Warhammer 40k Wiki
Advertisement
Warhammer 40k Wiki
B13

The Kaurava System

The Kaurava System is the star system in the Lithesh Sector of the Ultima Segmentum of the Milky Way Galaxy where, because of the sudden appearance of a Warp storm, nine separate armies from each of the galaxy's most advanced intelligent species clashed with each other in the Kaurava Campaign.

The system was ultimately claimed by the Orks of WAAAGH! Gorgutz.

History

Kaurava Campaign

Three armies were already present in the system when the Warp storm was unleashed, blocking all further transportation to or communications with the world: The 252nd Conservator Regiment of the Astra Militarum, the representatives of the star system's original ruler, the Imperium of Man, who had landed on Kaurava I under the newly appointed Imperial Governor-General Vance Stubbs; the feral Ork tribes of Kaurava II led by their Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter and the Necrons, who had been slumbering under the sands of Kaurava III, a Necron Tomb World, for millions of standard years and were now led by the newly awakened Necron Lord of Kaurava.

First, the Alpha Legion arrived in the name of Chaos Undivided under the Chaos Champion of Khorne Firaeveus Carron, who established a base for his forces on Kaurava IV. It is a mystery as to how the forces of the Traitor Legion arrived in the system: the Warp Storm may have brought them through the Warp or perhaps it was their presence that summoned the rift in the Immaterium.

The truth of the matter remains elusive. Second, a Blood Ravens Space Marine force of 5 companies led by the Force Commander Captain Indrick Boreale established a base on Kaurava II to end the danger posed to the Imperium by the xenos and heretics alike in the system.

The T'au Empire claimed Nan Yanoi, one of the moons of Kaurava II, as its own as the empire sought to add Kaurava to its own expanding territory and bring the concept of the Greater Good to its formerly Imperial citizens. The Tau built on the moon of Kaurava II a mighty plasma cannon, the Ar'Ka Cannon, by the order of the Tau Commander Shas'O Or'es'Ka.

From under the sands of Kaurava III, the Necrons arose, perhaps due to the effects of the Warp Storm.

In quick response to the Necrons' awakening, long unused Webway gates flickered to life and brought the Eldar of the Ulthwe Craftworld, led by Farseer Caerys, to fight against their ancient deathless enemies who they knew had reawakened on the world.

From the shadows of another ancient Webway gate a raiding Kabal of the Drukhari appeared, looking for souls and new bounty, with the Kabal of the Black Heart's Archon Tahril as their leader. The Kabal of the Black Heart was the single largest and most powerful Kabal in Commorragh, and because of this, they were the dominating power in that hidden city of the Dark Eldar.

Last, but certainly not least, the Battle-Sisters of the Order of the Sacred Rose, a sect of the Adepta Sororitas' Orders Militant, better known in the Imperium as the Sisters of Battle, arrived and established a base on Kaurava I. They arrived to cleanse the star system of every last xenos and Heretic, even if such a task led to conflict with the other servants of the Emperor already within the system.

Outcome

The fate of the Kaurava System depends on the actions taken by the various factions fighting over it: it can be returned to the control of the Imperium, become a new frontier colony of the T'au Empire, become the black heart of the Necrons' next genocidal "red harvest", become the base of the greatest Ork WAAAGH! ever launched, or be twisted into the image of Chaos and become a new Daemon World of the Warp.

If the Kaurava Campaign was ultimately won by the Astra Militarum's 252nd Conservator Regiment under the command of General Vance Stubbs, the Kaurava System remained a part of the Imperium of Man. General Stubbs and his men were declared heroes by the people of the Kaurava System.

The system began to thrive again thanks to vast rebuilding, mining and terraforming projects that were initiated by Governor Stubbs. The numerous military academies that were built there follwoing the Imperial Guard's victory, turned out superior Imperial Guardsmen who were second in quality only to the Kasrkin regiments of Cadia.

Only Kaurava III was left largely barren, due to the fact that it had been the Tomb World where the Necrons had risen. General Stubbs' ability to organise and reform the long-neglected Kauravan Imperial Guard Regiment did not go unnoticed by the Ultima Segmentum Command, and he was promoted in time from the role of Governor-General to control over a small star system.

The dialogue in the later PC game Dawn of War II indicated that the Blood Ravens under Captain Indrick Boreale had suffered a terrible defeat in the Kaurava System, with all 5 of the Blood Raven companies under his command destroyed, essentially costing the Chapter half of its manpower in a single campaign. As a result, the Blood Ravens desperately needed to step up their recruiting process in Sub-sector Aurelia, their only remaining recruiting ground. The invasion of that region by a Tyranid splinter hive fleet thus threatened the very existence of the Blood Ravens Chapter.

However, in Dawn of War III, released in 2017, Blood Ravens Chief Librarian Jonah Orion mentioned what Gorgutz did to his Chapter in Kaurava, which confirms that the Orks under Gorgutz proved to be the ultimate victors of the battle for the Kaurava System, making it the heart of his WAAAGH!, though no details are provided about how the Greenskins defeated all the other factions.

Worlds

The Kaurava System contains four planets:

Sources

Advertisement