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I've got my Iron Gauntlet batrep ready to go! I will be sharing a game I played against myself between my Guard and my Necrons. I played somewhat fast and loose with the rules (no dynastic codes, no CP, none of the silly little command protocols, I barely touched orders, i ignored minimum game board size as you will likely see) as this was mostly a narrative game. The two rhinos are proxies for basic-loadout chimerae, which I felt were needed for both balance purposes and lore reasons. But first, lore! -- “This moon is barely habitable to all life, Warden,” grated Disgraced Prince Rakszan. “How are these...hew-mons...making battle upon it?” Cryptwarden Merisekh shook her head. “It is unknown, Prince. Perhaps they have adaptations.” “Adaptations? For a planetoid with a thin atmosphere and radiation blasted? They must be exceptionally strong adaptations. The Necrontyr, they would have died here quickly, weaklings that they were. Tell me, how did your master claim this place prior to biotransference?” “Our master,” Merisekh said, emphasizing the nature of the new relationship between Rakszan and her Phaeron, “Acquired this moon when it was still in orbit of a secondary coreworld and therefore held a stronger atmosphere. 60 million years is sufficient for such things to degrade, especially when coupled with Aeldari interference,” the Cryptwarden spat. “They are truly detestable,” Rakszan agreed. “Still, we must repel these invaders from our lord’s holdings. What appears to be their objective?” Merisekh conjured a display, showing the strategic situation of the matters at hand. “A techno-viral listening strain has confirmed that what appears to be the main thrust of their assault is targeting this secondary tomb complex entrance;” she indicated with a gesture, “and there are harrying strikes occurring here, here, and here.” Rakszan leaned forward from his throne--a vanity, perhaps, but such was a thing all but a very rare few Necron nobles were prone to--and reviewed the map. “Our forces do not appear to be mounting much of a defense.” “Our forces are limited, Prince. Whoever is commanding these hew-mons is intelligent, and grasps well the concept of attacking where the enemy is not. We cannot respond to all of these attacks at once.” “And why not?” he demanded. “Because whatever lord or lordess fished you out of the hyperspace hellholes wasn’t completely in our Lord’s favor at the time, and therefore he was predisposed to dislike you. As such, you were given limited resources, which were in no particular order, two legions, a hunting party, three raiders and a light cruiser, and oversight. That is the extent of your resources, my lord, and if you are incapable of fulfilling our master’s demands then I am well within my rights to sever this partnership.” Her claws drummed pointedly on the hilt of her relic gauss blaster. “Now, if you do not wish to have that happen,” Merisekh growled, “you will listen to my advice like a good noble, and not whine when things do not go your way. “...What. Do you. Suggest.” he ground out. “I recommend pulling our forces away from the outlying defensive posts. They are spreading us too thin, and this mechanized force is capable of smashing through them. A more concentrated stand at the tomb entrance should better allow us to withstand the assault.” She cocked her head. “Of course, even then, you will be required to stand in defense of this complex yourself.” It was almost said as a challenge. “Of course.” He wasn’t going to rise to it, however. Rakszan had enough problems without adding the anger of his watcher to them. And now, the army shots. I may misplace a couple shots, but I think I will largely get them in chronological order at least. I was also certain I had a deployment pic but I guess not. Turn One Guard: The Cantorellian 23rd took the first turn as slaves to narrative. Chimeras advance. Limited Leman Russ fire and sentinel lascannon support kill one scarab. Turn One Necrons: The Necrons advance. The Guard thought they were facing the bulk of the remaining defenders, but they were all deceived, for another entrance to the tomb was made. Another phalanx of necron warriors appeared in the heights above, where ancient ruins once stood. They opened fire, their weapons plinking off the armor of the Leman Russ. Their comrades were more successful, dealing concerning but not serious damage to the chimera with the help of the ascendant prince. The scarabs closed the distance and encircled a Chimera, eating into its armor.

Ok, running on fumes and with no formatting whatsoever, but I finally got commissar Muran finished last night and the slates written up. Let's get started, shall we? HQ. Power: 6 Colonel Zevan Zenara: 70 points points: no: Name M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv 1 Col. Zenara 6" 3+ 3+ 3 3 4 4 9 4+ weapon: range type S AP D plasma pistol 12" Pistol 1 7 -3 1 (overcharged) 12" Pistol 1 8 -3 2. an unmofified hitroll of 1 with this profile destroys the bearer after shooting this weapon. power sword - melee U frag grenade 6" grenade d6 3 No wargear options Abilities: Voice of Command Hatred (Orks): may reroll all hit rolls against Orks Refractor Field Senior Officer Regimental Commander: This Model must be your Warlord, unless an <Imperium> <Supreme Commander> is in your army. This model grants a single Command Point if your army is Battleforged Mechanized Commander: This Model can issue orders while embarked in a <Cantorellian 23rd> or <Cantorellian SEAL Team> dedicated Transport (measuring ranges from any point on the vehicle) and is treated as being within 3" of a Vox-Caster. when doing so, these orders can only be issued to friendly <Cantorellian 23rd> or <Cantorellian SEAL Team> units. Warlord Trait: Old Grudges A consummate commander, and a lifelong mecnanized infantry officer, the Colonel was recently wounded in action prior to the attachment of my company to his regiment for the upcoming campaign. His current augmetic is of fairly high quality, and has not much diminished his reputed swordsmanship skills--which are only fair-to-middling by my own standards, but against his own men and other mortals, he seems to do fairly well. His strategies are also decently competent, or at least not glaringly incompetent. I trust his command instincts, and while a part of me chafes at submitting to an authority other than my Shogun, the more rational part of me makes it clear to me that he is capable of overseeing strategic command of our operations. Commissar Nykkole Muran: 5 power, 60 points No Name M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv 1 Commissar Muran 6" 2+ 3+ 3 3 4 3 9 4+ Wargear: Plasma pistol (see Codex: Astra Militarum) power lance: S+1, AP-3, 1 Damage. This weapon has D3+1 damage if the user charged or was charged this turn Abilities: Aura of Discipline, Refractor Field, Summary Execution (see Codex: Astra Militarum) Bionic eye: this model may reroll a single failed hit roll of one per phase. As I have previously noted in other dataslates, the senior commissar is not overly...anything to anyone in the regiment, except perhaps somewhat harsh. She maintains good discipline of herself and her troops, practices martial exercises as laid out in Imperial handbooks, and keeps mostly to herself. In my few interactions with her--mainly disciplinary in nature, dealing with minor pranks and inconveniences caused by her men--she has been curt, but there is something behind the facade of duty, which I am unable to discern. Perhaps her aide, Lieutenant Cythos, would be willing to discuss it with me or a Scout operative. But then perhaps not. And I have little reason to pry. Techpriest Dak-323/mk12: power: 3 points: 45 No Name M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv 1 Enginseer Dak-323/mk12 6 3+ 4+ 4 4 4 3 8 3+ wargear: laspistol, omnissiahan axe, servo-arm (see Codex: astra militarum) abilities: bionics, Master of Machines (see codex astra militarum) Sentinel Caretaker: when performing the Master of Machines ability, if the Target is a <Cantorellian 23rd> Sentinel, then you may treat a roll of 1 or 2 on the D6 as a 3 (so the model would regain 2 wounds). One of the more field-deployable enginseers the regiment employs. I am given to understand that Dak-323/mk12 (hereafter referred to as Dak-323, or they, by their own request) is one of the few remaining enginseers from the Dolrunus regiment. While they are a capable techpriest, I find that their most pleasing quality is their obesience to those they percieves to be above them in the pecking order. After three and a half centuries of being snubbed by all but a scant few Mechanicus personnel, I find an irrational pleasure in having one show me and my company the respect we deserve. Dak-323 has already, on my orders, effected repairs on thirteen percent of our current armoury, blessed and improved seventy four percent of our armours and weapons, and ensured of their own volition that a portion of fuel and ammunition reserves be transferred in excess of required Astartes-Mechanicus treaty. Of all the Cantorellian troopers and personnel, I think that I find them my favorite (aside from Pvt. Mellenkamp, who is growing on me like some kind of fungus).

"Everybody hold on!" yelled the driver, and the occupants of the Chimera felt themselves thrown around in their restraints as their driver began to take evasive action. The IFV shook as an impact rattled the ground--T'au munitions, to be sure. "All platoons, report in!" Captain Burke half-yelled into his mic. "First Platoon, no casualties, sir!" after a few seconds' delay. "Second Platoon, all accounted for, sir!" "Fourth Platoon, we've lost a squad but we still have our heavy guns!" "Fifth Platoon, this is Sergeant First Class Evenson. We lost our command track, but otherwise we're fit for fight." "Third Platoon, come in! Third platoon, report!" the captain asked. His adjutant grabbed his arm. "Sir, third platoon was leading the formation. There's no chance they survived if the T'au volley targeted on the center of our line!" The captain slammed the receiver down into its cradle. "Emperor damn it! We can't lose a fifth of our firepower and expect to win this!" "We can if we contact the Firepower, sir!" the lieutenant shouted. Burke nailed Hartmann with a glare. "And if I do that we surrender all the glory of this battle to the Dawn Blades. Except that damned crazy Apothecary, none of them have a stake in this. These frakking Tau have cost the Guard a lot of good men and I'll be ashamed to go to the Golden Throne and tell the God-Emperor we failed to exact vengeance for them. The Astartes stay in orbit! Now get me the Colonel on the line! We have our own elites and I intend to use them! And find out where the hell our sentinel support went off to!” "Aye Aye Captain!" Lieutenant Hartmann turned to his communications officer and began to contact Regimental HQ to see about acquiring some Scion support, and the accompanying air support. A short company of mechanized infantry against a numerically and technologically superior Tau battlewing. It hardly seemed fair. For the Tau. =][= Cantorellia=][= Captain Broklaw hunched his Sentinel down below a wall, dropping the frame of his combat walker out of sight. Volleys of light speared over his position as a hail of pulse fire came his way. Glancing down at his tac net, he could see that the fifth company was strung out behind him in a loose formation, their walkers dodging under fire. Smoke trails and tracer rounds denoted their return fire. Taking several seconds to reorder his thoughts, the captain began barking orders over the vox, instructing his men to prepare for a coordinated assault. After a count of five on his vox, the Captain's walker sprung from the ruin along with seventy-odd other light combat walkers, guns blazing. While the Tau Shieldwall had been well sited to defend against an attack, it was manned to only repel probing attacks and provide a warning in case of a concentrated assault. Such as this one. Just because the Cantorellians had been cautious on their approach didn't mean that they didn't have the means to break this defensive line in a matter of minutes. Volleys of missiles and light beams lanced from his troops' weapon mounts, and the gunrig that formed the left anchorpoint of the line shuddered and then exploded as a lascannon beam found a reactor and detonated it. With the gunrig destroyed, the Fire Warriors manning the wall began to fall back, executing smooth movements that would have put a group of Cadians to shame as they executed their retreat. The right gunrig continued to fire on automatic as it was abandoned, but a second volley of rockets silenced it as well, blowing the railgun off of its mount and destroying its hover-plates. As it died, however, it began to hiss a light green vapor, which the Captain instantly recognized as the deadly chemical weapon the sept had deployed some fifty years prior, and which had killed uncounted millions of guardsmen and a not inconsiderable number of Astartes already. Fortunately, despite its lethality, it was still a gas, and there were certain countermeasures against that. "CBRN protocols, now!" Canner shouted into the vox, sealing his Sentinel's vents as he did so. Screens flickered on and provided him a camera view of the battlefield, with a targeting grid for his laacannon overlaid on top. He didn’t like the techheads much, but they certainly