Imotekh the Stormlord

Overview

Imotekh the Stormlord rules the Sautekh, the most aggressively expansionist of the awakened Necron dynasties, from the crownworld of Mandragora. He is widely regarded as the finest strategist his race has produced since the Great Sleep. He plans wars on the scale of whole sectors, sets one enemy against another, and calls down living lightning to break the will of enemy armies before his phalanxes advance. To the Imperium he is one of the most dangerous xenos warlords of the late 41st Millennium.

He goes to war bearing the Staff of the Destroyer and the Gauntlet of Fire, attended by a cloud of bloodswarm nanoscarabs that hunt his chosen foes. His command of the battlefield is legendary, and he often sets a trap so that the enemy commander falls into his hands as a trophy. Imotekh is Phaeron of the Sautekh Dynasty, the largest and most aggressive of the awakened Necron dynasties. In 781.M41 he took control of the crownworld Mandragora and began a methodical reconquest of the galaxy. He calls down lightning from the skies he conquers. Unlike many Necron lords he values strategy above tradition, and he treats the Imperium as a game board. Trazyn, Zahndrekh, Obyron and Orikan all operate within his sphere, willingly or not.

Origins

Before the Great Sleep, Imotekh was a nemesor, a general of the Sautekh, rather than royalty. When he woke on Mandragora, the dynasty's nobility had been damaged or lost to the long stasis, and the crownworld was in disorder. He saw the opportunity, took control by force of personality and ability, and became phaeron in all but ancient right. From there he set out to rebuild the Sautekh into an empire.

Key events

1. Seized control of the disordered crownworld of Mandragora in 781.M41 and began reclaiming the old Sautekh domains, world by world.
2. His advance was briefly halted by the stubborn defence of the forge world Hypnoth. He returned and overwhelmed it, using a mechanophage plague engineered by his Crypteks to cripple its machines from within.
3. Faced the Black Templars at Schrödinger VII. The outcome left High Marshal Helbrecht sworn to destroy him, beginning one of the bitterest Imperial-Necron rivalries on record.
4. Remained the target of Helbrecht's crusade through the 980s.M41. Imperial chronicles of the period record repeated clashes between the Sautekh and the Black Templars.
5. Was defeated on Vhaloth IV in 988.M41 by the Space Wolves under Logan Grimnar. It was a rare reversal for a commander who had planned for almost every contingency.
6. Continues to direct the Sautekh's expansion with Orikan the Diviner, whose chronomancy he uses, and Nemesor Zahndrekh among his generals.

His early victories built his reputation. In 798.M41 he exploited the overconfidence of the Alaitoc Farseer Eldorath Starbane at Somonor and led the Eldar host into a trap inside the stasis-tomb, where it was wiped out. Imotekh cut off Starbane's right hand and let him live so he could carry the news of the defeat home, and Alaitoc's seers immediately began planning a counterstrike. In 988.M41 Logan Grimnar's charge on Stormrider finally broke his phalanxes on Vhaloth IV. The victory felt hollow to the Great Wolf, whose real quarry there had been Trazyn. The Codex warns that his growing realm is attracting attention. Marneus Calgar has received reports from beyond Ultramar's northern borders, Iyanden's Farseers sense a threat, and the T'au see an opportunity.

Battles & campaigns

• The Fall of Hypnoth (911.M41): A mechanophage gutted the forge world's defences, and it fell within days despite Flesh Tearers and Iron Hands.
• Schrödinger VII (930.M41): He crushed the Black Templars on the ice, earning Marshal Helbrecht's oath of vengeance.
• Vhaloth IV (988.M41): Logan Grimnar's charge finally broke his phalanxes.

Personality

Imotekh is proud, patient and cerebral. He sees war as a grand game in which each move is weighed against the enemy's likely response. He is not needlessly cruel. He follows the old Necron codes of honourable warfare and respects worthy opponents, often taking trophies from their weapons or armour. His ambition is limitless, and he tolerates no rival claim to Sautekh power.

Weapons & Vehicles

Staff of Light & Eldritch LanceRanged Weapon

The arcane techno-sorcerous sceptres of Necron Crypteks and Overlords, unleashing searing bolts of captured stellar radiation while ser…

Gauss Flayer & Gauss BlasterRanged Weapon

The iconic emerald molecular-flaying beam rifle of the Necron legions, stripping flesh, bone and tank armour apart atom by atom in a bl…

Warscythe & Hyperphase SwordMelee Weapon

The dimensional-phasing polearms and emerald energy blades of Necron Overlords, Lychguard and Skorpekh Destroyers, slipping effortlessl…

LychguardElites · Unit

The noble-bodied bodyguards and envoys of the Necron court, programmed for loyalty and proud of every dismembering stroke.

DeathmarksElites · Unit

Cyclopean Necrondimensional snipers who stalk their quarry from a pocket universe and fire synaptic disintegrators that erase target ne…

Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.

Connections

Characters (5)

• 
  Helbrecht enemy · Black Templars

  Helbrecht swore an Oath of Vengeance against Imotekh after Schrödinger VII.

• 
  Nemesor Zahndrekh rival · Necrons

  Zahndrekh is the only true rival within the Sautekh Dynasty.

• 
  Orikan the Diviner adviser · Necrons

  Orikan's prophecies guide Imotekh's campaigns.

• 
  Szarekh, the Silent King sovereign · Necrons

  Imotekh must now bow to the returned Silent King.

• 
  Trazyn the Infinite rival · Necrons

  Imotekh views Trazyn as a nuisance.

Factions

• Necrons primary faction

Related units (6)

ImmortalsNecron WarriorsDeathmarksFlayed OnesLychguardTriarch Praetorians

Also in this faction

Anrakyr the TravellerIlluminor SzerasVargard Obyron

Some links are thematic parallels (marked "parallel") rather than recorded meetings. See the connections web.

Legacy

Imotekh is the greatest Necron strategist of the age. His rise from nemesor to phaeron reshaped the Sautekh Dynasty into the most aggressive Necron power in the galaxy, and his wars against the Imperium have made the Necrons a feared enemy rather than a half-forgotten myth. His rivalry with the Black Templars shows how even an honourable foe can become a mortal enemy. The Stormlord is the clearest sign that the Necrons are not mindless. They are being led, and led well.

Appearances & sources

• Codex: Necrons (5th Edition onward)