Necrons

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Necrons (太空死灵)
Species/Race	Former Necrontyr; soulless metallic lifeforms whose minds, memories, and actions persist as data within Living Metal bodies 8 164
Affiliation	Independent Necron dynasties; the Triarch Council and, upon his return, the Silent King Szarekh 304 317
Occupation/Role	Ancient galactic empire; tomb-world rulers, conquerors, and seekers of soul restoration
Status	Active and undergoing mass awakening across the galaxy 304 305
First Appearance	Chapter 8

Background / History

The Necrons were once the Necrontyr, a civilization that ruled the galaxy billions of years before humanity. During the War in Heaven, they allied with the C'tan against the Old Ones and Aeldari, but the C'tan consumed the Necrontyr's souls and transformed them into Living Metal bodies. The dynasties later united, shattered the C'tan, and became rulers of the cosmos, but the C'tan's final curse left them soulless and afflicted by despair. 163

With no souls and only data remaining, many dynasties entered Great Sleep within tomb worlds. Their aim was to preserve what remained of their minds and emotions until a means of restoring their souls could be found. Time, however, damaged even their supposedly immortal infrastructure: lesser and greater dynasties alike collapsed in slumber, while others descended into insanity. 164 304

A minor dynasty on Ozrax was awakened prematurely by Chaos and devastated before it could organize its forces. Chaos daemons destroyed its Resurrection Protocols, eliminating the dead Necrons' remaining route to revival; its Phaeron sent a distress signal immediately before the dynasty's fall. Sislane later restarted the tomb system and inadvertently resent that signal. 8

The discovery and seizure of Oukekaosi's dynasty by Gamma World exposed a critical weakness among damaged tomb worlds: altered protocols, deleted databases, and inaccessible elite units could leave an Overlord with only inferior troops and limited control of his own systems. Gamma World used a Blackstone universal key and a logic virus to breach the dynasty's data center, seize its C'tan energy, alter Resurrection Protocols, and force Oukekaosi's retreat. 171 173 175

By the later stages of the story, the possibility of soul restoration drives the dynasties into full-scale awakening. Necron forces construct megastructures, enslave living populations for computing power, and seize worlds across the Imperium's borders while competing internally over who will control any successful resurrection process. 304 317 380

Appearance

Necrons are skeletal, metallic beings built from Living Metal. Their bodies are cold and mechanical rather than biological; many common soldiers possess little beyond combat awareness, while nobles retain more elaborate personalities and simulated emotions. 164 305

• Their eyes commonly glow deathly green from C'tan-energy overflow. 166
• Noble Necrons may carry symbols of authority such as pharaoh-like scepters. 163 305
• Most commoners are stored as data and manufactured only when needed. 170
• Certain cursed clans obsessively wear the flayed skin of living victims in an attempt to experience flesh again. 237

Organization & Society

Dynasties

The Necrons are divided into dynasties led by Overlords, Phaerons, and other noble rulers. Each dynasty controls tomb worlds, military assets, stored population data, and Resurrection Protocols. Dynastic nobles retain more complete body and personality data than commoners, whose records have often degraded beyond recovery. 304 318

Notable dynasties include:

• Oukekaosi Dynasty — A damaged dynasty led by Overlord Oukekaosi. Its weakened systems were infiltrated by Gamma World, leading to the loss of its C'tan energy source and tomb-world control center. 165 175
• Nicaros Dynasty — A rival dynasty associated with a clan afflicted by an obsessive desire for flesh. It possessed a powerful fragment of the Deceiver and was betrayed to Gamma World by Oukekaosi. 237
• Korkas Dynasty — A high-ranking dynasty awakened by a Triarch signal; it rapidly conquered worlds and transformed the Gothic Sector into a forbidden zone. 305

Triarch and the Silent King

The Triarch Council coordinates the broader Necron resurgence. Its star map encompasses the galaxy; the dynasties can allegedly extinguish a marked star remotely, killing its system without its inhabitants realizing they have been attacked. 304

Szarekh, the Silent King, returned from self-exile after tens of millions of years seeking redemption for the Necrontyr's transformation and a solution to their lost souls. His return offers unity and hope, but also alarms Overlords and Phaerons who seek to monopolize resurrection technology for themselves. 317 318

Abilities & Technology

Resurrection Protocols

Necron Resurrection Protocols preserve and restore their units through stored data, Living Metal, Scarabs, and Canoptek repair systems.

• Destroyed common soldiers can be reconstructed rapidly, allowing dynasties to field near-endless manufactured infantry. 167 168
• A Deathmark can continue returning to battle so long as its dynasty's Resurrection Protocol remains intact. 166
• Canoptek Spyders and Scarabs can scan destroyed Necrons, recreate their bodies through molecular fusion, and re-upload their data. 165
• The system is vulnerable to data intrusion: Gamma World altered Oukekaosi's protocols so revived warriors could be converted to its side. 171 175

Gauss Weaponry

Gauss Rays and related disintegration weapons destroy atomic bonds through electromagnetic force, annihilating matter at the atomic level. Standard Astartes power armor and reinforced Dreadnought chassis cannot withstand a direct hit. 13

• Gauss rifles and disintegration beams can disintegrate organic life, armor, and other matter. 13 27
• Twin Gauss projectors mounted on Nether Lords can sweep infantry and light vehicles. 169
• Gauss weapons require a brief charge before firing and may struggle to hit highly agile targets. 166

Living Metal

Living Metal is the Necrons' self-repairing material and the basis of their bodies, armor, and advanced constructs. Its function depends on externally supplied C'tan energy rather than properties inherent to the metal itself. 161

