Imotekh

Imotekh the Stormlord oversees the conquest of an Imperial world

"Order. Unity. Obedience. We taught the galaxy these things long ago, and we will do so again."

—Imotekh the Stormlord

Imotekh, also known as Imotekh the Stormlord or simply the Stormlord, is the Phaeron of the Sautekh Dynasty and perhaps the strongest and most accomplished Necron Overlord in the galaxy at the end of the 41st Millennium.

Imotekh rules over a Necron stellar empire currently comprising 80 Tomb Worlds. Renowned for his supreme strategic genius and pride, he has led successful campaigns across entire sectors to expand his growing realm against the lesser sentient races of the galaxy.

History

"Let me tell you of my future. My hand will reach out into the stars, reshaping the galaxy into a place of order and unity. Under my reign, the kingdoms of old shall live again, reborn to an age of power and glory the like of which you can only imagine. I will rule every planet touched by the light of this star and, even in the darkness beyond, my name will be whispered with fear and respect."

—Imotekh the Stormlord to Eldorath Starbane, in the wake of the Siege of Somonor

Imotekh the Stormlord wielding the Staff of the Destroyer

Nemesor Imotekh awoke from the Great Sleep of 60 million standard years to find his Tomb World in disarray. Mandragora had survived the aeons mostly intact, only to fall foul of unrestrained ambition. The Sautekh Crownworld’s ruling Phaeron had been one of the few to perish during hibernation and, once they had quashed immediate alien threats, the remaining Sautekh nobles had moved to seize the throne. A decade of internecine civil war followed, with no faction able to gain victory. During this time, the revivification of high-ranking nobles was suspended, as neither side wished to awaken further competitors. Had the situation continued, Imotekh would likely have slumbered until the civil war had torn Mandragora apart. As it was, one of the pretenders struck upon the idea of recruiting the famous general to his cause -- with such a supporter in thrall, victory could not fail to be his.

However, when Imotekh awoke, he was both enraged and appalled at the anarchy about him. Realising that Mandragora’s only hope of restoration lay in the civil war ending as swiftly as possible, he refused to support either noble faction. Instead, Imotekh marshalled an army of his own, destroyed the chief antagonists, and claimed Mandragora’s throne for himself. The newly crowned Phaeron thereafter forbade any form of infighting within his realm, declaring such activities to be a waste of time, effort and resources. This law was ill-observed at first, but quickly became the norm after Imotekh had proven his willingness to make terminal examples of those who flouted his authority. Between this rule of iron and a swift string of military successes against nearby worlds, Imotekh’s position became unassailable. Indeed, to this day his only true rival within the Sautekh Dynasty is the famed Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Crownworld of Gidrim, but the old general’s loyalty is as unquestionable as his wits are addled, so he is of little threat.

Notable Campaigns

"You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand of your years, and yet have so little to account to show for your efforts. Such failure must be as depressing to bear as it is shameful to behold!"

—Imotekh the Stormlord taunting High Marshal Helbrecht, Chapter Master of the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter

