EVENT - The Battle of the Forge

[Chief Captain Redd]

Yeah that is by far a massive enough force, like if I were a guardsman on the planet seeing all these various forces being moved, standing in the shadows of Imperator Titans and Fellblades. Watching titanic Astartes and tank like Ogryns walk around. I'd feel really confident.

 

That being said that opens it up for the traitors to do something really grim and dark. They'd realize the defenders are dug in and well equipped and the traitors would need a psychological advantage as well as very strong open volly.

[Sigismund229]

Also, this is an absoloutely massive army as a garisson. My mistake when I originally came up with the numbers was thinking of it as a battle army rather than a garisson. Leaving even this many troops on Iyacrax indicates it's hugely important.

[MikhalLeNoir]

Yeah that is by far a massive enough force, like if I were a guardsman on the planet seeing all these various forces being moved, standing in the shadows of Imperator Titans and Fellblades. Watching titanic Astartes and tank like Ogryns walk around. I'd feel really confident.

 

That being said that opens it up for the traitors to do something really grim and dark. They'd realize the defenders are dug in and well equipped and the traitors would need a psychological advantage as well as very strong open volly.

 

Virus Bombing the whole planet so the infrastructure stays save and then kill of the remaining astartes^^

 

"We have 55 Million soldier you scumbags"!!!!

 

"We have a Killervirus"....

 

"...uck....."

[Chief Captain Redd]

That's why we close and hermetically seal doors and windows

[Praefectus Invictus]

I reckon most of the guard armies should die if the traitors do decide to virus bomb the forge. As the fodder of the great crusade, it seems only fair that the rank and file draw the short end of the straw and are camped in tents and the like when the virus hits, while the Solar Auxilia, skitarii and actual important units are safely locked away in bunkers.

[Chief Captain Redd]

Honestly I'd be okay with that. That's going to leave most of the Bears forces okay. Just because our house troops and auxilia all wear lesser forms of power armour.

 

But I don't know if it works for the story we already have one major devastation happening and this is a win for the Loyalists albeit a phyrric victory at best.

[MikhalLeNoir]

The Virus was a joke

[Skalpynock]

This is very nice  (Wouldn't it be Nova-dodeca? I know it doesn't sound as nice but if you want a dozen... Also, have you thought about taken a thirteenth "regiment" after your fall to chaos ? it would have a sort of nice symobology)

Thinking about this again, I can make this work without chaos. Kozja has his own (better) geno-regiments, is working on getting the tech to make his own ("better") astartes, but as the Insurrection gets out of hand (right when secession is declared) he creates a Thirteenth regiment, to guard himself from chaos: his equivalent to the Sisterhood of Silence. The Soulless 13^th, made as a testbed for the Jade General's pariah marines.

[Chief Captain Redd]

It was a harsh nuclear winter upon the surface of Iyacrax, the bombardments, fire from two Imperator Titans and the two Ordinatus had been enough to spread millions of tonnes of earth and stone into nuclear ash. But Trooper Vashar couldn't even bother to count the Basilisks, Earthshaker emplacements, Minotaurs, Maggonon super heavy artillery, Shadow Swords and so much more it was madness.

He pondered in the cold worn Rocrete trenches if this was the way of betrayal, would the galaxy survive?

 

Vashar had seen the Bears and Wardens in person, fought by their side even. They'd given him hope, he looked upon steely visages and suits of armour incomparable. In each of those warriors he'd found both hope and fear; Hope because they were embodiments of The Emperor himself; Fear because of the wrath they could sew. Normal humans were of such little threats to them, he'd lost his stomach when an absolutely massive Iron Bear he'd come to know as Tarkanus the Thunderbeast hit the front line of the Army units and he swung his two short thunderhammers like a graceful dance. With in a single moments time dozens upon dozens of troopers had fallen, blood steamed, guts had become ashen, and flesh and armour little more than pulp.

 

The furs had kept him warm, even as the black snow fell Vasher had moved into a pill box made into add hoc barracks by the men of his squadron to gain some extra heat from the small fire, and to warm some rations to eat.