• Living Metal armor on Titan-grade constructs can withstand super-heavy firepower. 169
• Necron repair beams can reconstruct material from fundamental atomic units. 165
• Attempts to unravel Living Metal's restrictions during Necrontyr restoration risk triggering irreversible assimilation and destruction. 318

Spirit-Driving Dead Zone

The Spirit-Driving Dead Zone is a Blackstone-and-C'tan-energy suppression network that severs regions of realspace from the Warp. Powerful dynasties can extend these stellar grids across multiple star regions. 165

• Prevents Warp travel, prophecy, psychic communication, and psychic power. 165
• Expels or annihilates daemons and stabilizes reality against Chaos corruption. 165
• Prolonged exposure cuts living beings off from their Warp reflections, eventually reducing them to mindless husks. 163 169
• Necron nobles can use Aether Phase Engines freely within the zone, teleporting across its area of effect. 169
• Oukekaosi's Blackstone Hypercube expanded the zone across Gamma World and part of the Tau Empire's territory. 170

Spatial and Temporal Manipulation

Necron technology treats time and space as weapons.

• Aether Phase Engines allow elite Necrons and Deathmarks to teleport instantly across a battlefield or through protected spaces. 169 237
• Chronomancers deploy spacetime bombs that accelerate Necron movement and projectiles while slowing enemy forces. 175
• Black-cube field devices can slow every living creature on a battlefield planet while leaving Necrons unaffected. 305
• Necron tomb corridors and starships use layered or expanded space, allowing access routes and internal volumes that defy conventional dimensions. 165 176

Canoptek Constructs

Canoptek units maintain tomb worlds, repair Necron forces, and overwhelm invaders through numbers.

• Canoptek Spyders — Repair units armed with particle projectors and nanoscarab beams; they can rebuild devastated dynasties at visible speed. 163
• Canoptek Scarabs — Nanite swarms used for repair, dismantling, reconnaissance, self-destruction, and devouring enemies or machines. 163
• Nether Lords — Transport and fire-support vehicles that repair their carried troops through Resurrection Protocols. 169
• Nether Constructs — Titan-grade war machines equipped with Gauss annihilation cannons and antimatter impact cannons. 169

Military Doctrine

Necron tomb worlds initially deploy expendable infantry manufactured from stored civilian data, then escalate toward nobles, warships, Titans, and specialized constructs as production accelerates. This allows their forces to grow stronger the longer a conflict continues. 167 170

Their ordinary soldiers are comparatively slow and individually unimpressive, relying on numbers, Resurrection Protocols, and weapons that inflict unavoidable disintegration damage. Elite formations—including Deathmarks, Destroyer Lords, Chronomancers, Plasmancers, and Titan-grade constructs—perform assassination, battlefield control, and decapitation roles. 174 175

The dynasties can also abandon a compromised tomb world rather than fight to extinction. During Oukekaosi's withdrawal, Ghost Arks retrieved surviving units while crescent-shaped warships absorbed pyramid tombs larger than themselves through spatial manipulation. 176

Relationships

• C'tan — Former allies and betrayers. The C'tan consumed the Necrontyr's souls, provided Living Metal, and left a curse that continues to shape Necron despair and their craving for restoration. 163 318
• Szarekh, the Silent King — Returned ruler and would-be redeemer of the Necron race; his authority is respected but contested by ambitious Phaerons and Overlords. 317 376
• Gamma World — Technological rival, invader, and temporary point of negotiation. Gamma World captured Necron systems and C'tan energy, while the Necrons later copied Gamma-derived megastructure technology in pursuit of soul restoration. 175 317 322
• Chaos — A hostile force whose attack destroyed the Resurrection Protocols of the Ozrax dynasty; Necron anti-@@REF_ENTITY_13977370@@ technology is especially effective against daemons and Chaos sorcery. 8 165 305
• Orks — Frequent battlefield opponents. Ork numbers and Waaagh! effects can pressure Necron forces, though their casualties are often outpaced by Necron reconstruction. 167 168
• Aeldari — Ancient rivals and survivors of the War in Heaven. Necron nobles envy the Aeldari's ability to store souls and recognize their inheritance from the Old Ones. 170

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Ozrax tomb discovery — Gamma World accesses a fallen minor dynasty's systems, acquires Necron technological data, and accidentally retransmits its ancient distress signal. 8
• Reverse-engineering phase — Gamma World develops copied Gauss weaponry, investigates Living Metal, and traces Necron energy systems to a C'tan-powered tomb world. 13 161
• Oukekaosi Dynasty conflict — The expedition enters a Spirit-Driving Dead Zone, battles Oukekaosi's forces, breaches the dynasty's data center, and captures its C'tan energy and control systems. 165 171 175
• Nicaros Dynasty targeting — Oukekaosi betrays his rival Nicaros Dynasty to Gamma World, hoping to see it destroyed after his own defeat. 237
• Galactic awakening — Soul-restoration rumors prompt the Triarch and Phaerons to awaken dynasties en masse, conquer regions of the Imperium, and gather living populations as computational resources. 304 305
• Soul restoration failures — Necron-built Synapse Condensers produce incomplete or dangerous results; one restoration attempt creates an assimilating metallic lifeform that Szarekh must expel into a distant black-hole detonation. 318
• Continued expansion and dissent — Despite constructing forty Megastructure Synapse Condensers, the dynasties cannot deduce their lost soul data. Their military expansion continues while internal disputes over resurrection authority intensify. 376 380

Trivia

• The Necrons' original distress signal was represented by four glowing Blackstone pillars. Restarting the Ozrax tomb system resent it. 8
• Gamma World initially limited use of copied Necron weapons to avoid alerting the dynasties to its use of C'tan-derived energy. 169
• The Necrons regard much contemporary technology as archaeological reuse rather than genuine innovation; Gamma World's capacity for innovation is therefore both valuable and alarming to them. 238 271