Blackstone Fortresses are colossal alien war stations from before the Imperium existed. They’re built from blackstone, powered by technology nobody in the galaxy fully understands, and their main guns can tear a hole straight into the Warp. That’s why Abaddon wanted them badly enough to start a war over it.
What they’re made of
Every Blackstone Fortress is built primarily from noctilith, the material the Imperium calls blackstone. They’re planetoid-sized craft, and they radiate enormous amounts of power even when they’re sitting dormant.
Their engineering is far beyond anything the Imperium, the Eldar, or anyone else can currently replicate. The Imperium found six of them and never figured out how to build more.
The Eyes of the Witch
A Blackstone Fortress’s main armament is a set of immense Warp Cannons known as the Eyes of the Witch. Once fully activated, a single Fortress can break the barrier between realspace and the Warp, firing a beam of pure immaterium that destroys everything in its path.
The real danger is what happens when you link several together. Two Fortresses were used to destroy the planet Fularis II. Three of them caused the star Tarantis to go supernova.
- Single Fortress: Warp beam that annihilates anything it touches.
- Two linked: enough to destroy a planet.
- Three linked: enough to blow up a star.
Who could control them
Abaddon the Despoiler couldn’t just walk aboard and take command. He needed two alien artefacts, the Hand of Darkness and the Eye of Night, to control the Fortresses remotely.
That’s a key part of their technology: the Fortresses respond to specific xenos devices, not to conventional crews. Without the right artefacts, a captured Fortress is just a very large, very dangerous hulk.
How they were used
The Imperium discovered six Blackstone Fortresses in the Gothic Sector around M31 and turned them into naval bases, since nobody knew what they really were.
Then Mephet’ran the Deceiver found out where they were and manipulated Abaddon into seizing two and destroying the other four during the Gothic War. One of the captured Fortresses went to Huron Blackheart. The other was used to destroy Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade.
Origins and contradictions
Nobody agrees on who built them. One account says the Old Ones created the Fortresses to fight the C’tan. Eldar mythology credits Vaul, their smith god, and says the Fortresses hold the souls of Eldar Seers who died in the War in Heaven.
Eldar lore also claims the Talismans of Vaul contain the Eyes of the Witch, made by the crone goddess Morai-Heg, letting those dead heroes channel immense energy out of the Immaterium to banish the Yngir forever.
Another account says the Fortresses were used during the Necron Revolt to shatter the Void Dragon. The sources genuinely conflict here, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise.
Key facts
- Blackstone Fortresses are planetoid-sized craft built mostly from noctilith, also called blackstone.
- Their main weapons are Warp Cannons known as the Eyes of the Witch.
- A single Fortress can fire a beam of pure immaterium; three linked can destroy a star.
- Abaddon controlled them using the Hand of Darkness and the Eye of Night.
- The Imperium found six in the Gothic Sector around M31 and used them as naval bases.
- One captured Fortress was used to destroy Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade.
FAQ
What is a Blackstone Fortress?
It’s a planetoid-sized alien war station built from blackstone (noctilith). The Imperium found six in the Gothic Sector, but nobody knows exactly who made them or how they work.
What can a Blackstone Fortress destroy?
Its Warp Cannons can fire a beam of pure immaterium that destroys anything in its path. Link two Fortresses and you can destroy a planet. Link three and you can make a star go supernova.
Who built the Blackstone Fortresses?
Sources disagree. Some say the Old Ones built them to fight the C’tan. Eldar mythology says Vaul made them. Others tie them to the Necron Revolt and the shattering of the Void Dragon.
How did Abaddon control them?
He used two alien artefacts, the Hand of Darkness and the Eye of Night, to command the Fortresses remotely.