Discovery and Early History
Located by the Empire’s explorator
fleets relatively early during the great crusade, the Pythos system was located
near several major stable warp corridors and was deemed to be a suitable
location to establish a resupply base for the fleets of the great crusade.
The system’s fourth planet, Pythos IV was
found to have a habitable biosphere and was rapidly transformed into an
agriworld with facilities to resupply the Emperor’s forces with all the war
materials they would need to unify the galaxy. Pythos IV was discovered to be
an eldar maiden world about fifty years after colonization when forces from an
unknown craft world attacked imperial forces without warning. Fortunately for
the imperium, several ships of the XVIII legion were resupplying in orbit, the
embarked space marines rapidly deployed from orbit and drove off the xenos in a
short but brutal campaign.
Afterwards, Pythos IV was permanently
garrisoned by a small force of space marines of the IV legion to discourage
further eldar raids. The planet’s defenses were immediately strengthened with
the installation of several shield generators on the planet and the
construction of a formidable defense battery on Pythos IV’s moon. It’s security
thus ensured, Pythos IV continued to prosper throughout the rest of the great
crusade, its orbital docks becoming a major waypoint of the emerging Segmentium
Tempusts.
Loss during the Horus Heresy
All that changed during the Horus Heresy.
During the traitor’s advance on Terra, Horus dispatched forces to capture
several systems both to resupply his forces and to deny critical materials to
the Emperor’s forces. Securing Pythos IV and its large stockpiles of materials
fell to the Word Bearers. In his arrogance, Lorgar dispatched only a tolken
force, assuming that the Iron Warriors garrisoning the planet would follow
their primarch into forsaking the Emperor. The approaching fleet soon learned that
was not the case when several of its lead ships were obliterated by the
planet’s defenses. Over the course of several weeks, the Word Bearers were able
to destroy the orbital defense platforms ringing the planet at great cost, but
the surviving ships could not bring enough firepower to penetrate Pythos IV’s
shields.
Enraged by the defender’s defiance, Lorgar
withdrew his forces and summoned a warp storm of tremendous power to seal off
the system, declaring that if Horus could not control the Pythos system, no one
would. Thus Pythos IV faded from memory as the terrible events of the Horus Heresy ran their course.
Pythos IV is Rediscovered
The Pythos system was rediscovered in
M41.980 by the rogue trader Van Buran when his fleet found itself blown off
course by a warp squall. Emerging in the abandoned system, the rogue trader
encountered the wreckage of an ancient battle throughout the system. Pythos IV
appeared to be untouched, though no signs of inhabitants on the planed were
found. While the planet’s moon was found to be wrapped in an impenetrable
shield, landings were successfully made at the various starports on Pythos IV.
Planet side exploration found massive stockpiles of war supplies and other
advanced technology waiting to be claimed.
Van Buran likely would have kept his
discovery a secret to exploit for his own gain had misfortune not befallen. The
rogue trader’s fleet had been infiltrated by a brood of genestealers which had
quietly infected the crews of several ships.
The genestealers attempted to
seize control, which resulted in a pitched battle between those ships were not
taken over. Van Buran’s personal astropath was able to send a frantic distress
call before being torn apart by several tyranid monstrosities. In the end, all
of the ships were lost either to the guns of their former comrades or when their
plasma drives were overloaded. Some crew members managed to escape to Pythos
IV, but they were eventually hunted down by the genestealers that managed to
make planet fall.
Pythos IV sits waiting to be claimed once more.
