The Necrontyr were the ancient mortal species that became the Necrons. They were a short-lived, radiation-scarred humanoid race who traded their flesh for living metal bodies, and their story is the origin of one of the most feared factions in Warhammer 40k.
Origins on a hostile world
The Necrontyr evolved on a barren, radiation-blasted planet. Their bodies were riddled with sickness and tumours, and they lived in constant fear of an early death. Their cities were built like vast tombs, with only a few temporary homes for the living.
They tried for thousands of years to overcome their mortality through science, but their bodies couldn’t adapt to the hostile environment. Instead, they developed spacefaring technology, slower and less certain than the Old Ones’ methods, using stasis crypts and ships clad in living metal to reach the stars.
The meeting of the races and the war in heaven
When the Necrontyr finally met the Old Ones, a nigh-immortal and hopeful race, they were consumed by rage and jealousy. They turned their entire civilisation toward destroying the Old Ones.
The war went badly. The Old Ones used the Webway to outmanoeuvre them at every turn, and the Necrontyr were eventually pushed back to the Halo Stars. Thousands of years of imprisonment cooled their fury into a hatred of all life.
The star gods and the deal that doomed them
Searching for a weapon against the Old Ones, the Necrontyr found the C’tan, ancient star gods that fed on stars and had little understanding of the material universe. The C’tan were invincible to conventional weapons because of their etheric form.
The Necrontyr built physical bodies for the C’tan out of living metal, allowing them to manifest and change at will. This alliance led to the Necrontyr’s biotransference, the process that stripped away their mortal bodies and turned them into the Necrons. Not every Necrontyr agreed with the plan, but dissent was overruled and forced compliance followed.
Legacy and the mortal memory
The Necrontyr are extinct as a species, but their culture and grudges live on in the Necrons. Their tomb complexes, their hatred of the Old Ones, and their fear of death shaped everything that came after.
Even after biotransference, some Necrons remember their mortal lives. Crypteks like Orikan the Diviner were once Necrontyr, and their ancient knowledge and schemes still drive Necron politics millions of years later.
Key facts
- The Necrontyr were a mortal, humanoid race that lived on a radiation-blasted world.
- They suffered from short lifespans and constant illness, which drove them to seek a cure.
- Their war with the Old Ones ended in defeat and pushed them to the Halo Stars.
- They created physical bodies for the C’tan, the star gods, out of living metal.
- Biotransference turned them into the Necrons, extinguishing the Necrontyr as a species.
FAQ
What happened to the Necrontyr?
They underwent biotransference, a process that transferred their minds into living metal bodies, becoming the Necrons. Their original mortal forms are long extinct.
Why did the Necrontyr hate the Old Ones?
The Old Ones were effectively immortal and had mastery over the Webway, while the Necrontyr were short-lived and dying. That contrast sparked a rage that turned into a war of extermination.
Who were the C’tan?
The C’tan, or Star Gods, were ancient entities that fed on stars. The Necrontyr gave them physical bodies of living metal and used them as weapons, a decision that led to their own downfall.