The Great Collapse

The Great Collapse, also known as the Age of Strife, was a period in humanity's history where, due to warp storms, interstellar travel ceased to exist. It saw the dissolution of the Galactic Republic, widespread technological regression, and the desertification of Terra. The cause of the event is unknown. Additionally, the Mother of Mothers was noted to have appeared in this period.

Pre-Collapse
Humanity first discovered interstellar travel in M3 A.D. when human pioneers unearthed a warp relay on Charon. The Charon Warp Relay allowed interstellar travel to be possible, although travel is only accessible through warp relays. Humanity had engaged in numerous projects regarding interstellar travel, including the development of a warp drive, but the discovery of the warp relays delayed such innovations to a later date.

Humanity made first contact with another alien lifeform during the Shanxi skirmish when the Secorians—a warlike species—interpreted the activation of a warp relay by humanity as an invasion force into Republic space. Once the news was received by the Galactic Senate, the Republic ordered the Secorians to discuss a treaty of status-quo with humanity. The Treaty of Shanxi saw the integration of humanity's interstellar territories into the Galactic Republic and their formal introduction to the Galactic Republic.

Over millennia, humanity continued to expand rapidly, outshining even the Secorians with their military prowess. Furthermore, humanity began to experiment in the fields of artificial intelligence, which was deemed highly illegal by the Galactic Senate due to the Silentium Wars. As humanity expanded deeper into the cosmos, they realised that their dependence on the warp relays could be a liability in the future, and thus resumed research in reversing warp technology; but there are echoes in the warp, one that cannot be contained for much longer.

The Age of Strife
There are many theories as to why the Great Collapse occurred, but the main theory posits that all of the warp relays in the galaxy ceased to function, crippling major trade routes and severing countless planets from the galactic community. Additionally, humanity had recently emerged from an internal conflict that saw the widespread destruction of many of its colonies—what caused the conflict is unknown, but some speculate that the Men of Iron, vast armies of intelligent robots, betrayed humanity, seeking its destruction.

Combined with the loss of many of its colonies, the disappearance of interstellar travel, and the utter collapse of interstellar trade, the Galactic Republic met its end in M7 A.D., when rogue agents—possibly the Men of Iron—destroyed the Galactic Senate on Artemis V. The dissolution of the Galactic Republic left many of its members isolated from each other, and due to their heavy reliance on off-world resources, the galaxy fell into anarchy.

Humanity suffered the worst from the loss of interstellar travel. As the most populous species in the galaxy, many of their core planets relied heavily on off-world supplies but due to the failure of the warp relays, these planets were left stranded. Countless billions of lives starved to death, and many more would fall to anarchy, but it is on Terra where the effects of the Collapse could be felt the most. The planet had long been transformed into an ecumenopolis, with trillions of lives residing within its layers. Within a single generation, the planet had been turned into a wasteland, with various techno-barbarian tribes roaming across the ruined landscape of Terra.

Reunification of Terra
There is an echo in the warp, one that has been lost in the warp since time immemorial—and it yearns for humanity. The Mother of Mothers, also known Gaia, was first sighted on Terra in M8 A.D. Her powers were immense, for she wielded the very warp itself, reshaping the land in her image. Despite her abilities, she rarely engaged in violence. But desperate times call for desperate measures. During this period, the techno-barbarian warlord known as Khan ravaged the Pacificae steppes and threatens to invade the rest of Terra with his Thunder Warriors.

Gaia left her tribe in order to unite the various tribes on the continent, such as the Khazar Union and the Indosiac Empire. Much of the details concerning the reunification has been lost to history, but there are a few instances that determine the outcome of Gaia's reunification, mainly the creation of the Laws of Making and the Battle for the Dawn.

Seeking to end the conflict without bloodshed, Gaia challenged Khan into a duel. The warlord rose from the crowd, sword in hand, eager to spill her blood. His body was made out of metal, glistening with the blood of his fallen foes. The two fought in the ruins of Old Jerusalem—a duel of the fates, one of light and of darkness. With a burst of energy, Gaia struck Khan with a surge of warp energy, destroying his body and removing his soul from reality entirely. The complete and utter destruction of Khan saw the Thunder Warriors capitulate from their crusade and swear allegiance to the Mother of Mothers. With the continent of Siber united, she pursued a campaign of conquest and reunification throughout Terra, peacefully integrating those who capitulate and forcibly annexing those who refuse to join her new Imperium. Finally, in M9 A.D., two millennia since the start of the Great Collapse and the Age of Strife, Terra was reunited under a single banner; and in the palace of Judea, built upon the ruins of Old Jerusalem, hundreds of lords and ladies from all across Terra renewed their allegiance to Gaia. With a stroke of her quilt, Gaia, the Mother of Mothers, the Anathema, founded the Imperium of Andarra, in honour of her tribe.

The Sol Crusade
Having established the Imperium, Gaia sought to reunify the rest of the solar system, but due to the state of society at the time, she was unable to construct a fleet large enough to carry her forces across space. However, in M10 A.D., she received a message from the Mechanicum, who were long thought to have destroyed themselves. They had recently found themselves in conflict with the High Lords of Mars, who saw their reverence to technology and science as an affront to humanity's glorious image. The Mechanicum asked for the Imperium's assistance in their conflict. In return, the Mechanicum will join the Imperium so as long as they are free to practice their religion, as well as establishing their own worlds. Gaia, though reluctant, agreed to this arrangement and promised the Mechanicum with autonomy within the Imperium.

The Mechanicum, bolstered with their newfound reinforcements from Terra, launched a massive campaign against the High Lords, destroyed their main headquarters and drove them off-planet to Io, where they continued to fight a guerrilla war with the Imperium for many decades. Nevertheless, by M11 A.D., the last stronghold of the High Lords was finally destroyed in a great siege, led by Empress Gaia herself. At last, after millennia of conflict, the solar system was unified under a single banner. In the wreckages of the High Lord's ruined fortress, imperial scouts were able to recover schematics for an FTL drive that could potentially enter the warp without the use of the relays.

The Age of Strife ended with the first warp-capable ships leaving Terra. As they enter into the Warp, they carry with them the burning hope of humanity, eager to reclaim the stars as their own once more.