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117th Vardenghast “Sun-Forged” Dragoons Regimental Dossier: 117th Vardenghast “Sun-Forged” Dragoons Segmentum: Obscurus Founding World: Vardenghast Prime (Forge-Colony) Specialisation: High-Energy Weaponry, Advanced Defensive Systems, Skirmish Warfare Regimental Motto: “Through the glow of the forge, we endure.” Origins The 117th “Sun-Forged” Dragoons hail from Vardenghast Prime, a semi-forgeworld orbiting dangerously close to its system’s unstable star. To survive in the irradiated environment, the colonists developed sealed exo-suits of remarkable sophistication — tight-fitting void-mesh undersuits overlaid with rigid plating, powered by compact reactor cores. The designs, said to be half-remembered Standard Template Construct schemata, were passed down for generations and adapted for military application. When the Tithe came due, Vardenghast supplied the Astra Militarum with regiments clad in these survival suits, equipped with directed-energy weaponry and compact gravitic stabilisers. Their gear earned them immediate suspicion from the Munitorum and the Adeptus Mechanicus, but the high attrition rate of Guard forces meant their unusual arms were tolerated. Doctrine The Dragoons fight as highly mobile skirmishers, operating in close-knit fireteams of six to ten soldiers. Each squad is trained to fight in irradiated ruins, toxic death-zones, or the void of orbital battlefields. They rely on precise, overlapping fields of energy fire to pin and dismember enemy formations before advancing under the protection of their suit’s hardened shield projectors. They eschew the massed “human wave” tactics common to other regiments. Instead, they emphasise methodical advances, coordinated strike-zones, and careful resource management of their unstable plasma and las-coil weaponry. Uniform and Appearance Armour: Form-fitting exo-rigs of matte black or burnished bronze, laced with glowing power conduits. Helmets: Enclosed, with narrow visors and external rad-filters, giving them an insectile appearance. Weapons: Long-barrelled hot-shot lasrifles, coil carbines, and compact plasma repeaters unique to Vardenghast. Insignia: A stylised sunburst overlaid with a sigil of crossed coils, representing both their irradiated star and their energy-weapon traditions. Notable Engagements The Trine Dust Wars (M41.891): The 117th’s first deployment, where their suits allowed them to wage extended campaigns in radioactive desert warzones that annihilated less-protected Imperial forces. Siege of Caldrith Spire (M41.902): Their ability to scale vertical hive-towers using grav-stabilisers turned the tide in a months-long siege against heretek warbands. The Gholith Rift Incident (M42.012): Several companies went missing after deployment into the Rift, believed to have been absorbed by rogue tech-cults. Only fragmentary vox-transmissions returned, filled with static and the repeated phrase: “The Sun must be reforged.” Relations with the Imperium The Mechanicus maintain a close — and suspicious — watch over the regiment. The “Sun-Forged” are frequently inspected for signs of tech-heresy, with entire platoons recalled and dismantled for study. Despite this, the Munitorum values their battlefield effectiveness, particularly in zones where conventional armour or infantry cannot endure. Some whisper that the regiment is only tolerated so long as their numbers remain manageable. Too many tithed at once, and the Adeptus Mechanicus might demand their extermination. Regimental Temperament Sun-Forged troopers are insular, disciplined, and fatalistic. Living under a dying sun has instilled in them a grim practicality; they rarely waste words, munitions, or lives. They see themselves as both soldiers and custodians of ancient knowledge — warriors not just of the Emperor, but of the memory of mankind’s lost Golden Age. ⚔️ In-universe Note, by Adeptus Munitorum Scribe-Archivist Holrath: "The 117th Vardenghast are effective, but they walk the knife’s edge of heresy. Their weapons are too clean, too precise. One day, they will be found wanting in faith, and on that day the sun which birthed them will consume them utterly." let me know what you think, i also built a 2000 point list in battlescribe if you'd like to see it