History of the Zahirah Sector

The Zahirah Sector has officially existed since the late 34th-early 35th millennium and its establishment only followed the formation of the powerful Inquisitorial conclave known as the Fringe Conclave by around a century.

The Fringe Conclave was formed from a network of Inquisitors from all branches of the Ordo who had a particular interest in the events happening in the Eastern Fringes of Imperial Space. It was the Fringe Conclave who first discovered the ravenous xenos species which would later be known as the tyranids. Not only this, but it was the Fringe Conclave that attempted to stop the xenos from journeying further into the territory of the Imperium. In this, they failed but in their attempt to do so they created many valuable assets which would help the future Imperium in the fight against the Xenos.

The Proverbial Genesis of the Zahirah sector began in the wild deep of the Eastern Fringe, in what is now called the Zulup Subsector. The Subsector is named such because of the Zulup System within it. In the Zulup System, was a planet designated Zulup IX and on Zulup IX developed a group of peoples-successors of an expeditionary fleet of humanity during the latter years of the great crusade-that would capture the attention of the Inquisition.

At the time, the Inquisition had begun to detect signs of a strange parasitic xenos species emerging from the south south-east region of the halo stars. Little information could actually be uncovered about the species because the only sign of their presence was the utter absence left in their aftermath. Worlds were scoured clean of all organic matter where only months prior they had been firmly established knight worlds or feral planets where humanity struggled to survive. Fleets sent to investigate never returned. The path of destruction led directly to where the Zulup system was, and due to the records of multiple Rogue Traders; information on Zulup was readily available. According to said information, the peoples on the world had been fighting the spread of a transformative sickness for centuries. In curiosity, the Inquisition visited the system. Their suspicions were confirmed; the new Xenos had reached the Zulup system. Here was the opportunity to study not only the xenos, but how the human population on the world dealt with the species.

Impressed, the peoples were brought back into the network of the Imperium of Man and a portion of them were taken to become a chapter of Astartes whose sole purpose would be to fight these Xenos. It was during this process that it was discovered, that the peoples were not standard human beings. Their jungle Deathworld environment had shaped them in such a way that they had evolved into a unique variation of humanity. They as a people were in a transition from Homo Sapiens to Homo Gigantis in order to better survive on the world. The planets fauna also shaped them, to such a degree that they had become a low form of Felinid. These people were abhumans of a unique sort and it was only due to the radical leaning of the Lord Inquisitor of the Fringe Conclave that they were not erased from existence. They could still be of use to the Conclave and the Imperium. After all, these adaptations had contributed to their formidability aginast the xenos. They were given a classification, Homo Sapiens Leonicine, and trained in the standard of the Imperial Guard.

Their abhuman status threatened the creation of a Astartes chapter from their numbers as their bodies rejected standard geneseed. It was only through a deal with the Adeptus Mechanicus that the Fringe Conclave would be given geneseed sourced from the Inculaba, made during the mythological Cursed Founding. Geneseed would be given so long as the chapter made from it would be tasked with guarding Perditions Causeway, a natural stream of debree and space hulks that poured into the Imperium through the Eastern Fringe. Space Hulks from the Imperiums tumultuous beginnings drifted back toward their origin, entering the Eastern Fringes. Many archaic forms of technology and strange Xenos species from outside the boundary of the Imperium were on these hulks and the Chapters duty would be to scour these hulks and salvage what technology they could, submitting them to the Mechanicus.

The Fringe Conclave and the Mechanicus reached an Agreement. The Cursed Founding Geneseed was provided and was completely successful amongst the Leonicine population. This led to the creation of the Lion Guards chapter as part of the Sentinel Founding, and the establishment of the Zulupian Planetary Defence Force, two organizations made from the same population of peoples. With the combined might of both organizations, Zulup IX was scoured of the parasitic Xenos and the entire Zulup system was reclaimed; becoming a powerful though isolated solar empire. The Lion Guards chapter served as the Wardens of Perditions Causeway for over 3,000 years. All under the watchful eye of the Fringe Conclave who knew that eventually, the planet scouring might of the xenos- its most hidden aspect- would make its way to the system.

When it did, it was devastating. A huge fleet of Titanic bioships emerged from the pathway of Perditions Causeway. True to their purpose, the Lion Guard chapter fleet engaged this Xenos threat. However they were unprepared for what it was that they were facing and their losses were catastrophic. Unable to combat the xenos and ununable to call for aid, the Fringe Conclave abandoned the Zulup System and the Leonicines within.

Due to the truth of the system and its peoples, the Inquisition could not share what had truly happened to the Zulup system. So they claimed that the system was destroyed when its unstable star went supernova, killing everyone therein. The Lion Guards chapter was listed as a Lost chapter, and slowly faded from Imperial record. The xenos made their way deeper into the Imperium and were officially designated as the Tyranids, having first been encountered by the greater Imperium on the ocean world of Tyran.

However, the Leonicines had survived. A century later, reports came back detailing a fleet of battered golden ships fighting against the Tyranids still in the Eastern Fringe. Upon further investigation, the Leonicines had continued to fight the Xenos foe. The leonicine peoples were led by the chapter, who in turn was led by a new Chapter Master who united them all in a continual fight against the enemy that they were made to fight.

The area of space that this fight was happening, would later become the Philophrosyne Subsector.

The history of the Zahirah sector began in the Zulup Subsector. It is due to the tireless effort of the leonicine peoples that the Philophrosyne Subsector exists as the safe haven for humanity that it is in the Eastern Fringe. Though their world was devoured and fate of the Leonicines would lead them deeper into the Imperium in order to combat the tyranids within it; the Zulup System remains their place of origin to which they frequently return to conduct chapter rituals. It is for this reason that the Zulup Subsector is referred to as The Heavens, as it is the dwelling place of the Angels of Death. It is a realm to which the citizenry of Arcka are forbidden to enter without specific permission from the Fringe Conclave.

With the Return of the primarch Roboute Guilliman, the creation of the Indomitus Legion and the dissolution of the High Lords of Terra; the Fringe Conclave naturally became the governing body of the growing Zahirah Sector- which at a time only consisted of the Philophrosyne and Zulup subsectors. However, when Guilliman declared the Machine War against the Necron Empire in the Epimetheus subsector and required that Battlefleet Zahirah lend its might to the conflict; the Epimetheus Subsector became part of the Zahirah Sector as a whole.

The Epimetheus Subsector is almost completely dominated by the unified Necron Empire and is a Subsector that is constantly embroiled in war. The Machine War is primarily fought between The Mechanicus and Various Firstborn Space Marine chapters against the various dynasties of the Necron Empire. The objective of the Machine War is to siege the Hades system- the furthest system into the subsector- where the Silent King, ruler of the Necron Empire, resides. The average citizenry of the Philophrosyne Subsector have very little knowledge of the Machine War, but the Arckan Astra Militarum of Battlefleet Zahirah know it all too well; for when the war needs more firepower they pull from Battlefleet Zahirah itself. To those grizzled veterans of the Arckan Astra Militarum, The Epimetheus Subsector is referred to as The Underworld, a place of the living dead.