 

The pill box bore four high caliber autocannons, it was the first defensive deployment Vashar had relished in. He'd eaten the ration pack with the gusto of a starving man. But one sound had made him almost empty. The bell.

 

Sitting high upon the shoulders of a massive Lucius pattern Warlord named "Invictus Eternal" sitting between laser weapons meant to scour cities, was a bell of ancient, over ten meters high and twenty across. Its ringing signaled the next charge against the traitors. It's Princeps Tharamos called to those to around him "LET US NOT FAIL DAER'DD, NO, DO NOT LET HIS DEATH GO IN VAIN! NO! FOR THIS DAY WE FIGHT FOR HIS GLORY! FOR DAER'DD! FOR THE EMPEROR!"

 

The speech rang out across the battle field as a bellowing horn of raw noise, loud enough to kill those too close and able to crumble rock and shatter windows had anyone been near.

 

Vashar heard the foot falls next, Warhounds and Knights, the first wave of the executioner's axe. The furs were suddenly far too hot.

 

Orr'eon sat studying the strategem in his modified Stormbird, the far looming shapes of marching Titans became clearer by the moment, the green cirret glow was all he was interested in. His tanks rushed behind the Titan's foot falls, perfect Vanguards. He finally walked his way to the bridge, looking with his own enhanced blackened eyes, he wanted to see the destruction he'd ordered with his own eyes.

"For my father" he whispered.

Before him he saw now only hellish white. The Titans had unleashed power incalculable.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Chief Captain Redd

[Sigismund229]

Nice story Redd!

Now a point I wanted to adress is that we're not actually sure what happens in the opening phases of the war on Iyacrax. A full scale orbital bombardment of the trench systems built into the manufactories is out of the question but what about biological warfare? Like gas and stuff. That wouldn't effect the astartes and mechanicum too much but the non armoured Imperial Army troopers would be slaughtered.

[Chief Captain Redd]

Yeah I should have been clearer, those are non orbital bombardments. Those were imperial navy and artillery bombadments.

 

My general thought for the overall Tactica of the war would be.Harassment in space, traitors outnumber loyalists overall with capable ships, so we sit back and watch the gain strength, and awhile we wait we slowly start controlling the areas where they can, pushing them off with Ordinatus and PDF/Missle silos, etcetera.

 

We create opening for the to land big pre detirmend fields, one we see the thing . We batter it with Artillery Fire, Navy bombers, and Titians.

[Skalpynock]

 

Iyacrax. Gloooorious battle...  No, who am I kidding? My rotogun's jammed, I tossed it in the Drakozan's remains and now all I have to fight with is a rusty Terran laskarbin. They say it's the same design since fething M2. I think they're right, I couldn't hit a Titan ten meters away with it. And now I'm in a hole, trying to find someone to kill who might have a better gun than me. But cosmos please not an Astartes. I still wanna make it out alive. I think I won't, if that whistling is what I think it is. Hoping that's not falling on me, hoping that's not phosphex. That helmet's already unbearable when open, the respirator would kill me. Boooom goes the ground, blind go my eyes. Feth. That was close, that wasn't phosphex, but my hole is going to collapse. I'm gonna die. No. Not without a proper gun, I refuse to go down with this piece of crap in my hands. I still have a dignity. Rising. A building just collapsed, maybe there's something there. Walking over debris is horrible, feels like everything's falling at every step. And it does. Laying in broken rockrete, but I won't stay here and leave myself to die like some weakling hussar. Rising. Would've broken my legs if they weren't augmentics. I'm hearing voices from the ruins, but I can't tell an accent. Definitely not Skitarii though, they're talking. Grabbing a 'nade just in case. Found a hole, crawling in. They can't see me, but I do: black armor, small powerpacks, armourglass helmets. Fellow Katas. Also a bunch of Wolves in a corner, and Cossacks here and there. Pools of blood and bandaged limbs everywhere, pieces of armor taped together. They've been far. They could use my support, and this gun's bayonet doesn't look that bad.

||  Thoughtstreams of trooper Astasia Dulnas, X^th Nova-Dodeka regiment Zalmoxite Cataphracts ||

Wanted to give the Cataphracts a Solar Auxilia vibe, but without the honor and heroism of their Saturnine counterparts, instead contemptuous of "standard" Army troops and of laser-SKS.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Skalpynock

[Sigismund229]

So, just as an attempt to get a rough idea for how the war on Iyacrax opens, how about this for a beginning?

