Necromunda has been quietly running one of the wildest story arcs in the setting, and it all lands in Spire of Primus.
If you bounced off the earlier books or just got hooked by that towering weirdo Ozostium Aranthus, this is a good moment to catch up. The whole saga is basically Hive Primus playing Game of Thrones with murder cyborgs, ash wastes, and cult pilgrimages. Additionally, it all ties into the wider Great Rift era, which is very on brand for Warhammer right now. So let’s walk through the carnage that got us to this final chapter.
Cinderak Burning – Helmawr Falls And The Hive Starts Eating Itself
Everything kicks off in Cinderak Burning, when the Great Darkness hits and the galaxy tears open in Warp fire. Necromunda feels the shock, but nobody downhive really understands what happened. Instead, a single murder cyborg uses the chaos as cover to strike down Lord Helmawr. His poisoned body gets shoved into a stasis casket and suddenly the man at the top of the hive is half dead and unavailable.
With Helmawr hanging between life and death, order in Hive Primus collapses in record time. The nobles abandon the lower levels and leave the hivers to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, the real knife fight begins in the upper spire. Helmawr’s delightful brood immediately start killing each other for the throne. Lady Haera steps forward as the sharpest blade in the room, literally slaughtering a chunk of her siblings at her own banquet. However, she is not the only player.
Lady Credo is working from the shadows, cutting deals with House Escher’s Matriarch Primus. Together they start turning the House of Blades against the Helmawr line while Credo tries to awaken her mysterious ancient master. Additionally, Kal Jericho gets involved after being paid very well by a rebel lord to snatch Helmawr’s stasis casket. It is pure Necromunda energy, with power politics, gang backing, and bounty hunters all crossing wires at once.
The Pilgrimage To Temenos And The Divine Prince Wakes
The second phase unfolds in The Vaults of Temenos, which shifts the camera across the wastes. A massive pilgrimage begins, snaking from battered Cinderak City all the way to Hive Temenos. It is led by the Prophet of the Redemption, who claims he is looking for the Father of All Saints. That kind of talk gets a lot of Redemptionists excited very fast.
Lady Credo quietly amplifies his message, making sure that by the time this holy conga line reaches Temenos the Prophet has enough support to walk in without issue. Additionally, he is not alone, because an army of Redemptionists is now marching behind him. Down in the vaults beneath the hive they finally crack open the prize. Ozostium Aranthus, the Divine Prince and ancient scion of the Iron Lords, wakes up and steps back into the world.
It does not take him long to grab the reins. With vast psychic reach, he starts bending the population toward his will. Credo, her Escher allies, the Prophet, and the whole pilgrimage drag their new messiah back to Primus to put him on the throne. Haera’s reign ends almost as soon as it started. She barely escapes the hive alive, and Ozostium commits fully to wiping the Helmawr line from existence.
Haera On The Run – Ruins, Spyrers, And Ancient Enemies
From there the story follows Haera across the wasteland in Ruins of Jardlan. She flees through the ash wastes toward the infested ruin of Hive Secundus, searching for one of the few remaining family members who might still back her. It is a proper desperate exile arc, with the former would be queen now dodging death in the dirt.
Most recently, The Book of Desolation brings in a very old school Necromunda element. Haera teams up with her brother Tamino to recover a Sthenian Spyrer suit. This is not just a cool relic. Its archeotech systems were built centuries ago to counter a specific ancient threat to House Helmawr, quite possibly the Aranthians themselves. Additionally, the suit finally gives Haera a way to stand toe to toe with Ozostium instead of just running.
That sets the stakes for Spire of Primus. Will Haera reclaim the throne. Will Ozostium succeed in restoring Araneus Prime’s rule. What happens to Lord Helmawr, who has been stuck half alive since the opening blow. The Imperium’s gaze is starting to turn toward Necromunda, and that attention is never a good thing for anyone living there.
New Rules, New Delegations, And Campaign For The Spire
Spire of Primus is not just lore wrap up. It also packs in a lot of new campaign and gang content. Lawful gangs get access to a fresh delegation, the Palanite Justicars. These are the serious version of law, acting as judge, jury, and executioner for Imperial houses, especially when noble bloodlines are involved. Additionally, the succession campaign itself evolves, splitting forces into Imperial aligned and Aranthian aligned factions.
On the table, Ozostium takes the field for Aranthian gangs, bringing that oppressive psychic prince presence to your battles. Imperial aligned gangs can back Haera directly or build their own Spyrer leader using a rare Sthenian rig. This lets you mirror the story, with noble backed hit squads and spire born hunters charging into the underhive. The book also includes rules for a Reconquest of Hive Primus campaign. You fight over Spire districts, seize territory, and battle your way up toward the throne room one bloody block at a time.
Closing Thoughts – Perfect Time To Drop Into Necromunda’s Drama
Taken together, the Aranthian Succession feels like Necromunda turned up to eleven. You have murder cyborg assassinations, pilgrim cults, psychic princes, ash waste exiles, and ancient Spyrer suits all tied into one running campaign. Additionally, Spire of Primus finally brings that whole arc to a climax while handing you the tools to play it out yourself.
Pre orders bring not just the book but also Ozostium Aranthus, the Palanite Justicars, new Ironhead Squat Charter and Drill Masters, plus a box of Underhive Hangers on. So if you have been eyeing Necromunda from the sidelines, this is a great point to jump in, grab a gang, and start fighting over the fate of Hive Primus for yourself.
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