knew how to coax the most out of a machine’s spirit. Within the next several minutes, Fifth Company had destroyed the remains of the shieldwall and run down the surviving infantry—mechanical walkers moved far faster and just as agile as foot-bound troops did, and the Fire Warriors had brought little anti-tank weaponry. There were a few casualties here and there, with lucky shots from pulse rifles finding joints or ammunition feeds, but on the whole the operation had been executed within excellent parameters. After the mop-up, Captain Broklaw called the platoon commanders together for a brief meeting. “Alright people, we’ve got our outflank. Now it’s time to support the Third’s assault. Second and Third platoons, you take the left echelon. Fourth and Fifth will be on the right. I’ll take first platoon and drive the spear. Relay the news it down the line, take a quick break and reload your weapons, we move in three. Third company’s got little time left before they hit the Tau lines. Any questions?” “No sir!” Was the general response. That was good. Everyone had been extensively briefed on the mission prior to departing on it. If anyone had had any questions, there would have been...problems. Two minutes and thirty seconds later, the entire company, minus three damaged or destroyed sentinels, was on the march again into the plains. =][=Cantorellia=][= The vox hissed as the Valkyrie gunship rattled through the air. Captain Jameson smacked the receiving button, opening the line. “SEAL team here,” he screamed, his voice cutting through the engine’s roar. “Captain, Lieutenant Hartmann with Third company, we’ve got some T’au arse we’re fixing to kick, if you and your team would care to join us. We’ve lost a platoon in the charge and could really, REALLY use a hand with manpower. Colonel’s already authorized your deviation from your current target. The Captain checked his datapad and saw a pending message from Colonel Zenara. “Lieutenant, I’ve got the approval right here. We will divert in thirty seconds. You and your commander will have five cans of whoop-arse in four minutes, fifteen seconds. Transmit your attack plans to my pad. Jameson out.” He cut the connection and opened another one to his platoon. “Alright ladies, we’ve got a hot drop coming up here in a couple minutes. Rack your slides and saddle up, people. You have four minutes to get ready, and then we’re in freefall to kill some xenos. Ride the waves!” “And die upon them!” Came the echo from his command squad, and across the vox. It was the traditional SEAL battlecry, rallying cry, and generic morale yell, and it never failed to bring a savage smile to the Scion commander’s face. He stood up and attached his hook to the drop rail, and cut the connection on the vox. “Alright boys,” he said, turning to his command squad, “looks like we get a chance to spill xeno blood today.” He drew his sidearm and gave it a quick once-over, double-checking that the powerpack was connected properly, before pulling his power sword out of its sheathe just enough to ensure it was there. “How many bluies we killing today, Captain?” Asked Staff Sergeant Piers. “As many as you can gun down with that plasma gun, Piers, and then some,” the Captain promised. “We all buttoned up, boys?” A round of resounding ayes answered his inquiry. “Alright then!” He turned to the ramp and keyed the built-in vox in his helmet, closing the visor as he did so. “Ensign Morgan, how are we for bullets?” “Sir, we have a full load of ammunition and we are two minutes out from the drop zone. Pucker up everybody, you’re going to want to wish you’re going to miss this. I don’t know what kinda flak these guys are going to have set up, but for damn sure what they’ve got is going to hurt bad if we get hit.” “Roger that ensign, I trust your shooting to get us safely to the ground.” “Yes sir,” came the reply. Jameson could hear the prideful smirk in his voice. It was well earned, of course. The only reason Morgan wasn’t a higher rank was due to his typical sailor’s habit of getting drunk and disorderly on shore leave. His combat record was otherwise impeccable, and had gotten multiple commendations for bravery under fire. There was a reason he was the Captain’s preferred pilot. =][=Cantorellia=][= Shas’Vre Me’lek Des’mon kept an idle eye on the skies above as his contingent of Hammerheads fired continual rail gun blasts against the horizon. The Gue’la tracked machines were coming across the field, belching smoke from smokestacks and smokescreen grenades. “Shas’el,” he asked, glancing down into the body of the hover tank, “when will the Gue’la be in effective range?” “Two minutes, sir,” his subordinate answered. “Very good. Continue firing as you have solutions. Release the drones from their mounts when the Gue’la come in range.” “Yes sir.” The Shas’Vre looked at the sky. Suddenly, there were some...what were those specks, exactly? And were they...growing larger? What the hell were those? =][=Cantorellian=][= Captain Broklaw smirked as his company emerged from the tall grasses. Whoever the T’au commander was, he was stupid for trusting another commander for protecting his back lines. Fifth company had blown through that defense line like it was nothing; but had it been connected to his own command he would have had warning of what was coming. He didn’t have that now. He keyed the command vox and let it cast static on the line four times, as had been prearranged with Third company. He then switched back over to the company vox and let out a ululating yell. It echoed back across the vox from a hundred xenocidal troopers as the company broke into a run in their walkers. Cries of alarm came from the Tau lines as their tanks and gunships slowly swung around to face them, as well as a swarm of drones arising from various locations across the battle line. A hail of gunfire rose to meet them as the Cantorellians advanced into a slowly increasing patter of pulse fire. For the most part it splashed off the armor, but some walkers took enough damage to put them to the ground. The trio of Hammerheads finally came about and began to open fire, their railguns sounding off bolts of death. A Devilfish caught several lascannon shots and caught fire before crashing into the ground and carving a furrow several meters long before exploding. As the firepower became too intense, Broklaw gave the order to scatter. The platoons broke away from each other, putting distance between them to avoid being caught in a crossfire. Once they were properly undercover, Candon Broklaw laughed as the armored first of the Emperor crashed into the now-turned T’au lines. =][=Cantorellian=][= “Alright, drop the ramp in three, two, one!” “For Cantorellia and the Emperor!” Came the battle cry as the sergeant’s men charged out the back of the Chimera. They rapidly took up defensive positions and began to open fire on the Tau lines. Whoever the commander was, Gunnery Sergeant Rainwater reflected as he shot a Fire Warrior in the back, he was an idiot. =][=Cantorellian=][= The wind howled around the Captain’s face as he hurtled toward the ground. HALO insertions had been a favorite of his ever since he’d first jumped out of a Valkyrie. When he was 150 meters up, he triggered his grav chute and felt himself be yanked up as gravity lessened its pull upon him thanks to the techpriests’ works. He drew his weapons as he reached fifty meters, and at five he killed the pack and cut a Tau clean in half with the downstroke of his sword. His command squad landed around him and promptly opened fire, scything down a fireteam of breachers who were caught off guard. A hundred meters away, third squad closed in on a Hammerhead and managed to get a melta bomb up something approximating a tailpipe, with a few plasma shots into the main gun for good measure. As a result, it shuddered twice before crashing into the ground, useless. Under a triple-pronged assault of mechanized infantry, several Sentinel troops, and the SEAL platoon’s firepower, the T’au line was quickly being crippled. Eventually, however, the T’au managed to get their lines in order, and the hovertanks managed to find some cover from the attacks. What ensued was a long, drawn-out firefight, with reinforcements trickling in for both sides over the span of two hours. Additional SEAL squads and Valkyrie air strikes against the T’au lines were counteracted by T’au air strikes and a few Crisis teams that were in the vicinity. Eventually, though, despite close to ten percent casualties, the Cantorellian forces managed to win the day. The commanders of the three strike teams came together to conference once the battle was over. =][=Cantorellian=][= Shas’El Me’Lek Al’wra double-checked his fusion blaster. He was eligible for a more advanced battlesuit, but the stealth capabilities of his XV-25 as well as the weapon it carried had been his preferred weapon for a very long time. He’d just gotten word that a batch of Gue’la regulars had broken one of his key defensive lines. It would require retaking. Allowing the breach to remain would threaten a key supply line, which was of course the reasons the Gue’la had attacked there. There was also the matter of the Gue’ron’sha force. Too many targets had already been destroyed by their forces. But he would deal with that after destroying the Gue’la regulars. =][=Cantorellian=][= Captain Burke quickly took command of the meeting—which he held in his command track—though he spent much of it moaning and muttering under his breath as a medic tended a pulse burn on his upper left arm. “Alright men, we’ve got our breakout. Regiment wants us to hold this position until the irregulars can get here and fortify the area, which means we have two days for the PDF to get their arses in gear and march in here. Captain Jameson, the colonel has authorized one squad of your platoon to remain behind and bolster our lines. The rest of your team is free to go and carry out the operation we diverted you from—would you stop that?” He snapped at the medic, who had just applied an antiseptic wipe to the wound. “Sir, if I don’t clean this the wound is going to get infected.” “Do you have to clean it this minute?” “If you don’t cooperate I can and will sedate you, sir, so that I can. If you want to keep operational command, you will allow me to do this right now.” “Fine.” The captain turned to the map table in front of him. “Candon, I want two platoons out as pickets, one platoon in reserve for mobile fire support, and your other two platoons anchoring our flanks.” He pointed on the map to indicate the ends of the line. “My company will array themselves behind these ridges, using the craters and wrecks as cover where needed for our Chimeras. Unfortunately, we’ve taken some serious casualties, so we’ll have to be concentrated somewhat to prevent a weak spot in our lines.” Candon leaned over the table, and looked at Captain Burke. “When can we expect reinforcements from regiment?” “First company will be arriving tomorrow night, about ten hours ahead of the PDF,” Burke answered. He quickly consulted his datapad. “And if we absolutely have to, there is a squad of Astartes assigned to our regiment who can be here in two hours by Stormraven.” “But if we do that we admit we’re not strong enough to handle it, or isn’t that right, Captain?” commented Lt. Hartmann. He was given a slap to the face for his troubles. “Lieutenant, I believe you have duties *elsewhere*,” the captain growled. “Aye sir,” muttered the Lieutenant, rubbing his bruised cheek as he left. Burke groaned as the medic finished bandaging the wound. “Alright sir, if you need that dressing changed, come see me. And if I see you outside of a chimera during a firefight for any reason except escaping it’s burning hulk, you and I are going to have problems,” he threatened. “Ahh. You’re dismissed, Corporal.” “Aye sir,” he said with a salute. The captain returned it with his left arm, his right occupied in a sling. “What sort of chemical measures can we expect, Captain Burke?” Broklaw asked. “We’re expecting the Silence at a minimum, and maybe some other experimental weapons as well. Tell your men to keep their masks on them at all times. One whiff of the stuff and you’re dead.” “Understood. I’ll have my men stay in their walkers as much as they can.” He replaced his cap upon his head. “I’ll have my boys start spreading out, but if you’ve got a tech priest or two laying around I’ve got some troops could use the help.” Burke nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. Captain Jameson, do you need anything before your rides come pick you up?” “No, I think we have everything. Third squad will stay behind with you along with their Valkyrie, Captain, and they’ll be under your direct command til regiment decides otherwise. I’ll be departing in fifteen minutes.” With that he departed the command track, joining up with his waiting command squad. “A day and a half for the T’au to launch a counterattack whenever they thrones-damned feel like.” Burke sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He sincerely hoped that Captain Broklaw would be able to scout and screen any incoming forces—it would mostly be fast-attack units, he figured, and mounted units like he had used to break the T’au’s lines. It would be a race of reinforcements. Perhaps he should have held more of the SEAL teams back. He had a hunch by the time all was said and done, he would have liked to have had them fighting along side his troops. Fin....for now.

