EVENT - The Qarith Triumph

[bluntblade]

Seeing as the Koloss campaign shifts Alex and Icarion to another corner of the galaxy in the late stages of the Qarith War, do we have an idea for the timeline? I'd like to do a couple of battles for this, although I can't really bring The Drowned in until Hesh has a little more time on his hands (and that rather rules out the Scions too, as I'd like to have them alongside The Drowned).

 

I quite like the idea of using the Dune Serpents or Grave Walkers though, as stealth against xenos opponents doesn't come up often in canon. Perhaps in tandem with the Jackals or one of the less typical Lions Clans. We have plenty of Qarith Empire to tear up, anyway.

 

On which note:

 

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This is partly to set up a potential Stalkers piece, but after doing some background I wanted to write for one of the Clans in their element.

 

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Fire lit the hive, within and without. The Qarith fortifications were slowly crumbling in the face of the Imperial attack. Among the great siege guns, Rix Tironnos watched with grim satisfaction. The Qarith had based their strategy on the belief that no other creatures could survive in the polluted wastes of Ladon II. Even now, in the war’s fourth year, they underestimated the forces of Unity.

 

Great rigs constructed by the Mechanicus provided their heavy weaponry a platform in the quagmire, beyond the reach of the Qarith guns, and the Grave Stalkers had exploited the uneven landscape closer to the city. Qarith Scarabs and warriors now joined the hills of scrap and refuse around the vast city. Stalker ambushes had splintered the columns of the once-humans, and the Lions’ phalanxes had crushed their troops, the jetbikes of Tauran harrying the survivors through their retreat to the city.

 

The knowledge that the enemy were crippled was deeply satisfying, for multiple reasons. Tironnos had dreaded giving the request for mortal troops, knowing how many would die from simple damage to their wargear in the toxic badlands. Now they were spared that, and the Chem-Dogs and Draksbrug Zul brigades could move on to fresh worlds, pushing the Qarith menace back. The Astartes and Skitarii would be quite sufficient here.

 

At the same time, it was fierce payback for the losses they had endured in prior battles. Finally, with knowledge won through years of cruel warfare, they were able to capitalise on the enemy’s weaknesses and earn some clean victories. It was all the more pleasing since the Scions had brought the foul truth of the Qarith to light.

 

Runes flickered across his helm's lenses as he took in the assembled forces. Here, a company of Astkar boarded Land Raiders; there a squad of Tauran carried out final checks in their bikes. Behind him, he knew that magos the Legion's Madrai led by Isærn were swarming over their gun emplacements, arming them. Somewhere above the clouds, up in orbit drop-pods were being prepared. All ready to enforce the Emperor’s will.

 

A pleasing sight. Tironnos relished fighting alongside other Clans, let alone fellow Legions. It took away some of the monotony, and made it easier to end a campaign quickly. Here they had two full Clans, elements of two more,ents of two more, and three companies of Grave Stalkers, plus six thousand Iyacrax skitarii. A perfect force for this mission. Neither the Astartes nor the Mechanicum's bionic soldiery was troubled by the harsh climate beyond the hive walls.

 

The largest of the siege guns, the Icarus Arrays, began their final attacks on the walls, pummelling three points identified by Captain Ajaway’s men. Clans Baldan and Tauran would scour the battlements as Askar and Garda, supported by the Skitarii, punched through the breaches.

 

But most importantly, Ajaway’s troops would infiltrate the lair of the “queen” controlling the defenders. If what they claimed about their pariah abilities was true, and there was no reason to doubt them, they would reduce the battle to a clean-up exercise.

 

The vox crackled- Myrvallen Venutius. “Tinconnos? Our brothers and cousins request authorisation. “

 

“Askar and the Skitarii have it, sir. Baldan, Tauran and our friends of the fifteenth must wait just another five minutes. As for the gunners-” he adjusted his vox “-all siege gun units, continuous bombardment for seven minutes, commence! Now, Myrvallen,” he added, leaping down to board his Land Raider, “I'm on my way to join you. Just save a few of the enemy for me, eh?”

