IL X - The Fire Keepers

[Demus Ragnok]

Edit Edited April 15, 2016 by Demus Ragnok

[Demus Ragnok]

So first thoughts on a RoW

 

Rite of War: Ash and Dust

 

Must take a second HQ

 

Models with a bolt gun may use them in CC

 

For each troop choice taken beyond 3 an additional HS selection may be taken beyond the usual FOC limit

[Demus Ragnok]

The Judges, The Chaplains of the Fire Keepers

 

The Judges were a tradition among the Obsailan tribes from time long forgotten. They served as civil mediators, business arbitrators, and criminal prosecutors. They were also task with keeping vigil against the taint of the witch. It was from this tradition that the chaplain corps of the Fire Keepers Legion was born.

 

The chaplain corps is organized into subdivisions called Circles. Every Fire Keeper company has an assigned chaplain and these belong to the lowest level, the Third Circle. The senior members of the Third Circle bear the title Reclusiarch, others are Arch Chaplains and Chaplains. The distinction between Arch Chaplain and Chaplain is not clear as both fulfill a similar role. Arch may be a mark of seniority or an honorific. Reclusiarchs most often serve the companies of senior or distinguished captains and among the command staff of smaller Hosts. They are often accompanied by chaplain novitiates.

 

The Second Circle is believed to be far smaller than the Third but proportionally greater in authority. Though all chaplains display heraldry, knowledge of the ranks and duties of the Second Circle is almost nonexistent outside the chaplain corps.It is believed that the highest ranking members are responsible for overseeing the Third Circle and insuring that the mission of the chaplains is carried out at the most basic levels. Rumor also persists that some among the Second Circle function as enforcers and even executioners among the lower ranks of chaplains and the legion at large.

 

The First Circle is the highest order of the chaplain corps. At its head is the High Chaplain. The High Chaplain has a body of advisors known as “the Elders” or “the four” as the body only ever has four members. The lower members of the First Circle are the Chaplain Sovereigns, an office very much like legion Delagatus consuls. Sovereigns are most often seen commanding siege wings that have been seconded to fight alongside psyker heavy legions.

Edited July 1, 2016 by Demus Ragnok

[Doctor Perils]

Very cool to see a proper hierarchy developped for the Chaplains, something that is sorely lacking in canon-verse.

 

However, if it's not a corporation, it's chaplain corps, not corp. Nitpick I know, but each time I read it I had this vision of a supervillain organisation like Oscorp, Lexcorp or Umbrella Corp :P

[bluntblade]

Skullmask Corp

 

Agreed, it adds a bit to my mental image of the Fire Keepers

[Demus Ragnok]

Yeah edited that silly little "s" in so it's not "Iron Skulls Inc.".

[Doctor Perils]

Yeah edited that silly little "s" in so it's not "Iron Skulls Inc.".

Though it could be quite a funny side project :P

[bluntblade]

Aurelian and Sons Ltd.

[bluntblade]

I'm thinking of doing a story with the Fire Keepers in their element. Maybe a circumvallation siege? An old tactic, but if it's good for Caesar...

[Sigismund229]

I'm thinking of doing a story with the Fire Keepers in their element. Maybe a circumvallation siege? An old tactic, but if it's good for Caesar...

It always irritated me slightly how the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors don't seem to have every used circumvallations....

[bluntblade]

They must've done it at some point.

 

It also lets me use another Legion to patrol the outer perimeter. I'm thinking Wardens of Light, Jackals or the Warriors of Peace - especially Ju-Long in the case of the latter.

[Nomus Sardauk]

What's a circumvallation siege?

[Sigismund229]

What's a circumvallation siege?

It was a strategy used by Caesar at the siege of Alesia. When Vercingetorix refused to surrender, Caesar built walls around the walls the Alesia to stop anyone from escaping. 

[Nomus Sardauk]

Ah, the sneaky git! Still, I wonder how viable a strategy that would be given the enemy likely has a lot of artillery. I mean, just imagine it, you've spent all day building this lovely new wall with your bare hands when all of a sudden... *high-pitched whistling noise, followed by an earth-shattering KABOOM* "Emperor damnit! Every bloody time!"

Edited July 20, 2016 by SanguiniusReborn

[Sigismund229]

Ah, the sneaky git! Still, I wonder how viable a strategy that would be given the enemy likely has a lot of artillery. I mean, just imagine it, you've spent all day building this lovely new wall with your bare hands when all of a sudden... *high-pitched whistling noise, followed by an earth-shattering KABOOM* "Emperor damnit! Every bloody time!"

That's why you keep the enemy under a constant saturation artillery fire. You can resupply with ammo. They can't ;)

[Doctor Perils]

 

I'm thinking of doing a story with the Fire Keepers in their element. Maybe a circumvallation siege? An old tactic, but if it's good for Caesar...

It always irritated me slightly how the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors don't seem to have every used circumvallations....

 

Don't the Iron Warriors use a similar tactic in Angel Exterminatus, surrounding the Eldar positions with their Castellan Rhinos? Okay, they might not be fully surrounded in this example, but I think they mention it being a standard sort of strategy for them...

 

Of course, Circumvallation in the modern era is more complicated due to the third dimension offered by aeroplanes and other flying objects. Not to say it can't be done, but you need damn good air defenses.

 

(However, all this talk is giving me an idea for the origins of a fortified complex...)

[Sigismund229]

 

 

I'm thinking of doing a story with the Fire Keepers in their element. Maybe a circumvallation siege? An old tactic, but if it's good for Caesar...

It always irritated me slightly how the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors don't seem to have every used circumvallations....

 

Don't the Iron Warriors use a similar tactic in Angel Exterminatus, surrounding the Eldar positions with their Castellan Rhinos? Okay, they might not be fully surrounded in this example, but I think they mention it being a standard sort of strategy for them...