Index Tyrannicus: Hive Fleet Titan “There was a silence across the warp. A deep and fathomless depth that swallowed all light and though that tried to cross it. I saw this void and new its name; death. The Great Devourer had come for us all” Astropath Eborus Kol - Assigned to 45th Golustrum Infantry (KIA M.41) The Shadow Approaches What is believed to be the first hints at what was to come for the Imperium were recorded late in M41, prior to the events of the Fall of Cadia and the nightmarish hell that was unleashed on the Imperium following. The Le’Okar rogue trader dynasty complained to authorities of the Sub Sector Incogni of several vessels disappearing without a trace to the galactic north of the sub sector. This was an area of space bordering on the lawless region known as The Bleak, home to countless orkish warbands and any number of other raiders, human and otherwise, and sub sector command wrote it off as simple pirate raids and promised to increase patrols of Imperial Navy in the area and the issue was dropped. It was only when the Navy patrols also began to disappear if they ranged to far out did Imperial Authorities began to take notice. A task force was put together under the command of Commander Heronimus of the Imperial Navy. Perhaps hinting that they knew the reality of the threat the Deathwatch of Watch Fortress Arbarus sent a strike force along with the fleet. When queried as to why they gave no answer, stating that they needed to give no answer as to how and why they carried out their duties. At first the expedition was a great success. They plunged into The Bleak like a blade, cutting a path towards the last know coordinates of the lost navy patrols. It wasn’t long, however, before hints at the threat that was to come became apparent. The fleet encountered a number of orkish warbands pushing out towards Imperial space and, although they outnumbered the Imperial fleet many fold, they showed no interest of engaging and continued to push on. Wondering is this was part of some greater threat brewing Heronimus sent word back to Imperial command but as they moved further and further from Imperial Space it became harder and harder to communicate. Last contact with the force was recorded in 758.M41, a rather run of the mill message stating that the fleet hadn’t encountered anything other then the orkish warbands and was requesting clearance to return. When sub sector command attempted to reply they were met with silence and it was assumed Heronimus’s fleet had simply gone beyond astropathic reach and the Imperium waited for a reply. First Contact The reply, when it came, was a highly chilling. A desperate broken message from Librarian Astermon of the Deathwatch “Beware, the devourer comes…”. After that contact was lost and no attempts to reach the Librarian or the rest of the fleet were successful. Imperial command began to marshal what forces it could to provide a defence. Astermon’s message was a warning, but a warning as to what was unclear. Many in Imperial command hypothesized some force of Ork under the command of one called the devourer whilst other supposed some sort of traitorous force. Only the voices of the Ordo Xenos suggested the possibility of Tyranids but Sub SEcotr Incogni was far removed from any yet known encounters with the race and so for the most part the words of warning were ignored. Even as Imperial forces marshaled contact was lost with the frontier world of Omos. Astropaths under imperial command described it as though one day the world was there, the next it wasn’t, as if swallowed by a great shadow in the warp. A few weeks later another world vanished, this one a mining world closer to the more settled region of Incogni. Again it was described as if the planet had simply disappeared. Desperate for answers as another two worlds vanished Sub-Sector command petitioned for aid and the nearby forces of the Ascarron Crusade, a combined force of Astartes from the Iron Heralds and Warborne as well as elements of other branches of the Imperial war machine, including Knight House Ishard and any number of regiments of the Imperial Guard, soon arrived in the area. Under mounting pressure from elements of the Deathwatch these forces pushed towards where contact was being lost. It would be on the world of Golustrum they would have their answer as, whilst stopping for supplies, the Imperial fleet was assaulted by the vanguard forces of a vast Tyranid Hive Fleet. Titan Rises Code named Hive Fleet Titan the tyranid fleet fell upon the surprised Imperial forces with all the ferocity their race is known for. Mycetic spores rained from the skies as Imperial battleships, both Navy and Astartes, dueled with vast bioships in orbit. On the ground defenders hurridly maned great anti air batteries that spat flak into the skies, scything down a vast number of xeno organisms. But despite their fire an even greater number of the creatures made planet fall and soon the entire egri world became a vast battlefield as brave Imperial forces sold their lives dearly. Caught unprepared the Imperial forces still fought valiantly, led in large part by the mighty astartes of the Iron Heralds and Warborne. But with every death the defenders grew weaker and the tyranids stronger as they devoured the planets biomass and regurgitated it into more bio forms to assault the planets defenders. Despite all efforts of the Imperial forces the fate of Golustrum soon became apparent. Imperial command ordered a withdrawal of all defenders from the planet. A bitter taste in their mouths the defenders began a fighting retreat towards the planets space ports. What few civilians remained on the planet were first before being followed by what guardsmen could be spared whilst the astartes held on while they could. Finally at the planets last space port the Astartes of the Warborne, led by Captain Sulla, declared he would hold the forces as long as he could while the Heralds safe guarded the fleet. He declared they would detonate the spaceports massive thermic plasma reactor banks in a hope to cause a massive chain reaction that would wipe all life from the planet in an attempt to deny the Tyranids what biomass they could. The last transports fled as Golustrum’s space port was enveloped in a vast white hot explosion as Sulla was true to his word. Unfortunately the explosion didn’t do as hoped and Golustrum was consumed. Imperium Defiant The survivors of Golustrum pulled back with the vanguard of the Hive Fleet hard behind them. They were beaten, but not broken. Captain Hectos of the Iron Heralds sent word to the remaining forces of the Ascarron Crusade; they would lure the Hive Fleet to the planet Ascarron itself where Imperial forces, having taken the fortress world from the seperatists, were even greater in number. It was there he hoped to break the Hive Fleet on the anvil of Ascarron’s fortresses. At Golustrum they had been caught unaware. On Ascarron they would not. The Deathwatch had marshaled what forces it could spare and sent them there as well. At Ascarron they would hold or sub sector Incogni would fall. It wasn’t long after the survivors of Golustrum arrived that the first shadow in the warp fell on Ascarron. As guardsmen looked the heavens and offered prayers to the God Emperor the vast bio ships began to blot out the sky. Appearing as a vast brown reaching nebula that snaked from beyond to blot out the sun the horror of Hive Fleet Titan arrived. Marines of the Iron Heralds as well as what few survivors of the Warborne that had remained on Ascarron double checked their gear and anointed their bolter rounds and the Knights of House Ishard prepared their great engines of war. Then the maw of the devourer closed on the world and its defenders. Golustrum’s defences had been impressive, but Ascarron had been turned into a veritably unassailable fortress. Whilst many of its defenes had been destroyed when the Imperium had taken it many more had been returned to service as word had been sent of the Hive Fleets approach. As the first spores rained from the sky they were blasted apart by the planets guns before they even made entry. Even that didn’t dissuade the vast organism’s assault as more and more spores rained down. Despite their fire power the guns weren’t able to destroy all the invaders and several spores struck the ground, unleashing creatures onto the planets surface. Swarms of smaller gaunt organisms threw themselves at the fortress worlds walls, to be blasted apart by the defenders guns. As more and more spores rained some of the creatures reached the walls, only to be unable to gain access. Imperial command began to feel secure, perhaps at Ascarron they would hold. More and more waves of xenos threw themselves at the walls to be gunned down and victory seemed likely. Then the first sounds of combat were heard within the city. Great tunneling creatures began to erupt from the ground, striking at the cities defence batteries. Losses were quick until astartes assault marine forces retaliated, striking at the mawlocs and trygons from the skies. Nest waves of flying creatures struck as the next wave of tunneling creatures stuck, attempting to counter the astartes, but they were cut apart by anti air. When the next wave struck they targeted the anti air batteries. And so it went, the Hive Fleet becoming recognised for its fast evolution to combat the Imperial Defenders. The battle raged on as Imperial forces slew wave after wave of the attackers, burning and destroying what bodies fell both allied and enemy to rob the Tyranids of biomass. But slowly they were being pushed back as the amount of xenos seemed without end. Captain Hectos’s plan was desperate. He hoped to bleed as much as he could from the Hive Fleet before revealing his master stroke. As they fought to a stale mate on Ascarron Imperial Navy forces were gathering nearby. Hectos knew, on advice from the Ordo Xenos, that the only way to defeat the Tyranids was to defeat the Hive Fleets. Sensing the moment to strike was now or never he sent word through what Librarians he could, hoping word would reach the Navy forces, then turned back to the defence at hand. The Hammer Strikes At first it seemed word had not reached the fleet and that Ascarron was doomed to fall. Tyranids broke through to the final inner fortess of Hive Chazol, where Hectos led his defense. Across the planet reports filtered through of Imperial positions slowly being overwhelmed. Hectos, gravely wounded through the defence, swore he would sell his life and the lives of his brothers dearly. He planted the standard of the Third Company in the central plaza of the Planetary Governors palace and swore that on this spot they would stand to their last. And then hope arrived. A massive fleet of Imperial star ships emerged from warp space their guns firing. Caught off guard and weakened by their constant fighting on the surface the starving hive fleet rapidly fell to the guns of the Navy. The surprise didn’t last long, however. Even as defenders on the planet surged forward at the suddenly distracted xeno bioforms on the surface the Hive Fleet began to react to the new threat. Massive bioships made to swallow Imperial Navy ships in the darkness of the void. The Fall of Cadia In the end Imperial victory on Ascarron would actually be caused by events in a system far away. As Abaddon the Despoiler finally brought ruin to Cadia and the Cicatrix Maledictum tore itself across the Imperium the entirety of Sub Sector Incongi would be wracked by warp storms that spread from the Bleak and Ascarron would be no different. Warp lightening cracked from the skies as daemons flooded through to real space. A great host of the Blood God Khorne assaulted the planet and its defenders, as well as those in space above the planet. The vast bioships were attacked from within by legions of Bloodletters, hacking the apart. As they writhed in pain the Imperial ships, despite facing their own assaults continued to pummel the bioships with weapon fire. Several vessels, their crews fast being overwhelmed overloaded their reactors and crashed their vessels into the enemy, taking out great swarths of the fleet in the firey detonations of the ships. Other’s crashed to the planet surface hoping to find safety in the fortress worlds wards. The combined assault from the warp as well as the final sacrifice of the navy forces would prove too much to the tyranid fleet and what little resemblance of synapse control remained on the surface soon evaporated. Victory against the Tyranids had been achieved, as the remaining forces on the planet fast reverted to more animalstic behaviors. Ascarron wasn’t saved yet, however, as Imperial forces would still have to survive the next horrific years of battling the demonic invasion on their world. The Shadow Returns Hive Fleet Titan was defeated at Ascarron. In the years following the eventual setting of the Warp storms Imperial Forces led by the Ordo Xenos and the Iron Heralds, now supplemented by the Primaris reinforcements, would work to scour the remaining xenos from the worlds that had fallen under the shadow of Titan. Eventually reaching as far as Golustrum. On the once verdant world, now reduced to an ashen waste, they chose to erect a new fortress, to rival that of the now decimated Ascarron. They would be prepared, in case the tyranids ever returned. Recent reports have come to light. Far ranging ships in the Bleak have begun to disappear and attempts to contact them have met with what seems to be a great shadow blocking the light of the Astronomicon. It is a shadow far greater then what marked the arrival of the first vanguard of Titan. One faint and broken signal has echoed across the void; “Beware. The devourer comes…”

