The only way that the vast, crumbling Imperium can possibly survive is by collecting endless levies from its constituent planets and organisations. The incoming Warhammer TV animation The Tithes is set to explore this facet of the setting, and this week we have the trailer for the first episode, Sacrifice.
Intrigued? Let's take a look at what's in that trailer.
First of all, it looks gorgeous. The vast ruins of an Imperial city are on display, including a particularly striking shot of a colossal bridge. Plenty of ominous Necron obelisks are starting to appear, and Imperial planners are very much regretting their decision to build a hive city on an ancient xenos graveyard. Again.
An Ultramarine and a Salamander can be seen trying to ascertain the fate of an Ultramarines detachment that died defending the world. The fallen Space Marines are nowhere to be seen, which is odd, as a demi-company of armoured giants doesn’t usually just… vanish…
Apart from recovering their armour and weapons—each a rare and precious artefact in its own right—reclaiming the bodies of fallen Space Marines is vital. Each warrior carries within him the future of his Chapter in his progenoid gland, the genetic inheritance that will be passed on to the next generation.
Apothecaries go to great lengths to collect these vital organs from fallen brothers, even in the heat of battle. To lose too many would be the death of the Chapter. More than that, this genetic inheritance is the only tithe that is officially demanded of the Space Marines by the Imperium – ostensibly so they may be checked for purity, and used to create new Chapters as needed. The Ultramarines gene-seed is particularly prized as among the most stable, and one of the reasons they have the most Successor Chapters.
This tithe also serves another purpose – to limit the potential expansion of the Space Marine Chapters, so they cannot grow beyond the strict limits established in the Second Founding. Where Chapter Masters have tried to evade this genetic tithe in the past, bad things tend to happen, and when Space Marines have no limitations on their power, even worse things happen.
The Salamander in this story is also a familiar face – everyone's favourite one-armed son of Nocturne, Sa’kan, star of the Pariah Nexus animation.
To prepare for the first episode of The Tithes new animation, treat yourself to a rewatch of both the Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic trailer, which is free to watch on YouTube, and Pariah Nexus on Warhammer TV.
Finally, let’s spare a thought for that red-helmed Space Marine Sergeant. After his heroic entrance in the cinematic trailer for the ninth edition of Warhammer 40,000, his legend was cut abruptly short when he went down swinging in Pariah Nexus. Now it looks like the Necrons are dragging off his body to some unknown, but doubtless diabolical, fate. Poor guy.
The Tithes: Sacrifice arrives in the coming weeks on Warhammer TV, available to all Warhammer+ subscribers. Episodes two and three will follow soon after, each dealing with a different aspect of the draconian Imperial Tithe on another distant world.