 

Of course, Circumvallation in the modern era is more complicated due to the third dimension offered by aeroplanes and other flying objects. Not to say it can't be done, but you need damn good air defenses.

 

(However, all this talk is giving me an idea for the origins of a fortified complex...)

 

Hence why you put AA guns and rockets on top of the bastions

A circumvallation in the 30k/40k era would probably be something like this:

Prefabricated plasteel walls with a storming redoubt every 50 metres and then a prefabricated plasteel and adamantium bastion containing AA guns and rockets every 200 metres, with their AA guns forming interlocking fields of fire and their anti infantry weapons doing the same. Then a line of reserve trenches leading up to the circumvallation that also lead back to an extra line of gun bunkers from which your artillery can keep up a steady bombardment of the enemy fortress. Following this, yet another line of reserve trenches which this time lead back to large supply depots stocked with ammo of all kinds. 

Of course, the enemy would probably try to stop you from building this so you'd probably need to build up from a trench complex and keep up an artillery bombardment and launch frequent raids and escalades to distract them. Or you could, of course, form a temporary wall from your own tanks. 

Sorry, I'll go lock my inner IW/IF/Fire Keeper away now...

Edited July 20, 2016 by Sigismund229

[Doctor Perils]

 

 

 

I'm thinking of doing a story with the Fire Keepers in their element. Maybe a circumvallation siege? An old tactic, but if it's good for Caesar...

It always irritated me slightly how the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors don't seem to have every used circumvallations....

 

Don't the Iron Warriors use a similar tactic in Angel Exterminatus, surrounding the Eldar positions with their Castellan Rhinos? Okay, they might not be fully surrounded in this example, but I think they mention it being a standard sort of strategy for them...

 

Of course, Circumvallation in the modern era is more complicated due to the third dimension offered by aeroplanes and other flying objects. Not to say it can't be done, but you need damn good air defenses.

 

(However, all this talk is giving me an idea for the origins of a fortified complex...)

 

Hence why you put AA guns and rockets on top of the bastions

A circumvallation in the 30k/40k era would probably be something like this:

Prefabricated plasteel walls with a storming redoubt every 50 metres and then a prefabricated plasteel and adamantium bastion containing AA guns and rockets every 200 metres, with their AA guns forming interlocking fields of fire and their anti infantry weapons doing the same. Then a line of reserve trenches leading up to the circumvallation that also lead back to an extra line of gun bunkers from which your artillery can keep up a steady bombardment of the enemy fortress. Following this, yet another line of reserve trenches which this time lead back to large supply depots stocked with ammo of all kinds. 

Of course, the enemy would probably try to stop you from building this so you'd probably need to build up from a trench complex and keep up an artillery bombardment and launch frequent raids and escalades to distract them. Or you could, of course, form a temporary wall from your own tanks. 

Sorry, I'll go lock my inner IW/IF/Fire Keeper away now...

 

Sounds good :) The Iron Warrior's Castellan Rhino could work wonders while you're building the first walls :)

 

An AA gun every 50 or so metres ? That might work, but would demand huge amounts of ressources. However, if you create a specialised interception force, perhaps led by a named SM-Fighter-Ace... (just chucking ideas out there :) )

[bluntblade]

The Iron Warriors assemble masses of anti-air guns quickly at Istvan. They also use tons of pre-fab bunkers. Titans could be handy for securing the terrain, now I think about it.

 

If Alpharius OKs the idea of having a couple of fleets of loyal Eagle Warriors, I might include some of them. Their emphasis on armoured units would be handy for seizing and holding ground, and responding to any relieving armies. If the strategy needs a lot of resources, it makes sense that a large force will be involved.

 

Edit: for all that I'm just writing the Astartes doing quite routine stuff at the moment, this is actually really enjoyable to write. Gives a chance to get to grips with some of the cogs that keep the Crusade trundling forward.

Edited July 24, 2016 by bluntblade

[bluntblade]

Seeing as this POV isn't miles away, I feel I should give Niklaas a grand entrance this time. So what should his armour and hammer look like? He strikes me as the sort of practical Primarch who'd generally go into battle with his helmet (I've never really been a fan of the whole Helmets Are Hardly Heroic thing).

[MikhalLeNoir]

Perturabo would be the base for Niklaas. And he has a beard which would make santa clause envious. And the axe....habe you have seen a blacksmith at work. Well just imagine he uses the anvil instead as the hammerhead, then you have niklaas hammer^^

 

Instead of the autocannon he uses a heavy flamer if I remember correctly

[bluntblade]

I wanna hear what separates the Corinthian pattern from the others in terms of looks.

 

I'm working on the basis that the beard will be sensibly concealed by a helmet.

Edited July 27, 2016 by bluntblade

[Chief Captain Redd]

I'm not sure if this would be Niklaas' style but what if the helm was sort of dwarf like based around a mk.III helm but the face plate was sculpted onto a steely visage and the it had big flexible armoured beard? When I was an apprentice blacksmith my beard was a little over a foot long at the time I hated trying fully enclosed helms to check for sight lines and such as I had to try to cram it in the helm. So for someone with a massive beard that space would be nice plus it'd be extra armour on the neck and chest.

[bluntblade]

A full-faced version of this would rock pretty hard: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRbyUEusucilS9oBPUUZNAIO3UmxvxFLlTgXz4oZz91An1Ia9lVjc_xtQ0Y

 

I'd never really considered beard practicality.

[Doctor Perils]

If the model is based on Perty, there's a massive bevor that would protect the bottom half of the face at the very least. What about some kind of sallet ? (ie, like Sororitas helmets or the Skitarii Vanguard helmets?)