REGIMENT:.....................Dimarian Shieldbreakers FOUNDED:............................................222.M36 HOMEWORLD:..........................................Dimari REGIMENT COUNT:.........................830 Recorded SPECIALISATION:....Infantry Assault, Close-Quarters "Without a doubt the most disorderly, bloody-minded, indignant, exasperating, slovenly, vicious bastards one could ever have the pleasure of committing to the Emperor's grace." Commissar Gaston de'Phere, Regimental Commissar of the 115th Dimarian Shieldbreakers, during Waaagh! Gurgor 072-081.M42 The Dimarian Shieldbreakers are Regiments of the Imperial Guard recruited from the Feudal World of Dimari. Whilst lacking some of the sophistication of Regiments sourced from more advanced worlds, Dimarians are known to be stubborn warriors, if ill-disciplined. They are often deployed as light infantry skirmish screens or massed infantry charges. Founding "Dimarians? Ho-ing great! Someone else can bleed for a change." Captain Quintara, 6th Chiloan Mountainmen, during the unkown Waaagh! 009.M41 When the Rogue Trader Lady Jaste Astaaen chanced across Dimari during the period of conquest that followed the discovery of the Barus sector in late M35, she was surprised to find a planet with a functioning, albeit primitive, native society. It did not take a grand effort to bring Dimari back into the Imperial fold, and a period of slow enlightenment for the Dimarians followed. Astaaen’s family ruled over the planet from their stronghold of Laedinus, and for the most part, the natives were left in peace, quickly falling into subservience - or so it was thought - to the Imperium. Two rebellions against Imperial rule, coming in quick succession in 199.M36 and 218.M36, disabused the Astaaen of their success in placating the natives. While both rebellions were quashed with relative ease - the wooden shields and crude weaponry of the Dimarians little match for the shotguns and slug-throwers that Aunust Astaaen’s retinue and mercenaries were equipped with - they showed that certainly the clans most local to the Imperial capital had not taken well to a distant imposition of rule. Moreover, they should that the clans were willing to war; were stubborn and intractable, even in the face of overwhelming odds; and that while the local clans had lost the majority of their strength in the rebellions, others further afield would still pose significant threats in the future if left unchecked. The answer was a simple, obvious one. In order to rob them of their strength, Aunust enacted a tithe of manpower from each clan, and enforced this law more proactively than previously. At a large training complex just outside of Laedinus, these first recruits were trained in a manner befitting the Imperial Guard, and so the first regiment of the Dimarian Shieldbreakers was formed. Homeworld "The Regiments of the Astra Militarum are near-always a reflection of how they conduct themselves before conscription. Dimari is every bit the backwater it's soldiery would have you believe." Marshall Theor, 11th Army Group, defending Bulara from the Jagged Gauntlet 227.M39 Dimari, a Feudal World, is located in the Mechar System, of the Maya Subsector, in the Barus Sector. Landmass consists of one modestly large continent flanks to the west by thousands of miles of archipelagos; the remainder of the planet is given over to a large, salty ocean. The climate is temperate, but prone to savage storms that batter the coastal archipelago - especially it’s western tip, where the storms are fierce enough that it is barely habitated (and likely would not be, if there was not such fierce competition for limited space elsewhere on the planet). Ruled by descendants of Jaste Astaaen for a millenia, the Astaaen family were eventually deposed as tyrants, and the planet has since been under the rule of those from the Warxes noble house. The natives tend to live in island clans on the archipelagos and on the coastal areas of the singular continent known as Carnaevii. At the time of the planet’s discovery by the Imperium, the archipelago clans were violent outcasts looked down upon by their continent-dwelling kin; the larger mineral wealth of the continental mainland and increased amount of farmland for exploitation led to a larger, more developed society. With the arrival of the Astaaen, this changed dramatically; the mainland’s mineral wealth was claimed by the Astaaen to offer to the Imperium as a planetary tithe, until the raising of the Shieldbreaker regiments replaced this with a more useful resource. Those natives who lived on the mainland were offered a choice - to integrate into the Astaaen, Imperial culture and be uplifted; or be banished to the wild coastlines and archipelagos to eke out a life among their more familiar kin. Most chose the former, and are largely unrecognisable today. Those who resisted were forcibly deported by the Astaaen to nearby mining worlds of Rorecht and Kinvia, in an act known as the “Dimari Diaspora”. Local economy is largely based on exploiting what mining wealth remains, both by the coastal natives and the Imperial city. The varied minerals and ores of Dimari are used widely for the creation of armour and weaponry for the native clans, and household items both for native and Imperial settlers; but while reasonably rich in mineral wealth, Dimari’s mining does not provide valuable enough materials to the modern Imperium to warrant the Administratum stepping in to mechanise the process. Some whisper that the Planetary Governors of the Warxes family have also stepped in on occasion to protect the inhabitants of the world from excessive outside influence, concerned by both diaspora or dilution of the planet’s main export - the men it conscripts into the Shieldbreaker Regiments. Secondary to mining is fishing, the raising of domestic livestock, and using what land is not too wind-swept to cultivate local edible fauna. One central Imperial city-settlement, Laedinus, exists in the center of Carnaevii. Great families, descended from the original Imperials who colonised the planet, play their political games here in the modest and sole bastion of Imperial presence on the planet. While by no means unknown to the native Dimarians, they largely keep themselves distant from the inlanders, or Sygh-treys in the parlance of the Dimarians (much of what the Imperium knows of the Dimarian native tongue can be traced to the works of Lexilogist Missionary Emmet Grock; few native Dimarians learn to write in low gothic). Some Dimarians seeking better lives, or who over time cleave closer to the Imperial creed, do uproot themselves and travel to Laedinus; should they ever return to their archipelago clans, they are invariably treated coldly as outcasts. The Clans have no central form of united government, and so it is hard to define an important settlement in conventional terms; each clan is a local entity, and each settlement is of equally ultimate importance, depending on the viewpoint of the clan who rules it. The standings of various clans wax and wane over the years; none have eclipsed the total strength of Clan Carew, who ruled over their empire of one hundred and sixty nine islands at the time of Astaaen rule. For the settlement with the most cultural capital, one could perhaps point to the ruins of Tre war Venydh, where the ancient king Ythur held court in Dimarian myth. Native Beliefs & Culture "To offend one clan is to instantly gain friendship with seven others." Emmet Grock, Missionary and Lexicologist, unknown M36 It did not take long for the first missionaries to bend Dimarian religion to fit the Imperial creed. The belief most prominent was in the warrior-god known as the Duw-Myghtern, Ythur, a legendary king who united the people against the evil practitioners of witchcraft who held the planet in their thrall. To those of the clergy, the analogies were obvious - clearly Ythur is the Emperor, with the nine holy Primarchs as the Marheks, fabled Knight-Companions of Ythur, battling against numerous trials set by the mutated foes of the Great Enemy, led by their arch-commander Mordus and his cabal of witches, now known as the nine demons of the Warp. Those few who have been condemned for more rigorous study of Dimari beliefs claim that it is likely the worship of Duw-Myghtern Ythur is rooted in a real King who united many clans millenia ago, most probably against a coven of psykers and heretics who lived in the sea-carved caves of the archipelago cliffs - a claim violently contested by the Ecclesiarchy. The rest of Dimarian spirituality tends towards veneration of ancestors, with multiple Tassens revered as guiding spirits of certain disciplines - there is a Tassans for axecraft, a Tassans for husbandry, a Tassans of revelry, so on and so forth. One of the most revered among the Shieldbreakers is Tassans Mihal - the patron or war. Different clans hold different Tassens in esteem, or have different names for the same Tassans - for example Mihal may also be known as Myghal depending on which clan one is from, and Perran of the archipelago mines may also be known as Piranus of the mines to those on the mainland. Ancestor worship extends beyond the Tassens themselves and into more esoteric beliefs; the storms that assail the archipelagos, for example, are know to the clans as the Bockas Dhu; Dimari funeral rites among the clan involve the ashes of the dead being scattered to the sea, and it is said that storms occur when a spirit’s yearning for a return to life grows too great. Veneration for ancestor and prior accomplishments are held in high esteem amongst Dimari society - and perhaps, although cruel to say, responsible for their lack of forward advancement. However, it is likely that the planet having never progressed further than a feudal state of being is down to their clan existence and geographical interests. The coastal archipelago has shaped Dimari culture through all its aspects - food, as an example, is based around what can be sourced on the windy islands. The strong fishing and seafood culinary base of Dimari is complemented by large, sturdy quadrupedal bovids known as Buhes who are farmed for red meat, and root vegetables and low-lying bush fruits that can survive the wild winds. The Pasti is one dish that has mirrored the Shieldbreaker’s transition to space-born warriors: formerly a miner’s dish, those among the Dimari Shieldbreakers with basic cooking knowledge produce these for their comrades, using whatever meat and vegetable substitutes that can be found pressed into a hard pastry wrapping that protects the filling from dirty battlefield hands. Travel on the archipelago is treacherous; islands range in size but are typically small, thus necessitating a significant amount of sea travel. For those who wish to venture further afield than their own island clans, knowledge or superstition that helps predict the movement of the great storms is a necessity. As such, the Dimari tend to be not well travelled, prefering to contain themselves to their more immediate surroundings. This in turn presents it’s own problems - when everyone focuses on the close by, small amount of land available, who has a right to what traits or islands, and how do they establish this? It is here that the Dimari show their warlike tendencies, shedding blood over the size of land that would hardly be considered a lowborn’s private garden on an Agri world. Such tendency to small, local and savage conflicts, combined with the need for space to safely farm and fish in quantities enough to provide for one’s community, leads invariably to the culture of the Archipelago clans. There is no central governing council among the archipelago clans; they focus entirely on those close by, and a clan’s worst enemy will always be the nearest possible contender in a geographic sense. Alliances between clans are rare and short-lived, preferring to exist in a state of near-constant tension and conflict. When clans go to war, they do so wielding a ceremonial axe that each warrior is gifted on their 10th nameday. A one-handed steel axe, the Bool Kas (or more colloquially to the Dimarians, a Skooskyjya) is inscribed with tribal markings and records of victories, and often features a large and deadly spike affixed to the rear of the blade. These weapons will be paired with crude shields and armour crafted from local materials, heavy and unwieldy, or additional close-combat weaponry. Clans do not use elaborate tactics, and battlefields of their native harsh geographical and geological settings tend to reduce battles to chaotic melees rather than disciplined ranks. Warriors are predominantly male; with a high rate of battlefield attrition, females are kept primarily to more traditional, domestic roles in society. This is not to say they are defenceless; they are also presented with a Bool Kas, and while not expected to use it, will defend homes with violence should it ever be a desperate necessity. Clans are defined by a rigid, patriarchal hierarchy. Each clan will be led by a Myghtern, who will rule with an iron fist. They are not always the largest and most ferocious warriors, but tend to lean in this direction, with conflict being a staple of Dimarian life. Pennsevigyon are the direct successors to the Myghtern, selected through merit rather than through lineage where the two do not overlap. Clans will have permanently appointed Kaptenow, who’s job is to train and lead the warriors of the clan in battle, and appoint Hembrenkysi, a kind of sub-leader, to serve below them leading small units at times of war. Those who live on the archipelago are naturally untrusting of outsiders - again likely linked back to the fierce competition for space. Those who live inland of the Carnaevii coastline are seen as soft, weak and decadent, and rarely welcomed into coastal or archipelago communities. This welcoming manner is usually just that however; Dimari clans prefer to expend their energy enacting violence against those they can claim resources from, rather than travellers with little to give. For their part, the inland peoples have become more and more subsumed into Laedinus and the Imperial culture, and are not seen as native Dimari any longer. The tithe enacted on the manpower of the clans tends to be met with a mixture of responses. Some grumble, cursing the interference of far-off Laedinus on their lifestyles, draining the clans often of the youngest and most virile. Some - often those young, fiery warriors - see it as an opportunity to escape an endless cycle of clan-based competition. Some clans see it just as a type of civic duty, others an exalted religious duty to the service of Ythur. A wide range of social classes therefore end up being tithed, from green youth through to clan warlords or heirs. Structure "Whad'eedo? Well Sir, 'e's from the Tregowan, an' by all rights a bleddy Tevelwas." Sergeant Jhody Roders, 40th Dimarian Shieldbreakers, shortly before summary execution under Art. 3680/35k 763.M41 The organisation of Dimarian Shieldbreaker regiments stands as a reflection of the Dimarians themselves: chaotic and unorganised on the surface, until one sees past the facade of turmoil. Regiments are organised along the same lines as most at a high level, with concessions to change being found at Platoon and Company levels. Platoons tend to contain more standard infantry squads than is expected among other regiments, with sometimes up to as many as ten under each platoon command. It is also common to see large numbers of conscripts - known as Tus Yowynk - in many platoons. These are less likely to be the get of veteran soldiers as they are simply the impetuous and direct youths for whom basic training is seen as an attempt by some far-off beaurocrat to impose unnecessary knowledge and authority over born fighting men. On the other hand, special weapon squads are rare and heavy weapon squads rarer; some rare platoons might be lucky enough to have both a special weapons and heavy weapons squads attached, but many go without one or the other, and some go without either. Where platoons are large but unsophisticated, this only rings half true at the company level. Most regiments in more civilised forces tend towards limiting company size to five or six platoons, while Dimarian Shieldbreaker companies will usually only be comprised of two or three platoons; Dimari culture being as hierarchical as it is, the Commissariat assigned to this tricky posting will quickly come to learn the the proud, clan-affiliated Dimari will willingly shed blood over who is more deserving - perceived or realistically - for a posting in line with their previous authority. By offering a wider array of leadership positions and smaller company structures, this helps facilitate a more cohesive and battle-ready force than the more standard alternative. Invariably, most leadership postings seem to be assigned to those who have proven and demonstrated leadership qualities from their prior lives, with the majority of Lieutenants, Captains and Colonels coming from the many Hembrenkysi, Kaptenow, Pennsevigyon and Myghternedh who volunteer from the archipelago clans. Indeed, the clan culture of Dimari that permeates it’s guardsmen is one of the regiment’s most striking qualities. Fatigues of greys, blues and blacks