The traitors burst out of the warp as close as is sane to the world of Iyacrax. Capitalising on the surprise this causes, they attack the Iyacrax defence fleet, destroying dozens of vessels in the first hour. Among the most serious Imperial losses was the Ferrum Aeternum, the flag ship of the Iyacrax defence fleet, captured by a boarding party of Warbringers and Lightning Bearers. With such immense losses and their own flagship and orbital stations in enemy hands, the Iyacrax defence fleet was forced to retreat. Of special note are the actions of the Iron Bears fleet, who fought multiple delaying actions and, while this allowed the rest of the Imperial orbital elements to withdraw, suffered very heavy casualties. 

 

With the space above Iyacrax in their control, the traitors were now free to launch an assault on the world. However, due to orders to capture the manufactories intact, they had to forego the customary bombardment of the landing zones. Instead, the traitors fired a large number of shells containing poisonous gas at the landing zones. While the effect on the astartes was negligible, the gas slaughtered the Imperial Army elements in these areas. Casualties were enormous, going as high as 98.3% in some areas. Seeing as the Imperial Army made up the bulk of the numbers of the defenders, when the traitors landed their drop pods in these areas the loyalists were dangerously outnumbered. While some areas held out for as much as 3 days, notably those areas containing Iron Bears, the outcome was never in any doubt. The Imperials were forced to retreat. 

[Chief Captain Redd]

I like it. The Bears' ships are going to be "threadbare" on crew though Lord Chief Lakestrider would want the fight on the ground. The 3rd has several thousand pieces of armour & lots of choom & plasma, and for him that means he'd have a winnable fight there.

[Sigismund229]

I had an idea about the battle of the Forge. How about, as the battle goes on and both sides become more and more desperate to win, some Warbringers start to openly worship Nurgle in the hope that with greater resilience they'll be able to overcome the defenders?

[bluntblade]

So, just which legions are involved on either side, besides the Bears, and what's the timeframe for the campaign? Been drabbling a little and it wants a tad more background.

 

Repetitive manual work makes for a lot of daydreaming.

Edited February 20, 2016 by bluntblade

[Skalpynock]

So, just which legions are involved on either side, besides the Bears, and what's the timeframe for the campaign? Been drabbling a little and it wants a tad more background.

Attacking: Warbringers and some Lightning Bearers

Defending: Iron Bears and Halcyon Wardens

 

 

I had an idea about the battle of the Forge. How about, as the battle goes on and both sides become more and more desperate to win, some Warbringers start to openly worship Nurgle in the hope that with greater resilience they'll be able to overcome the defenders?

Problem is, this battle is pretty early in the Insurrection, before the use of warp powers become widespread. Plus, you're talking about the Warbringers. One of the two legions who later made their own Revolution because the traitors were playing with Chaos.

[MikhalLeNoir]

 

I had an idea about the battle of the Forge. How about, as the battle goes on and both sides become more and more desperate to win, some Warbringers start to openly worship Nurgle in the hope that with greater resilience they'll be able to overcome the defenders?

 

Problem is, this battle is pretty early in the Insurrection, before the use of warp powers become widespread. Plus, you're talking about the Warbringers. One of the two legions who later made their own Revolution because the traitors were playing with Chaos.

I bet he mixed up Koschei and Kozja. Happened to me all the time when we started our project.^^

[Skalpynock]

 

 

I had an idea about the battle of the Forge. How about, as the battle goes on and both sides become more and more desperate to win, some Warbringers start to openly worship Nurgle in the hope that with greater resilience they'll be able to overcome the defenders?

Problem is, this battle is pretty early in the Insurrection, before the use of warp powers become widespread. Plus, you're talking about the Warbringers. One of the two legions who later made their own Revolution because the traitors were playing with Chaos.