• 781.M41 Storm Clouds Gather – After long years of preparation, Imotekh the Stormlord assumes control of the Crownworld of Mandragora and begins his conquest of the galaxy.
• 798 .M41 Siege of Somonor – The Siege of Somonor was a military campaign fought by the Eldar of Craftworld Alaitoc in 798.M41 against the Necrons of the newly emergent Sautekh Dynasty on the Tomb World of Somonor. The Sautekh Phaeron, Imotekh the Stormlord, played on the overconfidence of the Eldar Farseer Eldorath Starbane to lead the Eldar war host he commanded into a trap deep within the Necron stasis-tomb on Somonor that saw the entire Eldar force exterminated. As a reminder of the humiliating defeat, Imotekh amputated Starbane's right hand, but allowed the Farseer to live so that he could take the news of his defeat back to Alaitoc. The Seer Council of Alaitoc promptly began planning for a major assault on the heart of the Sautekh Dynasty in response.
• 910.M41 The Storm Grows – Imotekh’s campaigns are halted briefly by the Imperium’s resolute defence of the Forge World Hypnoth. Imperial Guard and Space Marine reinforcements flood into the battle zone, and though they cannot achieve a lasting victory, they succeed in tying down the Necron assault for several months. Encouraged by the prophecies of the astromancer Orikan the Diviner, Imotekh finally breaks the stalemate by launching a series of attacks on Hypnoth’s supply worlds Praedis-Zeta and Nyx. The first two raids perform entirely as expected, with the worlds laid to waste and their vital supplies destroyed or claimed by the Sautekh forces. However, an unforeseen Tyranid infestation on Nyx wreaks havoc amongst the Necron forces and threatens to completely derail Imotekh’s entire campaign. Nevertheless, Imotekh rises to the challenge, weaving a strategy that manipulates the Tyranid swarm into venting its fury on the remaining Imperial defenders. With both sides thus distracted, Imotekh is able to extricate his remaining forces.
• 911.M41 The Fall of Hypnoth – Sautekh Crypteks succeed in introducing a mechanophage into the defence systems of the Forge World Hypnoth, reducing its formidably armed bastions to helpless ferrocrete shells. Despite a valorous defence by the Flesh Tearers and Iron Hands Space Marines, Hypnoth is conquered by the Necrons within days.
• 930.M41 Battle of Schrödinger VII – In 930.M41, the forces of the infamous Necron Overlord Imotekh the Stormlord, Phaeron of the powerful Sautekh Dynasty, descended upon the frozen plains of the Imperial Ice World of Schrödinger VII. The Necrons drove the local defenders to the shelter of the labyrinthine cryonite mines, but were unable to prevent the planet's Astropathic Choir from dispatching a distress hymnal. A counterattack swiftly arrived in the form of a Black Templars strike force under the command of Marshal Helbrecht. Imotekh was not caught by surprise so easily, and had already shifted his undying Necron armies into a formidable defensive configuration. Helbrecht lead the assault, intended as a crippling alpha strike, but was instead blunted by a series of impeccably-planned Necron ambushes on the Space Marines' Drop Pod and Thunderhawk drop zones. As the frozen caverns echoed to the roar of explosions, scores of Black Templars and Necrons alike were hurled into rivers of molten cryonite. Eventually, Imotekh and Helbrecht met in single combat atop the stalactite-heavy span of an ice bridge. In the battle that followed, Helbrecht, driven by zeal and hatred of the xenos, dealt Imotekh a dozen ruinous blows, but each time the Phaeron's living Necrodermis was able to quickly repair in a matter of seconds. Despite being the better swordsman, Helbrecht failed to land a truly crippling blow on his opponent, and as the duel drew on, the Marshal finally collapsed under the assault of the Necron Overlord, blood flowing from a score of serious wounds. However, instead of finishing off his opponent, Imotekh brought his Warscythe down and merely severed Helbrecht's right hand to remind the Marshal of his "much-deserved defeat". Helbrecht roared in fury and pain as Imotekh pitched him off the ice bridge to the frigid cavern floor far below. The surviving Black Templars quickly rallied to their fallen Marshal's side and made a fighting retreat, leaving Schrödinger VII in the Stormlord's hands. Following this humiliating defeat, Helbrecht swore an Oath of Vengeance against the Necrons in general, and Imotekh in particular, vowing that the next time they met, only one would leave the battlefield alive.
• 985.M41 Fall of the Inevitable Conqueror – Marshal Helbrecht would get a chance at fulfilling his Oath of Vengeance after the events on Schrödinger VII, when his Crusade fleet detected Necron activity around the Sautekh Dynasty's coreworld of Davatas in 985.M41. Moving swiftly to intercept, Helbrecht rejoiced when their quarry was identified as the Inevitable Conqueror, Imotekh's Cairn-class Tombship and the Sautekh flagship. Moving in with all haste, the Black Templars' Battle Barge Sigismund managed to land crippling broadside blows on the Inevitable Conqueror’s propulsive array, stranding it in place. Intending to get his revenge on his opponent personally, Helbrecht ordered an immediate teleport and boarding torpedo assault upon the Necron Tombship. Within minutes, the decks of the Inevitable Conqueror were swarming with vengeful Black Templars Astartes. Alas, Helbrecht would not even get the satisfaction of seeing his opponent: while Imotekh's pride urged him to fight, logic won out, and the Stormlord teleported himself and many of his most valuable assets away from his flagship to his unengaged Escort ships. The Necrons immediately accelerated away from the fighting and made good their escape. Fuming with impotent rage, Helbrecht could only gain a meagre measure of satisfaction from ensuring the total destruction of the Inevitable Conqueror by personally setting his foe's beloved flagship on a collision course with the closest star and blasting to smithereens those other Necron spacecraft too slow to flee. The frustrated Helbrecht reaffirmed his Oath of Vengeance, swearing once again that he would see Imotekh dead once and for all. Those Black Templars with some familiarity with the undying Necrons fear that their Marshal has bitten off more than he can chew. While Helbrecht is certainly capable of besting the Necron Phaeron in single combat, preventing the undying mechanical fiend from teleporting to safety and destroying Imotekh outright may prove to be an impossible feat for a single Chapter of Space Marines, no matter their zeal.
• 988.M41 Battle of Vhaloth IV – Logan Grimnar, majestic atop his chariot, Stormrider, leads his Great Company in a charge that finally breaks the Necron phalanxes of Imotekh the Stormlord on Vhaloth IV. Though a great victory over the Necrons, it is a hollow one for the Great Wolf, as the hunt that brought him to Vhaloth IV was intended to locate Trazyn the Infinite to deliver retribution for the attack on Midgardia.

