Already Traitors Hate is in the hands of many people, and of course that gives us a chance to get some inside information. A lot of what we heard last week has proven to be true......
+++++++Please be warned..... +++++++ There are spoilers below
via Goonbandito on Bolter and Chainsword
http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/325127-chaos-new-rumors/page-42#entry4494469
Have Traitor's Hate in hand, ask away.
Things I can confirm:
* No option for taking Khârn in Khorne Demonkin
* No points change for Lord of Skulls
* Renegade Knight rules are as-is from the previous rules in the Renegade Knight box, including the Forsworn Knight Detachment
* No Renegade Knight relics or additional formations
* Psychic Powers are, as far as I can see, exactly the same as the Angels of Death powers just renamed.
"Wargear of the Fallen Households" is just rules for the Avenger Gattling Cannon, Reaper Chainsword, Ion Shield, Stormspear Missile Pod etc (as-is from Codex: Imperial Knights)
No relics. There are 6 new Tactical Objectives:
* 1VP for destroying an enemy unit during your turn
* 1VP for manifesting a psychic power
* roll a die when you draw the card, and if you control the objective matching the die you score 1VP
* 1VP for rolling on the Boon table. D3 VPs if you roll 3 times
* D3 VPs for controlling an objective that your opponent controlled at the start of your turn
* 1VP if your warlord got Unworthy Offering or Spawnhood during the turn. D3+3 if he got Apotheosis during the turn, or D3 if he got any other result during the turn.
Background..... Spoilers.............
The Thirteenth Black Crusade has been launched, and the bulk of the Chaos Forces drive at the Cadian Gate. Elsewhere, Abaddon has tasked offshoot Chaos Invasion Fleets. One such is in the Diamor System.
Lord Xorphus (a Black Legion Sorceror, hinted at being a former Thousand Son in the Legion days) leads this assault, made up of Black Legion, Crimson Slaughter and Word Bearer forces. The Chaos Fleet first strikes at Peridos, the system's Agri World, and draws out the Imperial Battlefleet in a series of cat-and-mouse engagements designed to tie up the more powerful Imperial fleet. This clears the way for the Chaos Ground Forces to strike at Ioline, a factory world. The combined Black Legion, Crimson Slaughter and Word Bearer forces take Ioline in short order, and Chaos Warpsmiths complete a ritual to create a Demon Engine factory to begin churning out reinforcements.
The main thrust of the Chaos Invasion happens on the world of Amethal. The Adeptus Mechanicus has set up shop, creating a number of dig sites looking for an ancient (as in pre-humanity) artefact that can cage Warp Creatures. It is described "to dwarf the Damnation Cache that had slipped through Abaddon's fingers on Pandorax". Abaddon has tasked Lord Xorphus with releasing this Cage and its contents.
The Crimson Slaughter are sent in as the first wave, dropping in to assault the various Mechanicus dig sites around Amenthal. Kranon the Relentless leads the assault at the dig site the Chaos forces have dubbed War Zone Carnage. The Mechanius forces (from Forge World Metalica, backed up by Knights of House Raven and the God-Engines of Legio Metalica) initially blunt the Crimson Slaughter assault, however the demonic voices echoing from the Cage are heard by the Crimson Slaughter which enables them to push through and break the Mechanicus Defenses. Gorath-Hel, a Word Bearer Dark Apostle, conducts a brief ritual to divine the exact location of the Cage. It's located at War Zone Carnage. The first step of Lord Xorphus' plan is complete.
An urgent call for Imperial reinforcements has been heard by the Blood Angels. The 5th Company drops out of the Warp... right into a trap set by Lord Xorphus (Just As Planned). Xorphus unleashes a massive Psychic Assault on the two Blood Angel Strike Cruisers, driving the entirety of the 5th Company into the Black Rage. Rather than completing the kill though, Xorphus' Battleship backs off as the Blood Angel 1st and 2nd Companies arrive. The 1st, 2nd and now Death Company move on Amenthal, which the Black Legion fleet has left undefended. The Blood Angels dropped onto Amenthal, linked up with the still strong surviving Mechanicus forces and routed the Crimson Slaughter assaults. Amenthal appeared to be retaken by Imperial Forces, however everything was going Just As Planned for Xorphus.... New contacts were detecting translating into the system. A fleet of Traitor Warships, all bearing the mark of Khorne. Khârn had come for the skulls of Sanguinius' Sons.