I bet he mixed up Koschei and Kozja. Happened to me all the time when we started our project.^^

 

Could've been worse, had bothered with butchering his name we'd have two Koscheis.

[MikhalLeNoir]

Well, I like Mr. Dardalas:)

[bluntblade]

Attacking: Warbringers and some Lightning Bearers

Defending: Iron Bears and Halcyon Wardens.

OK, I reckon I can roll with that.

[bluntblade]

This might be too OTT, but we'll see what people think.

 

-----

 

We were brothers on Cthonia, even with our enemies.

 

He couldn't grimace at the ugly parallel with the fighting here. The Contemptor mask that served as his visage scanned the area impassively, taking in the bodies of his comrades, the Harbingers his sword and claw had eviscerated and the Baneblade he’d reduced to scrap. Around him the warren of streets rang with the sound of isolated, desperate fights. His home world, rendered in fire and metal.

 

The Battle of the Forge had passed the time for grand strategy and formations long ago. Now squads or individuals fought to find allies and momentary refuge or simply to spill more of the enemy's blood. We wrought another Cthonia in just five days.

 

A gaggle of traitor soldiers sprinted round the corner and screamed when they recognised the dreadnought's colours. By then the great storm bolter had swung up, and seconds later they were a smear on the rockcrete. He headed in the direction his victims had come from. Sure enough, power armoured figures soon appeared, jogging towards him. A second of tension, then a shoulder guard caught the firelight. Iron Bears. True brothers. He stepped out of the shadows, displaying the amethyst hue of his carapace.

 

Their leader made the sign of the aquila as he drew to a halt. “Hail, venerable brother. Captain Roanoke, 28th Company.”

 

“Ezekyle Abaddon. What news, captain? The vox has been no use to me the last two days.” Radiation and enemy action had seen to that; he had been fighting alone for thirty hours before his chrono gave out.

 

“We are to make for the hangars, brother. Command deems the planet too badly damaged to be worth holding. We are ordered to seize all we can take and withdraw.”

 

Abaddon had fought xenos, mutants and abominable intelligences. He had endured the breaking of his body and the unique trials of existence in a sarcophagus, but the import of Roanoke's words still rocked him. “We are to… retreat?” He grated. Not one step back had been the mantra ever since that last day on Cthonia. “Well, if every other certainty is being overturned, I guess it was only a matter of time. Which way, captain?”

 

The Warbringers and traitor skitarii who attempted to waylay them died messily, broken and thrown aside as an old warrior vented a kind of rage he had never felt before. The desolate fury of a man who, for the first time in centuries of war, has tasted the ashes of failure.

 

-----

 

Even before being interred, Abaddon had never quite belonged as a Halcyon Warden. However much he relished the prospect of a new family after the exile of his youth, he was too choleric to fit in with most of his brothers, and he struggled to adjust to his gene-father’s favoured tactics. The role of advisor which so many of the revered fallen occupied seemed wrong to him, and thus he remained a leader of terminator squads instead. Now those brothers were gone, lost to this treachery.

 

The Battle of the Forge had plunged him back into his old life, after a fashion. Alone, hunting through the tunnels of debris, fighting vicious battles in the dark, crawling over the dead. Now he could see more of his fellow Loyalists up ahead, assault Troopers flitting from rooftop to rooftop as they set off flares to attract any remaining allies. Transports were loading as the Loyalists prepared to abandon the planet.

 

-----

 

The trouble with the flares, of course, was that the Insurrectionists could see them too. Sirens broke out as they reached the hangar, and as they turned to face southeast a booming warhorn sounded. “Titans” spat Roanoke. As if his statement needed confirming, white light suddenly engulfed a tower block about three kilometres away. Through the fire strode a colossus, an Imperator, surrounded by a retinue of smaller Titans and Knight walkers.

 

“We don't have anything that can even delay that thing,” snarled an assault marine sergeant.

 

“Don't be so certain, sergeant.” Abaddon strode over to a stack of munitions. Demolition charges, if he was any judge. “Do your jump packs have any life left in them?”

 

-----

 

It was a mad plan, even he was willing to admit that. The upside was that, if he failed, no one would live to speak of it.