[Sigismund229]

The Triumph

Vericos felt his heart fill with pride as he looked upon the gathering assembled on Qarith Prime's single continent. Eight legions present en masse alongside their primarchs, fourteen legions represented in some way in total, not counting the billions upon billions of Imperial Army troopers present. In all the history of the Great Crusade, there had never been a gathering quite like it, never a gathering so grand nor so representative of the glory of the new age the Emperor had brought into being the vastness of mankind's domain. The Mechanicum had built a continent for the event to take place on. Built a continent. A landmass which would have taken tens of millions of years to emerge when worlds were left to their own devices had been built in a matter of weeks by the vast industry of the Mechanicum. The coasts of the continent were marked by the heads of millions of Qarith warriors, chopped off and then impale on a ten metre tall pole and beyond this grisly celebration of mankinds brilliance were the azure oceans of Qarith Prime, sparkling in the sunlight that was even now being obscured as warships, among them the Lupa Sanguis, came down into the lower atmosphere to witness the event, their massive iron forms blocking the sun and cloaking much of the continent in darkness, broken only by the burning braziers erected between companies of astartes. Yet all of this magnificence paled in comparison to the central aspect of the Triumph.

 

On the eastern coast of the continent was a single mountain, rising out of earth like a beacon of light. Built from white marble, the mountains rose up to the sky, gleaming in the sun and reflecting the firelight and the warriors stood in front of it. Upon this mountain, the only elevation on the whole continent, were three podiums. On the lowest were stood the First Captains and Equerries or representatives of each legion, their armour polished to the point that it gleamed in the firelight like the mountain they stood on. Above them, on the second podium were six of the eight primarchs present. Morro, surrounded by his brothers yet at the same time isolated, sorrow emanating from him, seeming to wrap him in a cloak of misery. Hectarion, resplendent in his shining bronze battle plate, his stone lion cloak over one shoulder, his beard blowing in the wind alongside his cloak. The tallest of the primarchs after Daer'dd, Hectarion stood proud amongst his brothers, the very image of a king or warlord of old, the very sight of him making Vericos stand taller. Azus, always there yet never visible, fading into the non existant shadows of the podium every time your gaze fell upon him . Pionius, his armour immaculate and the surfaces smooth, the embodiment of humanities scientific future as Hectarion embodied humanities war like past. K'awil, his black eyes and almost white face causing Vericos heart to be gripped by what he assumed was fear, an uncomfortable feeling. Jackel, an air of barely restrained energy clinging to him like he was a hunting animal. Perhaps he was.

 

Yet above even this unprecedented gathering of demi gods, was the third podium. It was on this podium, far above the masses of humanities soldiery and the astartes that the Master of Mankind and his two most favoured sons stood, the wind. There was Alexandros Darshan vonSalim, shorter than any other primarch and yet filling the podium with his presence, his amethyst armour blindingly bright in the noon day sun and his scarlet cloak billowing in the wind. When you looked upon him, you felt as if he understood you completely, all your troubles, anxieties or dreams. When you looked upon him, you felt safe, light hearted even, as though all your troubles had simply vanished in that moment. When you looked upon him, you felt you had been born to follow him. Across from him, positioned to the Emperor's right, was Icarion the Stormborn, the first found son, the most trusted of the primarchs. He was the most like the Emperor of all the primarchs. When you looked upon him, you could almost see the wisdom emanating from him and you felt drawn in by him, as though he represented everything you stood for, as though he was god. You could never escape the feeling that he was above you in some way, born to greatness. Then there was the Emperor of Mankind.

 

Vericos had heard the veterans of the legion speak of the Master of Man in terms befitting of a god and now, he finally understood why. The Emperor felt like just that. An Emperor. Emitting a constant gold glow, he felt like he was born to not just rule or lead but to lead humanity to new heights, to re make the world into a new Eden. He had been made to protect mankind and by extension you. Yet you also felt that, no matter what campaign you took part in next, glory awaited you. It was all Vericos could do not to drop to his knees.

