Quite when the Ghar were first reconnected to the Nexus in the 7th Age is not known, but it was somewhere around the year 1025 that the Ghar were first noticed in the Determinate.
Even then, they remained largely undetected by the major powers: their ships were primitive, their expansion slow and they only attacked the more remote Spill worlds. It is thought that their capitol, Gharon Prime, was located in one of the equatorial voids so helping their secretive expansion.
By 1040, it appears the Ghar had captured a number of human transports and upgraded their ancient, primitive drives with Isorian technology. It is likely such research was undergone using their appalling brain graft techniques on panhuman engineers but however they gained the technology, by the late 11th century their expansionism was growing as they absorbed, then destroyed, the more isolated Spill fiefdoms and kingdoms and expanded their fleets with new, bigger ships. Whilst their ships are still slow by IMTel and Freeborn standards, the Ghar focus on firepower and rugged construction enabled their ships to overwhelm all those who faced them. It was not until 1105 that the Ghar came to the attention of the authorities in the Algoryn Prosperate when they destroy Prosperate affiliated worlds along the border regions of the southern Prosperate shards. It took some time for the Prosperate to respond, primarily because it was thought that the attacks were from a powerful, but dispersed, privateer or pirate fleet but the pattern of devastation and destruction across the destroyed worlds betrayed the presence of a new, powerful faction on the Algoryn borders. The Prosperate mobilises its ships along with its allies in the powerful Oszoni Mercantile League.
Throughout the 12th century, the Prosperate largely keeps the Ghar away from further incursions but at the cost of the Ghar spreading further around the Determinate. A significant issue is found to be the lack of any strategically important systems to the Ghar: unlike other empires or spheres of influence, trade, security, and mutual defence matter little to the Ghar, so despite the extent of their spread their domains are scattered quite thinly over the Antarean surface. Even where planets and systems do fall under their rules, on the whole they are a region of ruin and devastation that are both uninhabited and uninhabitable. Very few worlds contain large military installations for any length of time.
Whilst it could be argued that the fear of the Ghar was greater than their impact on the core, member systems of the Prosperate, the mass killings and devastation cannot be understated. Pressures mount on the High Council to step up campaigns against the Ghar. It is towards the tail end of the 12th century that the Algoryn SD begin research into stacked reflex fields in an attempt to produce armoured suits that can face a Ghar battlesuit in the field.
Though held for much of the 13th century, towards the tail end – in 1280 – the Ghar renew their attacks against the Prosperate and around the northern reaches of the Determinate under the influence of a new wave of High Commanders. Their devastation is sometimes confused with that of the Vorl as in 1275 the Vorl begin a new offensive against the PanHuman Concord, eventually taking Aan Four in 1305. The confusion causes temporary panic within the Concord and much of free, Antarean space. In 1302, an Oszoni fleet transporting Algoryn reinforcements is set upon and wiped out by a squadron of new, larger Ghar destroyers. The Oszoni declare the Ghar their number one enemy and attempt to persuade other Freeborn around the Determinate to join them in an war against the Ghar: few Houses respond with any real enthusiasm, the Oszoni monopoly on Prosperate trade (unofficially) being cited as the reason for their reluctance.
Finally, in 1315, a major defeat of the Ghar takes place at Ephra. Despite overwhelming odds, the Algoryn General Tar Es Janar takes advantage of what at first appear to be significant Ghar tactical errors to the Ephra Set Five. It is only later that interrogation of Ghar prisoners reveals that the tactical ‘error’ may have been a deliberate act of sabotage within the Ghar ranks, the results of a power struggle where one of the top Ghar High Commanders – Karg – consolidate his position of influence.
The victory for the Algoryn was shallow as over the following years the exiled Ghar Rebels and other began spreading around the Determinate, the former repurposing captured Algoryn equipment. Rather than having a single enemy to defeat, the Prosperate had many – some now using their own equipment against them. Whilst the Ghar were thrown off Xilos, the conflict proved to be problematic for all involved as the struggle over the spoils triggered what appears to be the start of another collapse.
Throughout the last two centuries, the conflict against the Ghar is made more difficult in that the only world the Ghar appear to hold sacred is that of their capitol, Gharon Prime. Whilst it is not quite true that Gharon Prime is the only world of significance in the Ghar Empire – there are plenty of worlds that reach and hold a significance for decades, perhaps for many decades before being finally plundered and left as ravaged wastelands – for all intents and purposes it may as well be fact. Other worlds take by Ghar may become interim headquarters, may host hatcheries for menial Ghar for a while, and may even host research and scientific centres. Eventually, the Ghar’s thirst for resources ravages even these worlds and, much like on the Ghar garrison worlds, the population moves on to other research and other military centres.
By 1325, the Ghar have spread throughout the Northern Determinate and whilst they have been largely held at the Prosperate borders, the insidious tentacles of their dominance is spreading wherever there is little opposition to their dominance. Pinning them down and inflicting economic or political defeat is near-impossible: the only defeats the Ghar suffer are military and, even then, they merely regroup, breed more Ghar, build more war-machines and return to fight their foe with a fanatical zeal that is unheard of in 7th Age Antares.
The Ghar salute “To Success!” is still heard on too many worlds.
Start with the Ghar
The Ghar – Created in ages past as soldiers in an ancient war, the details of which are long forgotten even by the Ghar themselves. Their distant ancestors were undoubtedly human but they have mutated into twisted, spiteful and pitiless creatures driven by an unquenchable hatred of all humankind.
Ghar were created to fight in their formidable battle armour, enclosed within its metal shell and connected to its mechanical systems by neural plugs in their spines. The Ghar creature itself is small and feeble, compensating for this by being quick and nimble – partly a result of its diminutive size.
Build your Battle Group for the Ghar Empire with this Starter Army containing:
• 2x Plastic Battle Squad (3 walkers each) – (368 points)
• Plastic Assault Squad (3 walkers) – (184 points)
• Metal Ghar Outcast Squad (6) with Disruptor Cannon – (67 points)
• Metal Ghar Flitter shard (4) – (20 points)
Build this army into a 750 point Skirmish Force by adding in your Army Options (page 159 Beyond the Gates Of Antares) and upgrading with squad options from the Ghar Army List (Page 168-171)
1 comment
Once again, this was awesome to read. The more antares stuff there is the better! Thanks Tim and Warlord games!