 

The Titans were a few hundred metres out of range when the assault marines opened fire with rocket launchers. As the Titans responded they fired their packs and shot away, pausing only to detonate the charges placed on either side of the concourse. To the Titans it meant little, but their crews were disorientated and their space marine escorts were buried in the rubble.

 

Now for the mad part. Abaddon burst from cover, storm bolter blazing and missile launcher hurling ordnance as he tore into the leg of the nearest Warhound with his sword. He'd placed himself right among the machines and aimed to cripple any within reach, not destroy them. Hopefully this would give them pause before they opened up with their ranged weapons. The terrain helped, the uneven ground providing a degree of cover and obstructing his attackers. Above him the Imperator turned ponderously, its princeps trying to bring its foot down on the irritant below. No doubt they thought him insane; even the mightiest dreadnought wouldn't stop them for more than a minute. If they did believe that, then so much the better. It would buy him a few more seconds. He could hear enemy Astartes getting closer. He would have to end this soon.

 

Fire engulfed him as another Warhound joined the fray with a melta. Abbadon roared and crippled it with a missile to the knee. He tore into his attacker, armour scorched black and his helm's topknot aflame, bellowing war cries in Cthonian, damning them for their treacherous deeds. A canon tore chunks from his carapace, and he felt an unfamiliar sensation within his amniotic cradle. I bleed? Now there really was no going back. Time to finish it.

 

He switched to Low Gothic, bellowing a furious valediction. “I am Ezekyle Abaddon, son of Cthonia, warrior of the Halcyon Wardens!” As a Knight came at him, he made no effort to parry its huge sword, just twisting enough to avoid his organic remains being speared. As it was the blow was fatal anyway, destroying several vital components, but all that mattered was that his power claw remained functional and he stayed conscious for just a few more seconds. “I die for the living!” he snarled in defiance.

 

The Knight made to pull its sword out and deliver the deathblow, but Abaddon’s talons sunk into its arm and he pulled himself further onto the blade, staring into its ocular sensors. “And I kill for the dead!” At the same time, he severed the failsafes on his reactor, sending it into overdrive. In his last moments he saw the walkers recoil as they realised what he intended, knowing it was too late. Within his cage of fluid, a shark’s grin spread across his ruined features. “For the Emperor,” he whispered. And the Battle of the Forge claimed a few more hundred lives.

 

-----

 

Y'know Loken's little reverie about how "men would cry out for Abaddon's return" when he met an inevitable, noble end? That's where this piece came from.

 

Well that and "Kill for the living! Kill for the dead!" being my favourite 30K warcry

Edited April 2, 2016 by bluntblade

[Chief Captain Redd]

In the fourth, Inaacar the Foxhound had heard of two clan companies both recon that moved liked ghosts in mists, he hoped his own small kill team would be spoken of as well.

Five Iron Bears, each their armour banded with leather and the joints covered, power packs modified and muffled.

They moved between the mounds of strewn earth and quickly wrought fortifications, bared blades and hawks. They gave their fallen cousins little time to react. Before the Foxhound and his ilk, ran like ghosts into the fog they accounted for twenty three Astartes kills. A blood symbol drawn on each of the dead's chest, a bloody claw, for Daer'dd.

 

When the rest of Warbringers sprung into a defensive form the real trap was sprung. Roaring to life three Vindicators broke over the ashen dunes with massive plows, glass forming plasmattic fire from each massive thunderer cannon left little in it's wake. Behind them three tallons of Contemptors let lose hellfire, and opened a path for the death knell six Leviathan pattern Ursa dreadnought clad proudly in copper and iron. Claws rent and shredded all before them and the Choom of Volkite caught the flesh of traitors. Their destruction and wraith absolute the retreated back into the mist, back into silence. Death was the only presence left.

[Nomus Sardauk]

@Bluntblade: That was epic, now there's an Abaddon I'd be pround to follow into battle, even unto certain death. "Kill for the living! Kill for the dead!"

[Chief Captain Redd]

@Bluntblade: my favorite Abaddon ever, looks like I might have to paint him in purple and red.