are most commonly paired with a Losten Kar: a thick woven skirt, bearing clan colours and patterns individual to the soldier’s heritage. Brawls between soldiers from different clans are common; where it is a more immediate offense they tend to be forgiven and forgotten as quickly as the insult was given, but when the result of a specific clan feud, these will often end up in blood, death and the commissar’s office. Depending on their size, a clan will often be responsible for populating entire platoons, and on some occasions companies - Officers need to exhibit a serious force of will, through reputation or brutal authoritarianship, to keep their troops in line. Commissars are found embedded within each company, spreading among the platoons; despite the Dimarian’s unruly nature requiring regular disciplinary action outside of combat, once on the battlefield they are surprisingly willing to shed blood in the name of the Emperor and need little further encouragement. Ministorum Priests are welcomed as warriors, redoubtable and enthusiastic as the Shieldbreakers; but those who come to understand the Dimarian dialect find the amount of foul language they hear uncouth and off-putting, and Dimarians find the constant religious preaching an irritant when they are exposed to it for extended periods of time. Other regimental attachments are rare to non-existent; Enginseers have little to do, and Psykers are shunned to the point of Dimarians refusing to serve alongside them. Combat Doctrine "Bramm an gath. Doesn't matter which way we go anymore. WITH ME, SKOOSKYJYAS!" Captain Matyn Rown, 88th Dimarian Shieldbreakers, upon being surrounded during the Pacification of Korvakan 546-563.M36 The Dimarian Shieldbreaker regiments are, in the vast majority of cases, lightly armed and lightly armoured. Most infantry squads will contain no weapons other than the standard-issue lasguns they are prescribed with at creation, and few vehicles will be found as part of the regiment. Where larger weaponry or artillery is permanently attached to a regiment of Shieldbreakers, it will more often than not be deployed to position by beasts of burden known as Ohen. Dimarians, by nature, are more at home with simple and efficient tactics rather than complex military maneuvers. When working in combination with other, more disciplined forces, they tend to work best deployed in one of three fashions. As light skirmishers, their fierce independence and stubborn nature can be assets when screening the flanks of a larger force, or securing difficult terrain ahead of a larger force’s arrival. Alternatively, they are commonly deployed as a mass of line infantry, where their intractable numbers can fix an opponent in place for other forces to move into position. A third task that the feudal guardsmen relish is as a large close-assault force. All Dimarians carry a ceremonial weapon from their homeworld, a one handed steel axe known as a Bool Kas. Many Bool Kas also feature a large and deadly spike affixed to the rear of the blade. These weapons are put to brutal use in the melee of close combat, whom the sturdy and robust Dimarians have proved themselves adept at. Many choose to supplement their lethality by affixing daggers or metal spike to the butt of their lasguns, allowing them for use as impromptu club-like pickaxe in combat, and others will wear rings of alloyed metals under their regulation flak armour, which offers additional protection when tackling enemies face-to-face. Where ranged weapons more powerful than the standard issue lasgun are required (or permitted), flamethrowers are most commonly seen: mobile and capable of taking down infantry in cover when skirmishing for position, warding off enemy assaults allowing Dimarians to gain the initiative when fighting on the line, and softening entrenched positions on the way to hand-to-hand combat. Moreover, they are simple and easy to maintain compared to the more archaic and specialised plasma guns or meltaguns, and do not require the precision and forethought needed for effective deployment of a grenade launcher. Mortars are favoured as a method of light artillery support, primarily for their ability to fire over friendly troops rather than around them; a stark advantage, considering the often unruly Shieldbreaker advances. Light and easily portable, they allow Dimarians to maintain pressure and suppression on an enemy while other squads advance to melee, at which point the mortar team will often pack up and rush to join. Notable Personnel "Find me that Dimarian. He puts half my own staff to shame." Lord General Irio Rusan Vaygoth, Commander of 3rd Army Group, on hearing of the Orcan Expeditions 081.M42 Marshall Lorrigan Skale - formerly the Colonel of the famous Dimarian 18th "Crossaxes", Skale was already Myghtern of the mighty Clan Skale and reknowned as a vicious warrior before he relinquished his seat to submit himself to the Imperial tithe. He is one of the few Dimarians to have risen above the ranks of regimental command, having been identified and requested by Lord General Vaygoth after Skale’s rearguard prevented a catastrophic collapse of Imperial forces during the recent Orcan Expeditions. Skale currently serves on the General Staff under Lord General Vaygoth, assisting Lord Marshall Alexander Voss in the vanguard of Battlegroup Vor, while the 18th have been requisitioned by Inquisitor Jasten Felixar of the Ordo Xenos to lead more excursions to Orcan I, II and III. Major Jory Splann - serving in the 429th Shieldbreakers in M38, Major Splann’s regiment was part of an army tackling a rampaging ork Waagh! on the far-off planet of Corpingnon. The fledgling and lightly supported Imperial force was thrown together hastily, and after a number of defeats, were in full retreat from the planet. In an effort to turn back the onrushing tide of Greenskins from the one spaceport still transporting Imperial troops off planet, Major Splann rallied his handful of remaining men and charged into the centre of the Orks, distracting them long enough to allow the Imperials to retreat in good order. When a larger force arrived to recapture the planet, Splann’s Bool Kas and the 429th Regimental Banner were recovered from where the bodies of his men and him lay in a city plaza, intermingled with hundreds of dead Orks. Splann’s Bool Kas has now been affixed to the banner pole of the 429th, and has been proudly carried in battles into the 42nd Millenia. Colonel Amandry Thark - Amandry Thark leads the 71st Dimarian Shieldbreakers as part of the 4th Barus Army against the Ork Warlord Skargutz Urgul, the Black Skar Boyz and their Feral Ork allies on the feral world of Obol. Proving to be an unconventional commander (by the Dimarian's loose standards), he led the 71st in their nightime raid on the camp of Skargutz's lieutenant, the Wyrdboy Garak dag Krull. Thark showed remarkable restraint in luring the Orks into the fire of his disciplined gunline, but lost both an arm and a leg battling Garak dag Krull before the Wyrdboy was gunned down. Considered too valuable as one of the few Dimarians to impose something resembling conventional battle tactics on a Shieldbreaker regiment, Thark was saved and given cybernetic limbs to sustain him; thus marking the Colonel as a fearsome warlord among his own regiment, but an outcast to Dimarians outside of the 71st.

Well with the first challenge of the current Iron gauntlet finished i think it's time for me to get started on challenge 2. while i don't have everything i want for this force yet, i think that is not likely to happen due to the current shortage of GW models here in the US where i'm at. but all that is beside the point, lets get to the actual models and painting. as per my entry into the 1st challenge of IG2020, the look i'm going for with this force is a very winter-y theme. this was a bit of a challenge for me since i 1. have never done a paint scheme with a very light tone to it before, and 2. have not painted a Warhammer miniature since 2007. this is the first model i painted up with the scheme i'm going for I wanted to try and pick colors that made the model Feel cold. not sure i pulled that off to well, but i am happy with how the eye lenses turned out as well as how the base looks since it was the first time using this melting snow method. now on to the 29 other fire warriors Yay

House Datafile: House Adraxian Primary Data War Cry"We bring the storm!" (Pre-Heresy) / "We are the storm!" (Post-Heresy) FoundingAge of Technology HomeworldVangrathor AllegianceChaos; Chaos Undivided (Traitoris Perdita) ColoursBlue, Black and Silver (bronze trimwork denotes rank) INTRODUCTION House Adraxian is a Renegade Knight House of Chaos Knights. Declared Iconoclast during the Scouring, these Knights were rediscovered during the Great Crusade by the VIII Legion and Konrad Curze. In an unusual showing, the Knights of House Adraxian swore allegiance to the Imperium and Curze in particular, viewing his sense of justice and punishment much like their own. The butchery done by the Night Lords as the Great Crusade progressed was distasteful to them, but they saw the extreme results of the Night Lords' tactics Their loyalty to the Night Lords was what set them down the path to becoming an Iconoclast household. During the Horus Heresy, the House's leadership openly went along with the acts of savagery and brutality the Night Lords perpetrated. With their Knight armours, the scions of House Adraxian committed horrific acts of butchery as the Heresy raged. Their homeworld of Vangrathor is constantly wracked by powerful storms, with only a few days to weeks in-between these massive storms of lightning and wind. In order to survive, the settlers built massive citadels that could weather these storms. It is from this stormwrought world that the Knights of House Adraxian sally forth from, bringing a storm of death and destruction to their foes. HISTORY Rediscovered during the Great Crusade, House Adraxian's initial encounters with the nascent Imperium of Man was with Konrad Curze and the VIIIth Legion. Arriving on the strum-wreathed world of Vangrathor, It was there that the Night Lords found the Knights of House Adraxian. The Nobles of the household immediately swore allegiance to the Imperium, and Curze in particular, for in the Night Haunter they saw manifested their own tenets of swift justice, and dissuasion by example. Answering his calls to battle without question, the Knights of Vangrathor lead massive assaults to crush all who dared oppose their Lord's will. Even when Curze turned against the Imperium, the Knights of Vangrathor held true to their vows of service. As the Horus Heresy progressed, the changes in the Night Lords also begin to affect House Adraxian, the Knights becoming more belligerent and brutal, destroying their foes in the most brutal of manners possible. Upon the end of the Heresy, the Knights retreated to their storm-wreathed homeworld. During this retreat, the warp rift near Vangrathor expanded dramatically, swallowing the area around the planet's solar system, but leaving the Vangrathor system untouched. It was this event that made the Knight World of Vangrathror untouchable by the Imperium, as to try and assault it was suicide due to the rift for only the Knights of Vangrathor knew the ways through the Empyrean to safely reach home. They would only share this knowledge with one group: The Night Lords What was to be the breaking point for the now morose and withdrawn Knights of House Adraxian was when the Night Lords warband known as the Fangs of the Father, lead by one Jago Terask, was that Konrad Curze was dead, assassinated by the Imperium of Man. Upon hearing of Curze's death at the hands of the Callidus Assassin M'Shen, the Lord of House Adraxian swore an oath of undying enmity against the Emperor and Imperium. It was from this, that the Knights of Vangrathor sallied forth once more side-by-side with the Night Lords, only this time hell-bent on the utter destruction of the Imperium of Man. In the millennia since, House Adraxian has waged apocalyptic wars against the Imperium, with several planets being stricken clean of life by the vengeful Knights. HOMEWORLD Vangrathor is a planet that is rich in natural resources, such as woods and many variety of wildlife. The moon of said planet however is very mineral rich and is exploited by the household for those resources. The world is continually wreathed in raging weather, with powerful eletrical storms and gales that destroy all but the steel-and-adamantine structures of the Nobles of House Adraxian. Nestled in the Vandraras Sector of the Segmentum Ultima, Vangrathor was in close proximity to a warp rift, much like the Eye of Terror or the Maelstrom, but on a smaller scale, nearly the size of a solar system. However, at the end of the Horus Heresy, the Warp Rift near Vangrathor expanded dramatically, surrounding the Knight World's solar system. However, their world's system was not pulled into the warp, but is instead, essentially a realspace island surrounded by the Warp. Only the Night Lords and this house know the coordinates to successfully reach their system, and as such the system has become a garrison for the Night Lords, specifically the Fangs of the Father, when not raiding. The flora and fauna of Vangrathor have adapted to the harsh environment, becoming incredibly hardy and resilient. Massive trees, much like the Redwoods of Old Terra, make up a majority of the major flora of the planet, with ferns and shrubs making up the lesser flora. The fauna of the planet tends towards larger bodies, with some of the animals reaching the size of a Knight suit. These creatures are hunted for sport and food by the populace of Vangrathor. COLOUR AND HERALDRY The Knights of House Adraxian are noted for their dark frames, blackened adamantine, with deep blue-and-black armour and silver trimwork. Higher ranking Knights are denoted by bronze trim, with the Lord Dominus/Dominatrix having entirely bronze trim on their Knight. Of note is the electrical discharge on the Knight's frame. Similar to the Night Lords, these bolts of electricity have always sparked around the Knights of Vangrathor, and since their fall to Chaos, the discharges have become larger and more powerful. Instead of just being decorative, these electrical discharges form a defense around the Knight's framework, electrocuting smaller enemies who try to clamber onto the Knight to assault it's less armoured areas. Even before their fall, the Knights of Vangrathor had grim designs of death on their armour, marking them as harbingers of doom to their enemies. Their house symbol is that of a fanged skull, and since their fall the skull design has become more daemonic since. The heraldry of the Knights of House Adraxian has barely changed, only becoming more daemonic to show their new allegiance, showing these brutal Knights remain much the same, even after their fall to Chaos. NOTABLE KNIGHTS Euroclydon - This Knight Desecrator is piloted by Lord Valzak, who has claimed the keep of Vandar on Vangrathor. Euroclydon is notable for it's unique Laser Destructor, a massive cannon comparable to a titan-grade weapon. Sundowner - Sundowner is the Knight Rampager piloted by the Fallen Noble Andras. Like all Knights of House Adraxian, Sundowner has eletrical energy cascading along its frame. What is notable however, is that Sundowner's frame hosts a particularly violent electrical corona. In the thick of battle, rivulets of lightning continually burst from its vents and spark around its joints, growing more anarchic as the battle increases. NOTABLE PERSONNEL Lord Valzak - With his Knight Desecrator known as Euroclydon, Lord Valzak has earned a fell reputation within House Adraxian. The campaigns he has launched against Imperial worlds are marked by speed and ferocity, lasting only a month at the longest. Often campaigning with the Night Lords, Lord Valzak targets transportation hubs and spaceports first, ensuring that his victims have no means of retreat. Andras - The impetuous Andras and his Knight Despoiler, Sundowner, are often the first of their lance to engage the enemy, scything through hordes of their foes like a farmer through wheat. NOTABLE CAMPAIGNS Battle of Vigrid's Fall (750.M31): The Knights of House Adraxian joined the Fangs of the Father on their assault of the planet of Vigrid's Fall. Assault on Tarxes (850.M32): The Knights of House Adraxian attack the Armoury World of Tarxes, rampaging through the manufactorums and foundries. The House's serfs make off with many arms and armour during the battle while the Knights distract the PDF's attention. It was during this assault that the unique Laser Destructor that would come to be equipped on Euroclydon was found by the Knights of Vangrathor. ++ PLACEHOLDER - WORK IN PROGRESS ++

