Across the millennia, the enigmatic Leagues of Votann have been content to exist in relative
isolation.
But as horrific warp storms tear the galaxy in half, even they have been forced to abandon
this isolationism and will soon become a far more active force on the galactic stage.
This will surely come as something of a shock to the other major powers, who are largely
unaware that the Leagues and the billions of Kin that make them up, even existed in
the first place.
But how is this possible?
How can an Empire whose size and population far exceeds the dwindling Aeldari or fledgling
Tau, have remained hidden for so long?
This can partly be ascribed to the almost inaccessible region of the galaxy that the
greatest Leagues have claimed as their own; the Galactic Core.
It is a territory overwhelmed by cosmic phenomena, gravitic anomalies, and dense asteroid clusters
ejected by the supermassive black hole that lies at the galaxy’s heart.
Most star systems and the worlds within them are bathed in deadly cosmic radiation, or
nothing shattered husks split apart by overwhelming gravitational forces.
Only the Orks and the Tyranids have made successful, lasting, inroads into the core and encountered
the Leagues, and neither had the inclination to share their discovery of the Kin to the
wider galaxy.
But the Leagues themselves seem to have been almost engineered to thrive within this environment.
Through a combination of physiology and technology, the Kin have been able to settle within vast
Holds.
These might be enormous tunnel networks that span entire worlds, collections of heavily
armed and armored void stations, chains of domes scattered across asteroid belts, fleets
of enormous factory vessels, hollowed out industrial moons, or grav anchored stations
orbiting black holes or other stellar phenomena.
The core itself may be the richest part of the galaxy in terms of natural resources.
Incalculable riches are produced within the region’s stellar nurseries and the Kin have
developed the means to split planets apart and reap the molten harvest.
The Leagues maintain trade routes and communication networks; everything they need to be entirely
self-sufficient.
For most of their history, there was simply no need for the Kin to ever leave the Core.
But this is not to say that they never ventured out into the wider galaxy, in fact, the Kin
possess a deep spirit of exploration.
They are well aware of the state of things outside their borders, and this has only deepened
their commitment to remain hidden.
Kin prospecting fleets roam many territories of the galaxy, but in their dealings with
other races they are unforthcoming, never sharing any details that might reveal their
origins, history and current state.
And these dealings are generally limited in scope, a single fleet, conflict or trade agreement
at most.
So while the Imperium and the other powers of the galaxy have remained mostly ignorant
of the Leagues, they have actually encountered them many times before.
They have just misconstrued these encounters.
Imperial records in particular are full of references to wandering merchant races, unclassified
xenos trade fleets or abhuman enclaves.
How many of these might have actually been the Kin?
When a single League found itself on the wrong end of Hive Fleet Leviathan, the Imperium
believed that their entire race had been destroyed.
The Tau for their part, know the Kin as the Demiurg, to the Aeldari they are the Heliosi
Ancients, and to others they are the Gnostari, the Grome, or the Kreg.
But the Leagues of Votann are no longer able to hide behind the veil of ignorance that
has kept them protected for so long.
In addition to the constant incursions by the Orks and the Tyranids, League excavations
have increasingly awakened Necron Tomb Worlds, tentative alliances and trade pacts with the
Aeldari and Tau have begun to break down, and the Imperium has grown bolder in its search
for lost technologies that the Kin still possess.
And above them all, the powers of the Dark Gods are growing ever stronger, and the Leagues
of Votann will not be spared if their designs come to fruition.
In the face of such threats, the Leagues have no choice, they must strike out across the
galaxy and claim the stars from those who no longer deserve them.