The Charadon Campaign is the Death Guard’s long, grinding invasion of the Charadon Sector, launched by Typhus the Traveller after the Noctis Aeterna. It’s also called the War of Rust and Slime, and it turned one of the Imperium’s most productive regions into a plague-soaked warzone.
What the charadon campaign is
It’s a sector-wide war fought between the Imperium and the forces of Chaos, with Typhus and his Death Guard trying to break the Iron Sector and claim its forges. The main prize is Metalica, a Forge World so productive it can arm entire Crusades on its own.
The fighting is dated in local time using the Metalican Circumscribed Chronology (Met/Ci/Chron, or LRC), which counts labour rotation cycles on Metalica since the Great Rift opened. That’s how the sources sidestep the galaxy-wide timeline mess after the Rift.
The campaign is usually split into phases: the prelude and omens, the opening moves, the siege of the Metalican Gates, a lull and resurgence, the Sore, the battle for the Metalican system, Be’lakor’s prize, Charadon aflame, and the long fight for Feiror.
How it started
The first warnings came as omens across the sector: a prophet on Heliotyr, gore-spewing aquifers on Dyroch’s Reach, a cult called They Who Hear the Whispers on Dhaku, birds flying backwards on Brezantius. Plagues, mutations, and psychic phenomena spread sector-wide, and the Excruciators Chapter deployed to help.
Typhus seized his chance after the Noctis Aeterna and invaded Metalica, dragging the whole Charadon Sector into war. The Death Guard weren’t alone: Be’lakor the Dark Master, a Lord Discordant, Dark Apostles, and a host of plague commanders joined the assault.
Key battles and the Metalican front
The war ground through several named phases. The siege of the Metalican Gates, the battle for the Metalican system, and the fight for Feiror are some of the biggest. The Chromyd System, now the Chromyd Front, saw especially protracted fighting.
The Imperium’s defenders included Abbess Morvenn Vahl, Chapter Master Dhane Tanielu, Chief Librarian Ioanu, and a long list of canonesses, captains, and marshals. Fabricator-General Khleng is a complicated figure: sources list him among the Imperial commanders but also as corrupted.
- Prelude (716-854 LRC): omens, plagues, and cult uprisings across the sector.
- Opening moves (855-890 LRC): Typhus invades and the war begins in earnest.
- Siege of the Metalican Gates (891-940 LRC) and a later remission and resurgence.
- The Sore (990 LRC), the battle for the Metalican system, and Be’lakor’s prize.
- Charadon aflame and the battle for Feiror stretch the war out for decades.
Outcome and why it matters
The result is a strategic Chaos victory, though the Imperium kept control of the Charadon Sector. Typhus corrupted Metalica itself, which is a serious blow to a region that supplies guns, aircraft, and ammo to dozens of Crusades.
The Charadon Sector is nicknamed the Iron Sector because of its mineral-rich planets, gas giants, agri-worlds, and ore belts. Losing even part of that output hurts the whole of Ultima Segmentum.
The campaign also matters because it’s a showcase for how the Imperium and Chaos fight after the Great Rift: no clean front line, no reliable calendar, just grinding attrition across a dozen systems.
Related lore and connections
The Charadon Campaign sits inside the wider Long War, the ongoing conflict between the Imperium and Chaos. It’s tied to the Noctis Aeterna, the Death Guard’s broader plague wars, and the Ork Empire of Charadon that already made the sector dangerous.
If you’re reading up on it, the main sources are War Zone Charadon – Act I: The Book of Rust, White Dwarf issues 460 and 462, and the Death Guard codexes. The sector itself has been a hotbed of Orks, Eldar pirates, and Chaos cults for millennia.
Key facts
- The Charadon Campaign is Typhus’s Death Guard invasion of the Charadon Sector, also called the War of Rust and Slime.
- It started after the Noctis Aeterna in early M42 and ran for roughly two centuries in local Metalican time.
- The main target was Forge World Metalica, a key producer of guns, aircraft, and ammunition for Ultima Segmentum.
- Chaos won strategically and Typhus corrupted Metalica, but the Imperium retained control of the sector.
- Key Chaos leaders included Typhus, Be’lakor, and a Lord Discordant; the Imperium fielded Morvenn Vahl and Chapter Master Dhane Tanielu.
FAQ
Who won the Charadon Campaign?
Chaos won a strategic victory, but the Imperium held onto the Charadon Sector. Typhus corrupted Metalica, which is the lasting damage.
When did the Charadon Campaign happen?
It began after the Noctis Aeterna in early M42. Local dates run from 855 to 1058 LRC using Metalica’s own calendar.
Why is it called the War of Rust and Slime?
It’s a nickname for the campaign, mixing the industrial rust of Metalica with the plague filth of the Death Guard.