The Butcherhorde falls on Amenthal. Khârn cuts a bloody and devastating swathe through the Mechanicus and Blood Angel Death Company. Khârn gets angry and kills an Imperial Knight. Khârn duels a Death Company Chaplain, who taunts Khârn about how Sanguinius killed lots of traitors at the gates of Terra to which Khârn angrily responds "There's only one angel, and he is red!" (I thought that was pretty cool smile.png) and proceeds to beat the censored.gif out of the Chaplain. Then another Bezerker tries to intervene and claim the glory of killing both Khârn and the Death Company Chaplain. That only makes Khârn angry though, and he kills the Bezerker. But then a Reaver Titan walks past, totally ignoring Khârn. That, of course, makes Khârn very angry but then the Reaver steps on a building and buries Khârn. He pulls himself from the rubble, only to find the Reaver and the Death Company Chaplain gone. This makes Khârn very, very angry. By now most of the Mechanicum and Death Company forces have been spent, and the Butcherhorde is getting massacred by the Titans. So Khârn gets very, very, very angry and goes on a Titan murdering spree (takes out a Warhound and a Reaver). This forces the Legio Metalica to retreat, and Khârn leads the remnants of the Butcherhorde out to sweep through the routed Mechanicum forces.
Everything is going Just As Planned***, so Xorphus moves his fleets back to Amenthal in order to complete the third phase of the plan. The Imperials have made a sound choice in retreating in order to regroup, however it is a critical error in the larger scheme. The Black Legion is free to reinforce War Zone Carnage, in order to complete the ritual needed to break open the Cage. They bring down the Banshee Stone (Abaddon murder stole it from some Slaanesh Demon Prince), which begins to absorb all the blood shed across Amenthal and focus its dark energies at the wards on the Cage. The Imperial Forces regroup, and counter-attack. The Black Legion hold initially, supported by Orbital Bombardment from their fleet, but their ships are soon forced to break off to engage approaching Imperial Warships. The Mechanicus and Blood Angel forces begin to break through, but Khârn and his remaining Butcherhorde are drawn back by the fighting and begin to cause havoc in the Mechanicus backlines. Khârn kills the Magos in charge, and thus ends the hopes of the Imperials discovering the secrets of the Cage. The Blood Angels push the Black Legion back... but it is too late. Xorphus knows the ritual has done enough for the Banshee Stone to break the wards on the Cage past the point of no-return, so he orders the Black Legion to retreat. Xorphus teleports out just as Blood Angels are about to trap him, and the rest of the Black Legion retreat back to their Thunderhawks. Kranon the Relentless had survived, though he's down to 15 Crimson Slaughter marines and 1 Helbrute. They jack a Black Legion Thunderhawk and escape, none too pleased at their betrayal by the Black Legion. Abaddon has further plans for Khârn, so Xorphus teleports him up out of the battle. As to be expected, this makes Khârn very, very, very, very angry, much to the misfortune of the crew of the ship he was teleported onto (lol).
The Chaos Forces retreat from the system, all except Xorphus' Battleship which hides itself with sorcery in an Asteroid Belt to monitor the Cage. The Blood Angel's Librarians manage to destroy the Banshee Stone and they all pat themselves on the back. Victory for the Imperials! But Xorphus knows better; the Banshee Stone has done its job and its only a matter of time before the Cage breaks open. Why is this important? Because if it breaks, it will cut a new Warp Rift open laying out the Crimson Path from Cadia to Diomar and then to Terra itself. Abaddon scries this with satisfaction from his ship, the Planet Killer, as it travels deep - deeper than ever before - into the Eye of Terror to 'grasp the power to win the entire war'.
The very last bit of text is a bit of Mechancius transmission logs (which had book-ended the chapters throughout). The Blood Angels are calling for Grey Knight aid.
***Well mostly Just As Planned. Elements of the Blood Angels 1st Company, led by the Sanguinor, are able to destroy the Demon Engine factory on Ioldine which is worrying for Xorphus because he had not forseen it.