Index Xenos The Tau Sept World Fi'karro Discovery The moon that would become the colony of Fi'karro was discovered quite by accident. During the finale days of the second phase expansion a navigation error lead a small survey fleet led by the For'vattra class cruiser “Sa'cea Rilal” to the system known as K-107-Dal. Inside this minor system the fleet found a single small moon that registered barely habitable. While at first this system would be classed as a candidate for a small sensor outpost, soon after the first Earth caste survey team set hoof on the moon's surface the readings would show the ice ball of a world contained minerals involved in the creation of the rare, expensive alloy that makes up Iridium armor for Tau battlesuits. Sept World Fi'karro This turned out to be a boon, as soon after the first mining operations were set up the Imperium of Man launched it's ill-fated Damocles gulf crusade. For the next 3 years these mining operations would help fuel the Tau empire's military as it desperately fought the forces of the Imperium to a standstill. The new found need for these materials drove many earth caste miners to the moon and in turn increased the need for larger more permanent settlements, as well as a larger population to handle the logistics of refining and moving the alloy off-world to the septs that had larger manufacturing bases. When the first shots of the Damocles Crusade were fired the population of the colony world stood at less than 500, by the time the truce was put in place Fi'karro's population had expanded to 150,000. Since its discovery the world of Fi'karro has grown and matured into a large frontier colony with a substantial population and a strategic importance to many nearby worlds. Both in the form of Fi'karro's exported minerals and in the form of it's large fire cast force to protect nearby small colonies. Fi'karro The world of Fi'karro is the first moon of the gas giant B'bap'eir (Shepherd of the lost world) which is the 4th planet in the K-107-Dal system. Due to the system's star being much less warm then normal G-type main sequence stars there are no other planets in the system that can support life. The only reason Fi'karro is warm enough to support even basic life is due to the extreme gravitational forces it experiences from it's large gaseous parent producing warmth from the moon's core. Even with this warming effect the moon is only able to maintain temperatures just above freezing, with areas near the equator reaching º5 Celsius during the moon's summer months and with the average yearly temperature being closer to º-2 Celsius. Even with earth caste terraforming specialists efforts, these temperatures have not changed much, with most of their efforts being focused on importing plants and animals that may survive the current climates, with mixed results. The moon itself has no large complex native life, with the most complex organism being a type of aquatic flatworm deep in the moon's oceans. While it may not boast much native life, the moon did have one form of complex life on it's surface since before tau settlement began, the non-native Ork species. The Ork population was small and very dispersed when the moon was first discovered, it has since grown into a major problem being faced by the colony's security forces. Since settlement began species of fish and plant life have been introduced to allow for a small amount of food to be grown and/or harvested from the moon. This has only been marginally successful, as the growing population of Tau colonists cannot be supported by such a hostile environment. This deficit in foodstuff is mitigated by large amounts of imports. The colony of Fi'karro's population currently stands at 713 million, with the large majority of this being made up of members from the earth caste. The next largest segment of the population are of the sept's fire caste members, with only token segments made up of the air and water caste. One notable difference to other worlds in the Tau Empire is the low number of Ethereals on the world, with this being the most seen in the almost complete lack of Ethereals in the colony’s military forces. This spread of population highlights the focus of the colony, being to support the empire as a whole with it's mining operations and to defend said operations from threats both inside and outside the colony's star system. Many of the world's settlements are clustered around large mining sites that have been in operation since the colony's first days. The largest of these settlements being the world's capital city, as well as its largest space port. The limited number of Ethereals in the Colony's population may look to be a problem that could result in issues with the colony's social order, but it is actually a response to a distinct cultural quirk. Due to the harsh environment and hostile nature of the colony itself those who are born on the moon are taught that their hardships are ultimately in service to the greater good of the empire as a whole. This manifests as an almost fanatical drive for ones work/task/duty, what ever that may be. While this helps the colony hold together with the lower numbers of Ethereals then normal, it has lead to some friction with other sept worlds and colonies, as many may see this steadfast dedication as far and above what is needed of them. The population itself is known for their stubbornness and steadfast determination in the face of an obstacle, and have gained a reputation for pushing through hardships. Living on Fi'karro can be harsh at the best of times, with the cold, Orks, and Imperium raids being only a few of it's dangers. Even with this in mind the Tau that live on this world gladly risk life and limb daily for the greater good of the empire. This strategic situation has also led to both the general population and fire caste to adopt a very forward looking mindset. With potential threats being dealt with long before there is a chance for them to actually become a major threat. Whether it’s minor damage to a mine's support struts or a dispersed tribe of primitive Orks the Tau of Fi’karro would rather deal with it then and there then to wait until it becomes an actual problem. Combat Doctrine Due to the population of Fi’karro’s general pragmatic outlook and stance to not allow small problems get worse then they already are, the military forces of the Colony have taken to fully embracing a modified version of the Mont’ka doctrine. Much like the standard Mont’ka the enemy must be hit with an overwhelming strike that destroys or otherwise disables critical infrastructure related to its ability to fight, whether that is troops, supplies, actual infrastructure, or just that forces' will to resist. Unlike the standard Mont’ka the military forces of Fi’karro prefer to undertake strikes on enemy forces before they are able to actually threaten the attacking force, with the most preferred targets being fuel depots, ammunition dumps, potential staging grounds, raw material gathering/refining operations, and any other target that may delay an enemy from being able to threaten the strategic interests of a Fi’karro military force. It is rare for the Fire caste of Fi’karro to be drawn into a long war with an enemy, with the constant vigilance practiced by their military’s pathfinder and stealth suit corps most threats to the colony are found long before there is a chance for much momentum to be built up. On the defensive the forces of Fi’karro practice the same strategy as much of the rest of the Empire. Preferring to avoid actually defending ground and using mobile warfare tactics to move to favorable ground or pull the enemy to ground in which they would be at a disadvantage. This standard practice is only broken in times where critical mining operations on their home colony are threatened, in such a situation it is thought that the potential interruption of operations is unacceptable. To overcome this Fi’karro forces will try to pull enemy forces threatening these operations by presenting them with targets away from the locations of these mines, such as lessening the garrison of a local military installation or settlement. Currently the only times where such tactics have had to be undertaken have been when Orks on the surface had formed warbands to attack the colony, and so far they have been fairly successful in avoiding destruction of critical mining operations during such times. When forced into a full war footing, as has been the case in many campaigns with the Orks on Fi’karro or during the multiple spheres of expansion, they will prefer to seek out the areas that contain installations that allow the enemy forces to conduct offensive actions and maintain it’s forces, and attack them while avoiding the main body of enemy troops. While this limits the usefulness of the Fi’karro fire caste in some types of combat, it has been of great use to the empire in maintaining it’s hold in the area around Fi’karro as well as helped in keeping imperial forces off balance during the many border conflicts that have occurred since the end of the Damocles crusade. A perfect example of both of these behaviors came in the Third Sphere of Expansion in 998.M41. During this time of expansion Fi’karro dispatched elements of its military to aid in the reclaiming of worlds lost during the Damocles crusade. These forces were used by the empire as a force to disrupt imperial military formations from forming a proper defense and help clear the way for the main force of the expansion forces. One of these actions took place in the Dogra system when 3 Fi’karro cadres were tasked with clearing major resistance from the local world’s PDF units in preparation for the main Empire forces arrival. The strategy pursued by these cadres was to target the large stockpiles of fuel on the surface of the planet, by doing so and avoiding the forces of the worlds PDF they were able to effectively freeze the enemy in place and stop them from quickly responding to any further actions. The strikes themselves were rapid assaults that focused on destroying fuel silos and refineries while avoiding the actual defending forces. This short campaign resulted in very limited Fi’karro casualties and allowed the main forces of the empire to take the system with relatively few losses and quickened the overall campaign significantly. Organization The military forces of Fi’karro are organized in a fairly similar way to much of the Tau empire, With the most units being built from the standard Cadres that other worlds use. In total the colony has multiple Contingents (3-6 Cadre) operating at one time, With at least a single over-sized Contingent stationed inside the Fi’karro star system at all times, so as to respond to any potential attack or threat on their home colony. Like most other Tau worlds this colony provides troops to the many forces that operate in combat zones all around the Tau empire proper. While the actual number of Cadre and Contingents deployed by Fi’karro is always changing, the average at any point in time is close to 12 Contingents worth of Cadres. During times of conflict or a sphere expansion the colony will raise it’s number of warriors substantially. Normally however the bulk of Fi’karro forces are deployed as Cadres on Preemptive strike missions at targets both inside and outside it’s local sector of space. Due to the preference of Fi’karro commanders for preemptive strikes at potential enemy forces, the standard Cadre of this Colony normally always have attached pathfinder teams as well as a team of stealth suits. These Troops are used to gather ground level intelligence for upcoming operations as well as to support the main line combat troops during said operations, through rear line sabotage and direct combat support. Another symptom of this colony’s particular combat preference manifests through the use of very high impact combat tactics. This means most units will look to the weapon system that has the highest damage output possible so as to end direct combat as quickly as possible. Battlesuit teams from Fi’karro will look to highly specialize individual suits in the team toward certain types of forces they are likely to encounter in combat. With some suits being equipped for anti-armor suites at the detriment of anti-personnel abilities, and vise-versa for other suits in the team. While this does make the suits themselves somewhat less flexible in combat, it allows the team as a whole to more quickly deal with any threats they encounter. With the lower numbers of Ethereals on the colony of Fi’karro it is a rare sight to see them a part of combat units in all but the largest of formations. This means that many Cadres go into battle without any Ethereals, while this results units under fire haveing a slightly higher chance of breaking then those being lead by an ethereal, it is an unfortunate measure that must be taken so as to save the few Ethereals from the dangers of combat. To try and counter this unfortunate situation all fire warriors raised on Fi’karro are put through an even more rigorous regime of training in the virtues of the Tau’va in an effort to steel them against the horrors of combat away from their home colony. In recent years this training regime has shown some success in reducing the numbers of warriors breaking against strong resistance. As an example of the common structure of Fi’karro Hunter Cadres, what follows are the contents of the 98th Fi’karro Hunter Cadre (Aka The Ice Hawks) during its deployment in it’s recent operations to preempt an Imperial build up along the Empire’s western border. HQ Section Shas’O Fi’karro Dor’las in an XV85 Enforcer Battlesuit Shas’el Fi’karro Mon’par as a leader of the infantry forces of the cadre Battlesuit Force A 6 warrior battlesuit unit Lead by Shas’vre Fi’karro Bantu in a XV8-02 Iridium battlesuit Second in command Shas’ui Fi’karro Harot In a XV8-02 Iridium battlesuit 4 more Shas’ui make up the team each in a XV8 crisis suit The weapons of all these suits are changed depending on the mission Infiltration Force A 10 warrior unit of pathfinders Lead by Shas’ui Fi’karro Orael A 6 suit unit of XV25 Stealth battlesuits Lead by Shas’vre Fi’karro Shi’un Infantry Force 30 fire warrior strike teams divided into 3 teams of equal sizes Each lead by a Shas’ui A single team of breachers with 7 warriors assigned This team has a single TY7 Devilfish transport attached Heavy Support Force A team of 3 XV88 Broadside Battlesuits Lead by Shas’vre Fi’karro Gra’nera A Single TX7 Hammerhead Gunship Drones for this force are not listed due to the amount and type of drones used being highly tied to the scale and type of missions being conducted. While this is a small Hunter Cadre it does highlight the thought process of Fi’karro Forces, with a highly mobile hard hitting force supported by a large Infiltration troops deployed long before the main force it is able to deal with targets and enemy forces far larger than itself. The use of Air caste assets is also extremely common, with battlesuits being regularly deployed by both Manta and Orca Dropships into tactically advantageous positions during combat. Major Events 689.M41 - The discovery of the moon that would become the colony Fi’karro 697.M41- The first long term settlement is built on the surface of Fi’karro 742.M41- The Damocles Gulf Crusade begins, the small Colony of Fi’karro provides mostly material support to the military forces of the Tau Empire 753.M41- The first Fire caste academy is built on Fi’karro, this is deemed necessary due to the local Ork presence on the surface of the moon. 775.M41- Fi’karro’s population reaches 20 million, new mining operations and settlements are built to expand the colony’s output. 