A Warp Gate is a point in realspace which is usually linked to another point in realspace by a tunnel through the Warp. The tunnel somehow avoids the normal disturbances of Warpspace, allowing a journey to be made within a fixed time and in perfect safety.
Some rare Warp Gates, such as that on the Knight World of Molech, lead directly into the Immaterium itself, instead of to a destination point in realspace. It was this gate that the man who would later become the Emperor of Mankind used to enter the Realm of Chaos to parlay with the Ruinous Powers during the Age of Technology. Horus later entered the same gate following the Battle of Molech during the Horus Heresy to earn the Chaos Gods' final recognition as their champion.
The existence of Warp Gates represents something of a mystery, and much debate rages over whether they are natural or artificial. If artificial, then none can say who made them or for what purpose. Furthermore, some Warp Gates have been artificially enhanced, their entrances delineated by mechanical constructions whose exact function can only be guessed at. Other Warp Gates are mere black holes in space.
The one disadvantage of Warp Gates is that their destination is pre-determined and travel is permitted only within that fixed route.
Warp Gates occur in the depths of space, at the boundaries of solar systems, within solar systems, and even on planets. The largest are easily big enough to permit the passage of spacecraft and are usually situated at the edge of a solar system or amongst its outer planets.
Other gates are only large enough to permit the passage of small vehicles, or perhaps Human-sized creatures. These occur mostly on planet surfaces and lead directly to other gates on the surfaces of other planets. All gates are rare, the smaller types extremely so. Planetary gates are often disguised, or respond only to electrical, psychic, or other signals, which would seem to indicate a certain amount of intended secrecy on the part of their builders.
All space-going species are prepared to utilise Warp Gates when they find them, although discovering where they lead can often be hazardous. Many gates appear to be defective, and can dump a voidship randomly into Warpspace. Others can lead to places which may once have been stars or planets, but which are now no more than empty space.
The possibility of emerging into a distant, hostile alien star empire also has to be considered. It may be that voidcraft vanishing into Warpspace have been transported beyond the galaxy itself. Warp Gates often become extremely important to whoever controls them, and many are of vital strategic value to the Imperium.
Imperial Commanders and other interests vie for control of a Warp Gate in their sphere of influence, and these relics are often heavily defended against outside attack.
Notable Warp Gates[]
- Warp Gate 492 - Warp Gate 492 is located in the vicinity of Cluster FR/7891 but was declared unusable by the Imperium. It was marked as such on Imperial charts of the region, but it was later discovered by Orks.
- Jericho-Maw Warp Gate - The Jericho-Maw Warp Gate joins the former Imperial sector now known as the Jericho Reach in the Segmentum Ultima in the galactic east to the region of the Segmentum Obscurus in the galactic west that divides the Calixis Sector and the Koronus Expanse. This connection makes this Warp Gate one of the most strategic in the galaxy, as it allows Imperial forces to cross almost the entire stretch of the Milky Way in a single, completely safe passage.
Sources[]
- Children of the Emperor (Short Story) by Barrington J. Bayley
- Dark Heresy: Enemies Beyond (2nd Edition) (RPG), pg. 136
- Deathwatch: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 326
- Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness (1st Edition), pg. 212
- Rogue Trader: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 310-313
- Vengeful Spirit (Novel) by Graham McNeill, Chs. 15-16