Famous Regiments: Harjinn Mamelukes and Harjinn Ghilmen

[TDF]

Harjinn Mamelukes & Harjinn Ghilmen

Homeworld

http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah131/tdf4638/4937ae65-cea3-43ec-9c1c-59dbe05d8823_zpspwirg5xn.jpg

Cpt. Sharif of the Mamelukes

Situated on an intersection of vital warp routes in the Kenyamin Sector, Harjinn has been a fortress world for at least sixty-five thousand years. The xenos that first raised up the cyclopean fortress-cities from the raw metamorphic rock of Harjinn’s continents are long forgotten, but their work has been built upon and improved by humanity countless times. As the forty-first millennium draws to a close Harjinn has never been more secure, with thousands of miles of fortifications bristling with anti-aircraft emplacements, heavy cannon and void shield generators stretching across the blasted volcanic rock. The fortress-cities have sufficient stockpiles of raw materials to manufacture weapons and ammunition continuously for over twenty years and possess the necessary agri-vats to sustain a population of millions almost indefinitely. With Harjinn’s population reaching higher and higher levels of efficiency the world can afford to tithe more regiments to the Imperial Guard than ever before, and the names of the Harjinn Mameluke and Ghilmen regiments are spreading throughout the entire Imperium.

Harjinn Mamelukes
The Mamelukes are the Harjinn elite. They are the most skilled and best trained men and women that a planet of soldiers can produce. They are outfitted exclusively as mechanised infantry regiments and are equipped with the best equipment the manufactories of Harjinn can produce. Some Mameluke regiments are even equipped with rarer and more potent weaponry from neighbouring forge worlds.

Relations between regiments of Mamelukes and Ghilmen are usually cold. The Mamelukes delight in their elite status and regard the Ghilmen as second-rate soldiers at best. For their part the Ghilmen despise the snobbery of the Mamelukes and mock their fancy dress uniforms and parades. Every Ghilman clings to the belief that no Mameluke has ever fired his weapon in anger and that they simply swoop in with their Chimeras to claim the glory once the Ghilmen have won the battle.

Harjinn Ghilmen
The bulk of the Harjinn regiments are Ghilmen. Most are infantry, although Harjinn does raise regiments of almost every standard type the Imperial Guard has to offer. The Harjinn warrior code glorifies the role of the infantryman and as a result the armoured and artillery Ghilmen regiments are held in particularly low regard. Although the Ghilmen certainly fall short of the standards of the Mamelukes their training and equipment is still very satisfactory.

Harjinn is ruled under martial law and the planetary governor is also the Lord General of the PDF. He is elected for a ten year term by a council of high-ranking PDF commanders and once the ten years are up he is sent off-world with a host of regiments to prevent further political meddling. This is a measure designed to limit corruption and nepotism, and keep the world's leadership fresh.

Notable Campaigns

Triumph of Saint Agathe – 785.M31
During the First Black Crusade Harjinn was attacked by a host of the Lost and the Damned led by the Death Guard commander Kranh the Blessed. The defences erected by the VII legion during the Great Crusade proved inadequate against Kranh’s warp magic and daemonic allies. The forces of Chaos swarmed across Harjinn like mould across a fruit until Colonel Agathe of the 5th Harjinn Mamelukes seized command of the eastern trenches. Under her inspired leadership the defences held for two months until reinforcements finally arrived from off-world. Not satisfied, Agathe led the counter-offensive and was part of the kill-team that finally killed Kranh in an inferno of promethium flame. Within centuries Agathe was canonised and a cathedral was built in her honour on the site of her martyrdom.