799.M41- Battle of Outpost 31-A: a large Ork warband formed in the Ice wastes of Fi’karro and began a terror campaign along the colony’s frontier. At the mining outpost 31-A the fire caste of the colony met this warband in open battle to defend fleeing colonists. While the battle resulted in victory for the Tau forces and the scattering of the Orks as an effective fighting force, it did highlight the failures of the colony's military forces at stopping such a force from threatening the colony in the first place. This would result in changes to military tactics and strategies that would become the current Version of Mont'ka used by Fi'karro. 812.M41- Raid of Rusliv VII: This was the first major action by the Fi’karro Fire caste outside of their home system. A preemptive raid on an imperial promethium refinery, as intelligence gathered showed the local planetary governor was planning an attack in the local sub sector on Tau military outposts. 869.M41- Fi’karro’s population reaches 400 million, this is mostly due to the high amount of earth caste miners settling on the moon from around the Empire. 980.M41- During the Great War of Confederation Fi’karro’s local Ork population would greatly expand and threaten the moon’s many settlements. This would drive a large military expansion to try and combat these roving warbands on the surface. The colony would also send troops out to help many nearby small colonies to try and secure the sector. 997.M41- The Third Sphere Expansion begins: Fi’karro is able to provide 3 Contingents worth of troops and a single small naval force to the expansion fleet. Due to their few numbers these troops are used as forward observers for other more numerous forces. 998.M41- Dogra Campaign: forces of the Fi’karro colony take part in a 4 month long campaign to clear major resistance in the Dogra Star System. This highlighted the Colony’s tactical and strategic acumen and insured its place as a major world for military matters in the future. 999.M41- Both Contingents from Fi’karro, along with many other troops from other sept worlds, took part in Commander Shadowsun’s plan to stall Space Marine forces in the Zeist Sector during the latter part of the Third Sphere Expansion. 001.M42- With the disaster that was the Fourth Sphere Expansion Fi’karro has to help defend its local sector with little in the way of support from the rest of the Empire. During these operations many commanders make a name for themselves by keeping enemies of the Empire from being able to capitalize on the lack of major forces in the region. M42- Due to the increased protection needed near the Strtide Nexus and Nem’yar Atoll Fi’karro has been tasked with protecting the areas along the Empire’s Western border. So far Imperial forces have been very active along this region. Fighting has been light but the longer the current situation stands the more chances Imperial military forces take in Tau space. Notable Individuals Aun’vre Fi’karro Dor’fa – Is currently the highest ranking Ethereal on the colony of Fi’karro. He has been able to guide the colony through these very troubling times and push it into a leadership role for its local sector. While not a battlefield commander by any means he has been noted as a very uniting presence, even for an ethereal, and in his youth helped a hunter Cadre hold a defensive position near a mining outpost for over a week with little supplies or support. In the end he kept the force together long enough for reinforcements to arrive and break the Orks. Shas’el Fi’karro Naron – A Cadre fireblade of high standing in the Fi'karro military forces. She has earned a name for herself with direct leadership and insane acts of bravery in the face of the enemy. She began her career in a standard strike team and quickly rose through the ranks in the campaigns in the local sector putting down Imperial and Ork forces. When presented with the honor of a battlesuit she turned it down in favor of perfecting the art of infantry combat. She is currently assigned to the 7th Fi'karro Hunter Cadre's command staff in its current mission of securing the western Empire's border with the Imperium of Man Shas'o Fi'karro Tor'dis – Overall commander of the Fi'karro Military forces second only to Aun'vre Dor'fa. He is an exemplar of the Mont'ka and has pushed for its adoption throughout all Cadre of the colony. While his current position keeps the old commander from much front line combat, his reputation for lighting strikes and overwhelming attacks with his Coldstar battlesuit have earned him much respect from the fire warriors he commands. Due to his advanced age he has taken on many pupils from the most decorated on Fi'karro so he may pass on his unique views of Mont'ka. Shas'vre Fi'karro Tsuun – The current commander of Fi'karro's infiltration forces. While Tsuun is on paper the commander of these highly important forces, she serves a more ceremonial role then anything. Due to the current need to keep well informed of enemy movements and positions she has been on almost constant deployment in her XV95 Ghostkeel battlesuit. This combined with her many years as a XV25 Stealthsuit team leader makes she one of the most experienced infiltration experts in the Fi'karro military forces. It has been noted by those that work with her that recently due to the many deployments behind enemy lines, that sometimes last months, she has become very introverted in the presence of others while outside of her XV95.

The Cantorellian 23rd http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/igbeta2.php?b62c=@hsbXm_hr3uf.hS1g2@@@.hyvFn__@@@hyvFn___..h1VNSh1VNS_@h1VNSiakk7&grid=TRUE Cantorellian Guardsman in Standard Duty Uniform Date:...............072.046M42 Ref:................LBC//DAI By:.................Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch Re:.................Astra Militarum - Cantorellian 23rd Thought:........."The Ocean is relentless. So are we." A curious hybrid regiment, the Cantorellian 23rd is an all-male unit, with twinned focuses of Sentinels and mechanized combat. Origins of the Cantorellian 23rd Founding: The regiment was founded in 200M37, ready and capable to take the fight to the Emperors enemies among the stars, as their predecessors had also done. Designated as Mechanized Infantry regiment and equipped for amphibious assault operations, the Cantorellian 23rd prepared to move out. First Campaign: In 202 M37, after a period of training and preparation, the Cantorellian 23rd was deployed to the desert planet of Arkanit, a critical mining planet that sourced material for a nearby forgeworld, that had come under assault by the perfidious Eldar for reasons unknown. The planet was subject to a multiregimental war, with Imperial forces scattered across the planet in an effort to deny territory to the Eldar, secure mining facilities, and find the xeno base of operations. Once they arrived in-system, the 23rd was deployed as security for a Valhallan rocket artillery regiment that came under frequent attack, at a base in the middle of nowhere, where the Valhallans were well-positioned to shell any battlegrounds anywhere they chose. However, once the Cantorellians had spent some time on the planet, they began to chafe at the lack of combat that they were undergoing. The Valhallans, miserable as they were under the blazing heat of the desert, at least could and did engage in battle, launching volleys of rockets intermittently at Eldar actions for fire support. The Cantorellians, though, did not see combat at all for more than three months, outside of blunting scouting parties of only a few Windriders. Thus, aching for battle and a way to prove his regiment as both capable and fearsome, the Colonel devised a plan to get some, and perhaps end the conflict. When next the Eldar scouting parties arrived at the artillery base, expecting only the furious but measured reprisal that usually greeted them, the Windriders were instead greeted by a hail of flushing fire and the roar en masse of Chimeras and Valkyries spinning up their engines for a pursuit. Quickly turning about, the Eldar began to flee, chased by the growling machines of the Cantorellian 23rd. Following an hourslong chase to the edge of the continent, towards the planets sole ocean, with the Chimeras of the Guard following behind and the Valkyries of the Stormtroopers tracking the Eldar from above, the Windriders turned out over the ocean, seeking to lose the Cantorellians. Undeterred, the Cantorellians charged into the ocean, their Chimeras rigged as usual for amphibious operations. The eldar quickly departed, running along the coast in an effort to ditch their pursuers. However, with the air cover of the Tempestus' gunships, the Eldar could not escape the view of the Imperium. The Eldar were tracked to a cave system some one hundred miles up the coast, where they disappeared from aerial view. With hardly any hesitation, once they arrived the Chimeras of the 23rd drove headlong into defensive fire onto the beach, offloading their contents into what became a brutal cave fight that lasted for several hours, turned in the Imperiums favor with the arrival of the Tempestus by way of a hidden passage to the surface, just large enough for a man, outflanking and destroying the eldar webway gate that they used to reinforce their troops, as well as an escape point. After another hour or two of intense fighting, the Eldar were subdued and defeated, with moderate casualties on the part of the Imperials, including 10 percent of the Tempestus force. At the conclusion of the campaign, which mainly involved cleanup of the remaining forces and investigating in the Eldars goal on the planet--a task left to the capable hands of the Inquisition--the Colonel was commended for his quick thinking, and then assigned to a Generals staff command, where his bright ideas could be filtered through Imperial bureaucracy to prevent more such harebrained schemes like abandoning ones allies on a chase for glory. The Major was promoted to fill his place, and he went on to lead the regiment in several more uneventful campaigns before succumbing to an Eldar Brightlance when his command vehicle exploded. 362.M39: In a rare stroke of Munitorum competence, the Cantorellian 23rd find themselves deployed to wipe out a chaos uprising on an ocean planet known for its undersea promethium reserves. The 23rd, with support from the Cantorellian 31st Armored, find themselves instrumental in staging an amphibious assault on the heretics main base, crushing it in a concentrated blow after three months of Naval bombardment. 739M41: The Cantorellian 23rd find themselves under attack by a Necron raider force while on Garrison duty on an Adeptus Mechanicus forgeworld. The 23rd will drive them off, with heavy casualties. They will not see the Necrons again in the lifetime of any man in the regiment. 992M41: The Merging Deployed to the hive world of Varru IV as part of a defensive task force, in preparation for a Tyranid invasion. Not a week after the regiments arrival, and with hardly any time to spare before the Tyranid fleet darkens the Mandeville point of the Varrunis system, a Genestealer Cult uprising took place, throwing Varru IV into chaos. As a recently arrived regiment, the 23rd was one of the few units completely uninfected, they spent several days policing and eliminating infected Guard regiments. One regiment, a Sentinel regiment, from the world of Dolrunus, had approximately half of its regiment infected with genestealer infestation due to its prolonged stay on Varru IV, in support of a Knightly house from Dolrunus. After clearing the remaining genestealers from the command structure, only about a third remained after the regimental infighting. The 23rd took command of the situation, absorbing the Dolrunus regiment into their table of organization. After the fighting was over, and the tyranids were driven off, the Cantorellian 23rd permanently absorbed the Dolrunus regiment, adding several Sentinel squadrons to their ranks, along with a hefty cache of bionics and other mechanicus tools. The 23rd requested an official redesignation from the Cantorellian gubernatorial house, who granted both the change from Mechanized to Mechanized-Sentinel and a commensurate equipment increase. The Cantorellian 23rd then spent a few years on a munitorum training planet, establishing command and control protocols, combined tactics, and a plethora of other integration exercises, resulting in an almost-seamless regiment at the end of it. 012.M42: Swimming in Shark-Infested Waters The Cantorellian 23rd, recently having acquired Commissar Nykkole Jayn, is attacked in transit by a Necron warship. The 23rds transport ships were boarded, but the attackers were repelled at heavy cost, and the warship itself was driven off by a Dawn Blades Battle Barge, bearing three companies of Astartes. Following a three month campaign, the 23rd with support of the Dawn Blades tracks down and destroys the moon base that the warship came from. The 23rd then returns to Cantorellia for resupply, with promise of future cooperation between the two organizations. Organization The 23rd operates nominally at 8 companies, broken down into three Sentinel companies, four mechanized infantry companies, and a headquarters company. However, due to manpower constraints, one company, usually the 8th, is typically critically undermanned, and only nominally available for combat operations. Any men in this company are usually assigned to the Headquarters company for additional security, liaison work, specialist work, and additional bodies where needed. It is a rare day indeed when all 8 companies are at full fighting strength. The Headquarters company houses much of the Regimental support staff, as well as a Militarum Tempestus stormtrooper platoon, courtesy of the Cantorellian gubernatorial house, which mandated that each regiment would maintain such a force, and granted by gubernatorial decree the necessary rights and equipment for such. It also