Personality

Imotekh the Stormlord outfitted with his full panoply of war

Imotekh is a grand strategist, perhaps the most accomplished the galaxy has ever known. His campaigns operate not only across worlds, but across entire star systems and sectors. When Imotekh launches an attack, it is impossible to discern if it is the main thrust of his strategy or simply a decoy raid, crated to bleed enemy reinforcements away from a battle yet to come. All such assaults are carefully weighted to overwhelm enemy forces already in place, requiring the foe to either sacrifice his troops or reinforce them -- and Imotekh’s plans are always many stages ahead, set to take advantage of either course. Indeed, the Stormlord’s battle plans are incredibly versatile, seeded with feint attacks, counter-strategies and other contingencies enacted automatically should certain circumstances be triggered or thresholds crossed. To the outside observers, there is something almost mystical to Imotekh’s methodology, for how else could he so flawlessly anticipate the unseen? Yet in truth there is nothing more at play here than the careful application of probabilities and logic, combined with a canny understanding of the foe’s mindset.

So impeccable are the logical patterns behind the Stormlord’s strategies that the only way a foe can truly gain meaningful advantage is to abandon all logic themselves -- something that most enemies find incredibly difficult to do. However, Orkish anarchy achieves this as naturally as breathing. Thus does the Stormlord hate Orks above all the lesser races of the galaxy for, no matter how hard he tries, he rarely wins a lasting victory over the rabblesome Greenskins. Yet lasting victories against the Orks there must be, for Imotekh’s goal is nothing less to wipe them from the face of the galaxy. The Stormlord is unshakeable in his belief that only when the galaxy is washed clean with the blood of inferior beings will Necron dominance begin anew.

As Phaeron of the Sautekh Dynasty, Imotekh can draw upon incredible resources, for all of the armies of the entire dynasty are his to requisition at need. Yet the Stormlord knows that the foe -- all other sentient life in the galaxy -- is too numerous to be defeated through force of arms alone. Thus, for Imotekh, terror is a weapon as potent as any in the Necron arsenal, and one he employs to full effect. His armies advance under the cover of storm-blackened skies, emerald lightning bolts arcing out from heavy clouds to wreak carnage against the foe. Enemy armies that advance into the shadow of the storm are simply swallowed up, cut off from all contact whilst the battle lasts. Any warriors that escape from the maelstrom’s clutches do so only to sow panic, fear and dismay amongst their comrades. Worse, some such survivors are implanted with Bloodswarm Nanoscarabs, whose gore-warm scent acts as an irresistible beacon for roaming packs of Flayed Ones.

If the Stormlord has one weakness, it is a prideful need to display his superiority over those enemy commanders foolish enough to stand against him. High ranking enemies are often set free upon their defeat so that they will have to live with the knowledge of their inadequacy. This is a lesson invariably reinforced by physical mutilation -- a severed limb normally being the favoured method. Yet with every battle, these surviving foes learn a little more of the Stormlord’s methods and the best of them only become more determined to see his campaigns ended once and for all. High Marshal Helbrecht of the Black Templars in particular, has run the Stormlord close on more than one occasion, though victory has thus far eluded his armoured grasp.

The fact that Imotekh suffers from such a personal form of martial hubris stands in stark contrast to the analytical and emotionless detachment he displays when planning and conducting campaigns. It is possible that stasis-induced eccentricity is to blame, but for which trait? Is Imotekh a master strategist whose engrammic damage spurs him to seek personal glory, or a bellicose warrior granted strategic genius through an accident of fate? In the end, it does not matter. If Imotekh’s defeat comes, it is sure not to be at the hands of a superior strategist, but rather at the hands of a more accomplished warrior. And there will be many opportunities for such a downfall. Imotekh’s domain is growing at a rate unparalleled amongst the Necron dynasties. Four score Tomb Worlds lie under his regal command, and five times as many alien-held planets pay direct or indirect tribute -- the number of alien civilisations Imotekh has destroyed during his campaigns cannot easily be counted. Such a realm is nothing when compared to the galaxy-spanning Imperium or the Necron dynasties at the height of the glory during the War in Heaven, but it is nonetheless impressive for the work of a mere two hundred Terran years.