 

The Emperor began to speak. "Sons. Brothers. Warriors. It has been more than 200 years since we were last gathered in such numbers. Then, we stood upon the blasted and irradiated ground of Terra. Much has changed since then. We have united many of the lost settlements of humanity and founded others. The Age of Strife is over and new Golden Age is dawning, a new age of science and learning, of tolerance and peace, the Age of the Imperium. United, man is now stronger than ever before and we are ready to press on, re claim what few systems remain and then, we shall finally know peace. None of this would be possible without you, the warriors of mankind. It was you who first left Terra carrying the burning torch of enlightenment to the dark corners of the galaxy, illuminating them to the Imperial Truth. Not once have you eer faltered in your belief in our ideals and in the justice of our cause. You are the finest warriors any man could have asked for! Without your bravery and your loyalty, the darkness would have endured and mankind would have been extinguished, our once bright flame flickering and failing". The Emperor then paused as a titanic cheer erupted from the massed ranks of the Imperium's soldiery and the assembled titans of the Legio Titanica blew their horns, the noise shaking the earth beneath their feet. "However," continued the Emperor when the cheers subsided and the sound from the horns faded "our task is not yet over and I must ask you to be brave a little longer, for I shall not be there to see it completed". At this, a wave of shock swept over the assembled ranks and Vericos felt as if his heart had just been wrenched from his chest. The Emperor was leaving the Crusade? After 200 years, he was just going to leave?. "My duty lies elsewhere" said the Emperor "Yet you must continue this Great Crusade we have begun and see your duty through to its completion. In my absence, Alexandros Darshan vonSalim, primarch of the V legion, shall be your leader. The Crusade shall continue under his direction and he shall act as my mouth and my right hand. His will is to be treated as mine". Then, removing the wreath from his own brow, the Emperor called out "All hail Alexandros Darshan vonSalim, primarch of the V legion and Warmaster of the armies of man" before placing the wreath upon the by now kneeling Alexandros.

 

As Alexandros stood before them, it seemed as though the entire world stood still. The wind stopped as did the waves and every warrior stopped breathing as he fell to his knees. Then, Icarion the Stormborn cried out "All hail the Warmaster!" after which the billions upon billions of warriors present and the six demi gods of war on the second podium roared out "ALL HAIL THE WARMASTER! ALL HAIL THE WARMASTER! ALL HAIL THE WARMASTER!" and the titans horns blew, the vessels of the Imperial Navy sounded a salute and a thunderbolt fighters and marauder ombers flew overhead in formations so thick they filled the sky for miles in salute. But Vericos sensed the truth beneath all th

e cheers. Only half of the warriors cheering put their hearts into it.

[bluntblade]

Trying to get the ball rolling on some stories from the campaign, and I'm slightly stumped on variants (feth, I wish I'd put some Iain M. Banks stuff on my Kindle for inspiration, he was amazing for weird creatures). Now my threads are:

-Grave Stalkers infiltrate a hive under siege by the Crimson Lions, aiming to assassinate the Qarith overlords present

-Jackals and Lightning Bearers storming a gargantuan ship over Qarith Prime

-Scions and The Drowned on the planet itself

 

So I'm trying to work out what variants they might encounter. I'm ruling out Titan-sized Qarith, instead we'll have weird tech for Legio Gojira and insert name here, Hesh- Acheron? Ry'leh? to go up against. Thinking some weird arachnid things for the ships and fortress.

[simison]

How about those aliens from the Final Fantasy movie with tails on them?

[bluntblade]

I'm not familiar with them, I'll admit, but I'll Google

[Kelborn]

Do you mean these guys? There are several Final Fantasy movies but this one would make more sense than the other. ;)

 

http://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/11/1/0/5/83889351912291534.jpg

[simison]

Do you mean these guys? There are several Final Fantasy movies but this one would make more sense than the other.

 

http://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/11/1/0/5/83889351912291534.jpg

 

Those are the ones.

[bluntblade]

Returning to this, now Hesh is around so I can wring info out of him for the Drowned, who takes part in the conquest of Qarith Prime? So far we have the Jackals up in orbit, messing with the Qarith's monstrous Phalanx-sized ship, plus detachments of Lightning Bearers and possibly Halcyon Wardens, and the Drowned and the Scions present in close to full Legion strength.

[bluntblade]

Are we putting a summary for of the Qarith War in Book 1?