liaises with other Imperial organizations, and typically finds itself in command of or acting in concert with armored assets, abhuman auxiliary units, and whatever other assets are in theatre and available for deployment with the Cantorellian 23rd. Homeworld and Cultural Influence Cantorellia is an ocean world, with far less landmass than any other habitable planet in the system and subsector. Despite the disadvantages the planet poses to Imperial supremacy, it has done well for itself in the six millennia since it has been settled. Imperial governance has turned the disadvantages of the planet into vast resources, using the many fish and other seafood to supply food for other planets, and taking vast quantities of water from the planet's oceans to other planets, for hydration purposes, industrial uses, or weapons production, whatever is needed. In order to balance the loss of water versus the needs of the planet for water, excess elemental gas from other planets is transported to Cantorellia, where chemical processes and arcane sciences turn the gas back into the liquid that all human life requires. In addition to seafood and water, the planet also exports men, as all Imperial planets do, in the Imperial Tithe. So it was in early M37 that the Cantorellian 23rd was tithed and created, designated an amphibious assault/mechanized infantry regiment of two thousand men. Cantorellian regiments are often exported with enough dried, tinned seafood to keep them fed for decades or more, with regular shipments in resupply and reinforcement convoys. As a result of this, few find Cantorellians anything approaching pleasant to be around, with the smell of fish always permeating their breath and their equipment. However, when called upon for formal events or to host high-ranking Imperial officials, the regiment's cooks find themselves capable of what they consider to be great feats of oceanic delicacy, and most who dine with the regiment's officers at such events would tend to agree, though there are some dishes that no one but Cantorellians will touch. On special events, like Founding Day or the conclusion of a major campaign, the rank and file of the regiment will partake in these feasts, but these events are rare, and never occur more than once or twice a year. Combat Doctrine -armored sentinel platoons will generally provide outrider support to mechanized columns -scout sentinels tend to outflank the enemy, as well as provide reconnaissance to the regiment. they work to drive the enemy to a battle with the regiment's main formation, for hammer and anvil maneuvers -due to their homeworld's watery state, the Cantorellian 23rd, and all Cantorellian regiments, are adept at amphibious warfare, though the addition of walkers does tend to complicate matters, with limited waterproofing equipment available to the regiment, one or two companies usually have to be airdropped into the battlezone or shipped on dedicated barges to ensure they reach shore -in concordance with typical Imperial Doctrine concerning mechanized units, the 23rd is often deployed alongside armored regiments to provide assistance in whatever manner is needed. One regiment that the 23rd deploys alongside with somewhat unusual frequency is the Cantorellian 31st Armored -due to their relationship with their homeworld, where it is a constant struggle between the ocean and its inhabitants, where giving up is fruitless and often permanent, Cantorellian regiments almost never surrender or retreat, and rarely have disciplinary issues when it comes to desertion. As a result, a typical unit will only have two or three commissars. The 23rd has two, one at the regimental level, and one to oversee the first company. Personnel Author Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch is the commanding officer (Daimyo, by chapter tradition due to his membership in the Samurai company prior to his officer posting) of the Dawn Blades Second Company, and renowned across the chapter for successfully penetrating the Necron tomb world of Seranon to retrieve several Adeptus Mechanicus Magi, at great cost to his company and in spite of the burning enmity between the chapter and the Adeptus Mechanicus. He also succeeded in stealing several pieces of Necron technology for study and analysis by chapter Techmarines and Legio scientists. The moniker 'Phaeron' was added to his title after this feat, in mocking of the Necrons he had defeated--he was their Phaeron, their master. A capable swordsman and a skilled tactician, he fought for four decades in the Dawn Blades Samurai Company before ascending to the rank of Daimyo following the death of the Second Comapny's previous commander. He visits the Legio Fortress on occasion, though how he is capable is currently unknown by the Legio, as his Strike Cruiser was last noted on the far side of the Noctis Aeterna. <<description of the regiment's typical personnel and its TO+E>> -due to their deep. intrinsic relationship with their homeworld, where it is a constant struggle between the ocean and its inhabitants, where giving up is fruitless and often permanent, Cantorellian regiments almost never surrender or retreat, and rarely have disciplinary issues when it comes to desertion. As a result, a typical Cantorellian unit will only have two or three commissars. The 23rd has two, one at the regimental level, and one to oversee the first company. Most Guardsmen of the 23rd have, as is typical, a deep tan or dark skin, as the sun beats down harsh on the people of Cantorellia. A tiny minority of the regiment, however, boasts a pale, almost pasty skin, from those few men tithed who spend their whole lives belowdecks on ship, or in the massive desalination plants that line the oceans of Cantorellia Many of the Guardsmen spent much of their formative years on fishing boats, and grow up strong and swarthy, with mouths to match. While most Guard regiments have the typical Gothic lexicon of swears and curses, when angered Cantorellian troopers will often spill forth a tide of invective that can leave other Imperials gobsmacked at the impropriety. On rare occasions, when in conflict with xeno forces capable of understanding the tirade, some Cantorellian soldiers have been known to frighten their enemies with their creative and crude use of language, and the sheer anger that backstops the words. Cantorellian troopers are issued three types of uniforms, though only two of them, the combat uniform and duty uniform, are worn on anything approaching a regular basis. The combat uniform consists of a set of fatigues and flak armor with a blue, light blue, and sand-color camouflage pattern. The duty uniform is a monochrome blue, with a hat to match (attached to this datafile please find an image of a Cantorellian trooper in duty uniform). The dress uniform is a deep ocean blue, with sky-blue highlight and trim, and some gold detail for those of the rank of sergeant, captain, or above, for enlisted and officer respectively. The dress uniform is required for high-profile events like Founding Day, as well as parades, victory celebrations, and is authorized for use outside of these events, but the opportunities for such are quite rare, as the Cantorellian 23rd spends little time in civilian sectors, as befits a regiment of the Imperial Guard and its duties. The Dolrunus regiment, upon their subsuming into the 23rd, brought with them a cache of both bionics and Skitarii weaponry. Such equipment is often given to those troopers who prove themselves worthy of such tools of war, most often veterans and sergeants. Certain line troops who distinguish themselves in battle or discipline may earn the right to carry such arms into battle, or receive a replacement body part if circumstances necessitate it. Notable Personnel -Colonel Zevan Zenara: Current commanding officer of the Cantorellian 23rd Mechanized/Sentinel Regiment. Lost his left arm in an ork Kommando attack on his regimental Command Post. Despite his wounds, and with the aid of a young medic who saved his life, Zevan proceeded to dispatch most of the ork assailants, before the quick-reaction force was able to respond and deal with the threat. Fitted for an augmetic arm from the regimental cache shortly afterward, and awarded the Medallion Crimson at the conclusion of the campaign. -Major Crysis Rand: Second in command of the Cantorellian 23rd, and very much a man of the line troops. Spends much of his time with the rank-and-file of the regiment, ensuring they are in good fighting trim and capable of completing their mission. I suspect more than six in ten men of the regiment would take a lasbolt for him, which in my experience is a ratio far in excess of most Guard forces and commanding officers. -Captain Candon 'Kanner' Broklaw: Great grand-nephew of General Ruput Broklaw of 597th Valhallan Ice Warriors fame, the Captain commands the Sentinel forces of the 23rd, often leading the charge in his own walker. Earned his nickname from the sheer number of Killa Kans he destroyed in close quarters with his Sentinel chainsaw--or so I'm told. Guard tales are so often sensationalized, and I haven't the time to attempt to ferret out the truth. Nonetheless, he is a competent commander, though he does have a bit of a wild streak. -Regimental Colour Sergeant Lawrence James: To attempt to describe the Regimental Colour Sergeant is a notably difficult task, primarily due to his reticence to answer any inquiries that are not directly related to the mission at hand. This includes, but is not limited to: his favored hobbies; his preferred alcoholic beverage; anything about his family (or lack thereof); questions of his preferred devotional prayer; where and how he acquired the swagger stick he uses as a melee weapon, despite having been issued a chainsword; what hes doing that evening, and would the sergeant like to have a meal with the Astartes officer asking him the question. However, when a reasonable concern is brought to him, the Regimental Colour Sergeant ensures it is taken care of, be it additional supplies from the quartermaster, questions of enlisted morale, tactical and strategic guidance for new officers, or simply a man who backs up his men over outsiders. Not many soldiers like the RCM as a person (mostly owed to the fact he hardly allows himself to exist as a person), but I have not met a man in the regiment who does not respect the RCM. -Regimental Commissar Nykkole Muran: Currently the chief commissar for the Cantorellian 23rd. She is new to the unit as of this writing, within the last five years. Her predecessor was killed in an unfortunate danger close accident--or so it's claimed by those few troops I've been able to speak of. Wields an heirloom power lance entrusted to her Scholam by her father, and has an augmetic eye from a stray lasbolt, gained while fighting a rebellion on her first posting with a Cadian unit two years before her transfer to the 23rd. While she is not well-liked, and carries a harsh demeanor, she is generally regarded as a fair disciplinarian, according to Militarum guidelines. -Lieutenant Cythos: Personal aide to Commissar Muran, and the second of two females in the entire regiment. She requested a transder to the 23rd to serve as Commissar Muran's adjutant, following the pair meeting on a Munitorum hub planet. Her mother was a decorated tank commander in the Cantorellian 31st Armored regiment, who earned commendation for a decisive maneuver that turned the tide against a horde of chaos cultists. Lt. Cythos herself is quite the hero as well, according to the citation I pulled from regimental records, indicating a fervent assault against tyranid swarms even after her unit was almost entirely wiped out, earning among other planetary honors the Triple Skull, as one of four surviving members of the Cantorellian 151st Infantry Regiment (citation attached). No one knows her first name, and it is not listed on any of her medal citations, promotion warrant, medical records, or personnel rosters. Nevertheless, it appears she manages to navigate the regiment skillfully and without issue, being both immediately recognizable and with some degree of Commissarial authority, in addition to her own rank. -Private Jones Mellenkamp: Though it pains me to do so, I suppose I must at least mention my attache for the impending campaign. He seems eager to please, but for Throne's sake the boy is hardly 18 standard years old. Manpower may be the Solis-Imperator's currency, but I'm not sure this note is worth spending right now. A couple of years, perhaps, and he'll be a proper soldier. But not quite yet. Personal Notes I have observed that an air of tension exists between the Mechanicum priests and support personnel and the command staff of the regiment. From what I have learnt of the Sentinel regiment's homeworld, the underlings don't trust the higher-ups very much, and when the 23rd absorbed the other regiment, they absorbed certain cultural norms as well. Cantorellian tradition demands absolute loyalty to those in command, as it is the only way to survive. Dolrunus tradition dictates absolute loyalty to those in command by force and on pain of punishment. The command staff orders them on expectation, and the Dolrunus men and mechanicus personnel obey out of fear. Commissar Tred Pond, deceased about fifteen years now, was a large part of ensuring that there was some modicum of understanding between the factions, though I understand he may have eaten an 'accidental' mortar shred shortly after beginning the integration work--I'm given to understand he was not well liked. Interaction with the Legio currently none -one private jones mellankamp as an aide-de-camp, advisor, and envoy between myself and the 23rd for an upcoming campaign. Related Articles Currently none. Will update as further intelligence arrives at the Legio. Placeholder removed. Enough ideas in place now.

This thread is to function as a repository for those completing the Final Challenge of the Iron Gauntlet, as well as a place for challengers to post snippets of their stories for feedback and constructive critisicm. This challenge is open to all who have participated in any of the previous challenges, as well as those who wish to join this challenge with a story about a DIY organization. First Round of Participants (8-17-2020 to 10-17-2020): TechCaptain Harlan Skorus Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch Second Round of Participants (10-17-2020 to 12-17-2020): fThird Round of Participants (12-17-2020 to 2-17-2021) h

This thread is to function as a repository for those completing the third challenge of the Iron Gauntlet, though links to seperate battle reports are both encouraged and required. This challenge is open to all who have participated in any of the previous challenges, as well as anyone who wishes to post a battle report of a game played with a DIY organization force. Those who participated in challenge two are required to use a majority of the force created in challenge two, though that force does not have to be a majority of your army (e.g. Johnny painted Guard, and chooses to bring three squads of infantry and a company commander, which is a force greater than half his original force of six infantry and a company commander. He is allowed to bring a detachment of Adeptus Astartes which by unit count may number more than half of his force.) First Round of Participants (8-17-2020 to 10-17-2020): sSecond Round of Participants (10-17-2020 to 12-17-2020): fThird Round of Participants (12-17-2020 to 2-17-2021) h