Such expansion has come at a price, however, and Imotekh’s dynasty is now starting to come to the notice of several other realms. On Macragge, reports of Necron activity beyond the Realm of Ultramar’s northern borders have reached the attention of Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines. Iyanden’s Farseers have sensed a peril before their Craftworld that is, in its way, as great a threat as the Tyranid menace that lies behind them. Rumours of a sinister power on the march have even reached the Tau Empire though, as ever, their prevailing interpretation is one of opportunity rather than threat. It is only a matter of time before the Sautekh Dynasty comes into direct conflict with these other realms, and if forced to war with two or more at the same time, Imotekh’s genius will surely be tested.

Wargear

• Necrodermis - Like all Necrons, Imotekh's body is built from the self-repairing living metal known as Necrodermis. As befits one of his lofty rank, Imotekh's body is of superior craftsmanship and richly adorned, clearly announcing his status and allowing him to repair even the most grievous of wounds in a matter of moments.
• Staff of the Destroyer - The Staff of the Destroyer is an ancient and ornamental staff weapon similar to a Warscythe, and is not only a symbol of his august rank for Imotekh, but also an unbelievably powerful weapon. First wielded by Zehet, founder of the Sautekh Dynasty, and has seen battle in the hands of every one of his successors. Upon the battlefield, the staff can unleash a searing beam of pan-dimensional energy that can make a mockery of even the most heavily armoured foes. However, there is a small consolation for Imotekh's enemies, as the staff takes a significant amount of time to recharge its power for another blast.
• Gauntlet of Fire – A Gauntlet of Fire takes the form of an armoured glove and vambrace, whose length crackles and flows with green flame. The gauntlet’s mechanisms are controlled by a series of sub-mechadermal filaments, allowing the wielder a level of control over the gauntlet as fine as that over his own hand. A Gauntlet of Fire is capable of firing a great column of viridian flame, with similar effects to an Imperial Flamer, or can be used on close combat for fiery attacks that are more likely to hit and harm the foe; as well as set them alight for a time.
• Phase Shifter - Using a form of unknown inter-dimensional science, a Phase Shifter is a Necron defensive device that renders its bearer's form hazy and indistinct, as though they were not completely corporeal. Shots and blows can then pass through his mechanical body, meaning that even the most powerful weapons cannot harm him. This is because a Phase Shifter flickers the very fabric of its bearer into and out of a phased state as they move in between dimensions. If improperly timed, even the most powerful blows and shots aimed at the bearer of a Phase Shifter instead pass through empty air.
• Phylactery - Often taking on the appearance of a small scarab-sized cylinder, a Phylactery is an inconspicuous charm that is actually a powerful Necron self-repair device. A Phylactery is filled with tiny, spider-like nanoscarabs that will swarm over the Necron bearer’s body and wounds at a command, or if he is severely damaged or destroyed. The nanoscarabs then proceed to reknit tears in his ravaged Necrodermis body; bolstering his own self-repair abilities so that he may continue to fight on again.
• Sempiternal Weave – A Sempiternal Weave is an advanced form of Necron technology used to augment the Necrodermis bodies of members of Necron royalty. A Sempiternal Weave threads a Necron’s exoskeleton with filaments of phase-hardened amaranthite and adamantium, vastly increasing the body’s hardiness to a level that rivals Astartes Terminator Armour.
• Bloodswarm Nanoscarabs - Bloodswarm Nanoscarabs are a type of miniaturised Canoptek Scarab that are only used by Imotekh the Stormlord. When released, the chittering tide of a Bloodswarm swirls about the enemy, probing their armour for flaws and then begins to feed, breaking down the victim's armour plating and leaving it vulnerable. A single chink is more than enough for the mechanical scarabs as they burrow into the warm flesh underneath. However, these Bloodswarm Nanoscarabs have an additional purpose. The blood of the victims they spill in excess proves more than enough to attract packs of Flayed Ones, who quickly finish off whatever resistance is left.

Sources

• Champions of Fenris - A Codex: Space Marines Supplement (Digital Edition), pg. 88
• Codex: Necrons (5th Edition), pp. 17, 21-24, 26-27, 55, 81-82, 88
• Codex: Necrons (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 51, 183-184
• Warhammer 40,000 - Index Astartes: Centurions, "Famous Battles of the Centurions"