Siege of Harjinn – 911.M32

http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah131/tdf4638/57a0cdad-8087-4383-a60e-8410389fc8f3_zpsn55glsie.jpg

Ghilmen on patrol

It is no surprise that the site of such a stunning victory of the Emperor’s faithful over the forces of the Dark Gods would draw the attention not only of thousands of pilgrims but also of the traitor astartes. So it was that during the Despoiler’s Third Black Crusade an alliance of warbands from the Word Bearers legion and the Legio Iaculum launched an assault on Harjinn. The god-machines of Iaculum, possessed and corrupted by daemons of Slaanesh, roamed unchallenged across the plains of Harjinn. The very sight of them was enough to drive men into madness and those few who remained in control of their senses struggled to bring to bear enough firepower to seriously strain the titan’s void shields. The Word Bearers played little part in the opening phases of the siege, only attacking isolated outposts and second-line garrisons. Their motives were soon discovered when a dark ritual ripped open a warp rift, spilling an unending tide of daemons onto the world. With that the attacks ramped up until the fortress-cities were completely sacked and the magnificent Cathedral of Saint Agathe desecrated beyond all hope of reconsecration. Although the Imperium would soon reclaim and resettle Harjinn, the elegant yet functional architecture of the VII legion would never be restored. From that point forth Harjinn was a spartan, utilitarian world focused purely on ensuring such a disaster could never be repeated.

Second Grekkian Conflict – 864.M41
Over three dozen Harjinn regiments were deployed to the defence of the Grekkian Subsector from the rampaging horde of Waaagh! Dreddik. Over half fought in the bitter three year siege of Fort Amstam; outshining all other regiments with their expertise and training. The 8th Harjinn Mamelukes regiment were engaged in a fast moving conflict with ork speedfreeks warbands across the vast plains of Koña and earned several distinctions for their efforts. The war even saw that rarest of things: a citation for a Harjinn Ghilmen tank regiment. The 98th Necromundan armoured regiment, known colloquially as “The Heartless”, had been surrounded on all sides by Dreddik’s tanka mobs for over a week and had suffered heavy losses. They were preparing for one last stand when the 3rd Harjinn Ghilmen armoured regiment came roaring out of the forest all guns blazing. The 3rd lost over twenty tanks that day and the 98th was so crippled that it had to be rolled into a combined regiment along with the remnants of the 23rd Krainian Janissaries armoured regiment. The orks, however, suffered total casualties and it was this action that turned the tide on Machaddon V.

[SW1]

Really like the fluff and the pics feed very well into the overall feel of the piece. Are we going to see some models based in this and if you are what are you going to use as the base models?

[Pudelhund]

This is awesome stuff TDF.  It is a great introduction of Mughal-themed Guard forces, and I particularly like the choice to include an aspect of caste hierarchy within the planetary military.  

[TDF]

Really like the fluff and the pics feed very well into the overall feel of the piece. Are we going to see some models based in this and if you are what are you going to use as the base models?

No models for these. However, if I were to make an Imperial Guard army it would be the 23rd/98th Armoured Regiment I mention in the last battle. Lots of tanks and opportunities for different modelling and fluff options for guys from different regiments all mixed together.

 

This is awesome stuff TDF.  It is a great introduction of Mughal-themed Guard forces, and I particularly like the choice to include an aspect of caste hierarchy within the planetary military.

I have to hold my hands up and say that most of the historical theming is accidental/unconscious. These regiments started life with me remembering the Mameluke unit from Age of Empires II and thinking that it's a cool name. But I didn't feel happy using a term I associate with elite cavalry for infantry, tank, etc. regiments so I Wikipediaed around until I found the term Ghilmen. The links to the caste system completely passed me by.

[hendrik]

you should do a pure tank force with these models! after all you'll only need 1-2 tankers popping out of a hatch to give them that distinct feeling!

[WarriorFish]

So what you're saying is you accidentally made a great regiment with lots of depth? That's raw talent right there :lol: I agree that you need to get some models going for these guys, as hendrik says if it's mostly mechanised you could avoid all but a couple of models that'd only need to be the top half!

[walter h]

I wonder if you could use Pretoria torsos and helmets to represent the Mamelukes, with some gs' ing. Use the legs from empire archers.

This is an awesome concept, for a regiment.