[Nomus Sardauk]

Returning to this, now Hesh is around so I can wring info out of him for the Drowned, who takes part in the conquest of Qarith Prime? So far we have the Jackals up in orbit, messing with the Qarith's monstrous Phalanx-sized ship, plus detachments of Lightning Bearers and possibly Halcyon Wardens, and the Drowned and the Scions present in close to full Legion strength.

The Iron Bears are there too if I recall, I remember reading a story in which the Dragon of Autumn leads the charge in the void battle against the Qarith Death Star-thingy and kills it with it's huge spinal-mounted gun.

[bluntblade]

Nah, that was Mondrian. A massive push by the Qarith into Imperial territory, which threatened to reverse the Imperial advance before Qarith Prime came under attack. Hence the Iron Bears, not previously involved in the campaign, were better placed to defend the planet.

[bluntblade]

Wondering about that first encounter. Should the Qarith come in a few variants (they are an invasion force, after all) and who gives them the name? I think we're going with their true nature not being known until Antonidas learns of it (at least, a few stories mention that).

[simison]

I like the idea that the first Qarith attack was just a scout force that happened across an Imperial planet and got raid-happy. 

[bluntblade]

That works. The issue is really the first one that the Jackals meet, as it has to be capable of driving them offworld

[bluntblade]

Now, with the Jackals departed, we need to draw up a first encounter again.

 

My gut says that our new XVIII should take over here, but I'm open to suggestions.

[Kelborn]

Can't say that much to it as I still need to get familiar with the Quarith campaign.

 

Therefore I'll leave the decision to the rest of us.

[MikhalLeNoir]

I liked the scene where jackal gets his jaw ripped of. Maybe take the XXth instead and go for the ears? :-)

[bluntblade]

If I remember correctly, the events roughly go:

- the Qarith are first encountered

- Crimson Lions quickly become embroiled against them, forcing Hectarion to call upon almost the entire Legion to halt their advance

- Pionus and Morro do much the same, and any detachments of Lightning Bearers that can be spared are also deployed.

- Antonidas becomes the first Imperial to identify and slay a "queen" form, and learns of their human origins

- the Imperials use their newfound understanding to drive the Qarith back

- a counter-attack by the Qarith bypasses Imperial lines and nearly overruns Mondrian; this force is destroyed by the Iron Bears

- Qarith Prime is conquered by a combined force of several Legions

[Nomus Sardauk]

If the Scorpions take the Jackals' place as the first to encounter the Qarith and get ravaged by them I can see that peaking Nomus's interest as he'd definitely want to know what could give his sons such trouble, so the Scorpions could get heavily involved in the Qarith War, they'd probably be involved with a lot of the Imperium's intelligence-gathering efforts, sending small probing forces and infiltration teams into Qarith space, setting up hidden listening posts and relaying Qarith movements and communiques back to the greater body of the Crusade.

[bluntblade]

Are we making the Steel Legion the ones to first encounter the Qarith? Regardless, what's the final order of battle for Qarith Prime? By my reckoning:

- the bulk of the Crimson Lions led by Hectarion

- Pionus leading approximately half the Scions Hospitalier

- The Drowned, overwhelming majority of the Legion

- Lightning Bearers, probably a quarter or so of the Legion (commanders undetermined, I suggest Daivyn, Susanoo or Muniza)

- Steel Legion or the Predators

 

I suggest the planetary campaign take something like three people months. We're talking something as gruelling as Murder, but with a much larger force of Astartes.

[simison]

That would be the simplest fix.

 

Also, have the Wardens been removed from the conflict?

[bluntblade]

Damn, I keep forgetting them. The majority will be with the Emperor, but a substantial force could be involved in the Qarith Crusade.

[simison]

I believed we established early on that only a small force of Wardens is involved in the fighting, more symbolic than anything else.

[bluntblade]

I may embed them with the Scions. The XIX don't field that many shield-bearers, but a nice big phalanx is quite handy when storming a beach and the enemy have a whole heap of guns trained on you.

[simison]

On the homeworld, the Wardens and Bearers are securing the sole continent while the Scions and Drowned are doing the heavy lifting beneath the waves. I think that's the largest action the Wardens have in the Qarith Crusade.