under attack by a mysterious but malicious foe before it to ceased all contacts with the outside world. Through all this, Governor Laan refused to take aggressive action and instead waited in his bunker as millions of men and thousands of warships amassed around him, waiting. This Imperial inaction allowed the attackers to take systems around Amarah one-by-one until soon the entire Orpheus Sector had been cut in half.{{Fn|1a}}

Laan's inaction allowed the attackers, now identified as [[Necrons]], to slowly choke off Amarah, but rather then making a swift move on the sector capital, the mysterious foe simply halted their advance. This allowed Laan to bring in reinforcements from out-of-sector as well as build up the defenses of Amarah itself. The forces on Amarah had grown to colossal proportions: over 19 million [[Imperial Guard]], with ten times that number of [[PDF]] and militia. Foremost among the Imperial Guard forces were 2 million guardsmen of the [[Death Korps of Krieg]], spearheaded by the [[17th Line Korps]] under command of [[Marshal_(Imperial_Guard)|Marshal]] [[Karis Venner]]. In addition, several [[Space Marine]] [[Chapter]]s had answered the Orphean call to arms, including the entirety of the [[Minotaurs]] and elements of the [[Marauders]], [[Red Seraph]]s, and [[Nemesis Chapter]], which were en-route. The naval armada around Amarah included hundreds of [[escort]]-class vessels, over sixty [[Imperial Navy]] [[Cruiser]]s and Capital capital Ships (including seven [[Battleship]]s), and four [[Space Marine]] [[Battle Barge]]s. Seldom in the history of the Imperium had such a force been massed to defend a single star system.{{Fn|1b}} At some point after their entry into the war, the Minotaurs destroyed a Necron fortress on [[Thamyris]].{{Fn|2b}}

After the Battle of Amarah, any surviving defenders (of which there were few) were evacuated from the planet as quickly as possible and pulled back to the outer worlds of [[Laymon (Planet)|Laymon]] and [[Calama]] to regroup while whatever surviving civilian population remained was left to their own fate. As of 995.[[M41]], the Orphean War had reached a point of stalemate. Imperial Forces remaining in the Amarah and [[Hydroghast System|Hydroghast]] systems have been cut off, and the current rate of attrition losses have reached 60%. Taking advantage of the carnage, the [[Chemarium System ]] fell under the control of the [[Ruinous Powers]] and the [[Chaos]] forces have begun to engage both Imperial and Necron positions.{{Fn|1b}}

Necron forces have launched renewed probing attacks against [[Myre ]] and [[Amraphel]], and these acts combined with the atrocious losses already sustained by the Imperial defenders have led [[Segmentum Command ]] to believe that the Orpheus Sector can not be saved without a massive [[Crusade]]-level campaign that could not be organized for a minimum of thirty years. Faced with this prospect, Imperial strategists have recommended [[Exterminatus]] as the only tenable solution.{{Fn|1b}}

In 999.[[M41]], over eighty years into their century-long penitent crusade, the [[Executioners]] arrived at the war-torn Orpheus Sector. There they discovered a slew of planets decimated by war, and swear swore revenge for the fallen brothers of other Chapters.{{Fn|2a}}  In the aftermath of the [[Great Rift]]'s creation, the [[Indomitus Crusade]] was launched and a [[Torchbearer Fleet]] also was sent to the Orpheus Sector. There, they discovered that some Angels Revenant had actually survived on their homeworld, hidden beneath the surface in underground caverns. The Imperials then purged the remaining Necrons on Libethra, and reinforced the Angels Revenant with [[Primaris Space Marines]].{{Fn|3}}

*;[[Adeptus Astartes]]**[[Minotaurs]] - Entire [[Chapter]]**[[Marauders]] - 1 [[Space Marine Company|Company]]**[[Red Seraphs]] - Entire Chapter**[[Nemesis Chapter]] - Entire Chapter**[[Angels Revenant]] - Entire Chapter**[[Executioners]] - Entire Chapter (since 999.M41){{Fn|2a}}*;[[Imperial Guard]]**[[Death Korps of Krieg]] - 17th & 60th Line Korps**[[Tekarn|Tekarn Armoured Battalions]] - 7 Battalions**[[Jopal Indentured Guard]] - 4 [[Regiment]]s**[[Synd Zan Bloodsworn]] - 2 Legions**[[Necromundan Guard]] - 2 Regiments*;[[Imperial Navy]]**[[Battlefleet Orpheus]]*;[[Collegia Titanica]]**[[Legio Victorum]] - Demi-Legio*;[[Inquisition]]**[[Ordo Xenos]] Cadres**[[Deathwatch]] [[Kill-Team]]s*;[[Indomitus Crusade]] forces (since early [[M42]]){{Fn|3}}