The Rangda are an extremely hostile species that invaded the early Imperium of Man in the late 30th millennium, and were seemingly exterminated during it. They appear to be native to the galactic north of the Milky Way, and allegedly come from a planet of the same name, which was misidentified as being in the Advex-Mors system.
Biology[]
Little is known of Rangdan biology due to most information on the species being lost to history, but they were described as being lithe and vaguely vulpine in form, as well as being strong enough to fight and kill fully armored Astartes. Rangdan were also said to have mimicry abilities, but the exact nature of these abilities is unknown.
Culture and society[]
Rangda were known to be extremely hostile imperialists, seeking to destroy or enslave all life they came across. However, they primarily utilized slaves of other species in their armies, preferring to not get directly involved in fighting unless necessary, or until the enemy was thoroughly exhausted. Campaigns were led by Rangda designated as Warmasters, while the enigmatic rulers of the species were known as Overlords. Their warriors seemed to be divided into castes known as Rangdan Osseivores and Randgan Cerabvores. Additionally, the Rangda were said to have "Slaugth murder-minds", and Slaugth would be sighted following in the wake of Rangdan campaigns, leaving it possible that the Slaugth were the true masters of the Rangdan species.
Technology[]
Rangda had very advanced technology, surpassing that of the Imperium. Their officers utilized personal protective shielding, while their warships, which resembled giant spined jellyfish with numerous trailing tendrils, were armed with Shadow Blasters, weaponry that fired electromagnetic radioactive blasts that could instantly disintegrate targets. Rangda also utilized moon-sized weaponized space stations, and the slave crews for the stations had neural collars linked back to their Overlord masters.
History[]
In the late 30th millennium, the Imperium of Man expanded across the stars in an attempt to restore Humanity's lost golden age. The Rangda invaded the early Imperium from its northern frontiers, starting with the Advex-Mors system. This sparked a series of conflicts forever remembered as the Rangdan Xenocides, beginning with the war around Advex-Mors, which cost the Imperium many of its Space Marines. However, after four months, the Rangda were routed and retreated for several decades.
The Second Rangdan Xenocides began when the Rangda invaded the Imperium once more, this time from the galactic east as well as north, destroying many planets and slaughtering Imperial expeditionary fleets. Over the course of two decades, 19 systems were lost, including millions upon millions of lives, with the full force of multiple Space Marine Legions fighting the Rangda onslaught. At least three Primarchs, transhuman demigods at the helm of Space Marine Legions, fought in the conflict, along with many Space Marine Legions. Ultimately, the Emperor of Mankind Himself, an immortal superhuman and father of the Primarchs, personally intervened and broke the Rangda advance. While the invasion fleets were destroyed, at least one straggler Rangda fleet survived for some time before being hunted down and destroyed. The Ist Legion of Space Marines, the Dark Angels, then founded the Order of the Broken Claws to study the remains of the Rangda and keep watch for their return.
The third and final Rangdan Xenocide happened sometime after the second campaign wrapped up, which saw the Rangda return in even greater numbers. This created a war on apocalyptic scale, nearly wiping out the galactic northwest, and inflicting such heavy casualties on the Dark Angels that the Legion lost its status as the most numerous legion. Ultimately, the Rangda were once more routed, and hunted down across the stars until they were all but exterminated. However, Imperial records would later give many contradictory accounts of the Third Rangdan Xenocide, altering the length and scope of the war, with one account detailing the White Scars Legion finding and destroying the Rangda homeworld. All accounts agreed that the Rangda were completely destroyed, but regardless, the Order of the Broken Claws remained intact and stationed at Advex-Mors, as if believing that the Rangda would one day return. However, even 10,000 years later in the 41st millennium, no Rangda activity has been sighted by the Imperium or other major species.
Appearances[]
- Alpharius: Head of the Hydra, by Mike Brooks (2021)
- The Horus Heresy Book One: Betrayal by Alan Bligh (2012)
- The Horus Heresy Book Seven: Inferno by Alan Bligh (2017)
- The Horus Heresy Book Nine: Crusade by Graham McNeil (2020)
- Scions of the Emperor by Chris Wraight (2019)
- White Dwarf 470 (2021)
Notes[]
- The Second Rangdan Xenocides are linked to the II and XI Legions and their Primarchs, who were said to have accompanied the Imperium's Solar Auxilia in battling the Rangda. Said Primarchs and their Legion are famously known as the Lost Legions, as in-universe, all records on them were purged, and out of universe, Games Workshop has purposefully left their names, details, histories, and condition for erasure unknown. Rick Priestly, a Games Workshop creator instrumental to the creation of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000, stated that the Lost Primarchs were purposefully "redacted" so that players can invent their own backstories, custom Chapters, and other homebrewed lore that can be easily inserted into their games, effectively filling in the Lost Primarchs. As Games Workshop appears dedicated to never giving a definitive answer on the identities of the Lost Primarchs and their Legions, it is very likely that any further information on the Rangda will be very limited, if only because how their history intertwines with the Lost Primarchs.