IL V - The Halcyon Wardens

[Demus Ragnok]

I know this has been said but Corhort>chapter>company?

 

I think the 6th would be better suited as some other tasking, what I don’t know just yet.

[simison]

I know this has been said but Corhort>chapter>company?

 

I think the 6th would be better suited as some other tasking, what I don’t know just yet.

 

 

Cohort > (Brigade) > Company, with Brigade's being a temporary organization of companies for a specific campaign.

 

...though now I'm wondering if I should work on that too.

[Demus Ragnok]

If you are using 100 man company I would.

 

For the FK I went with Legion>Tribe( variable size but only 12 total)>Host (also variable but fixed unless destroyed)> 100 man company

[simison]

It's supposed to be:

 

7 Cohorts > 300 companies (unlimited size) 

[Demus Ragnok]

Ah ok.

[simison]

So, canon is Legion > Chapter > Battalion > Company > Squad.

Modern US military is Field Army > Division > Brigade > Battalion > Company > Platoon > Squad.

Roman Military > Legion > Cohort > Century.

As such, I am not satisfied with the current Legion structure. There need to be additional level, if not several.

 

EDIT:

 

I think I'll go with this - Legion > Cohort > (Brigade) > Battalion > Company > Squad. 

 

Compared to: Legion > Cohort > Company > Squad

Edited January 15, 2018 by simison

[simison]

After sleeping on it, I am revising it again to contain an equal amount of Roman influence and modern military:

 

Legion > Cohort > (Brigade) > Company > Century > Squad

 

10-20 Marines makes a Squad

10 Squads makes a Century

3 Centuries makes a Company 

Brigades are still temporary formations of Companies for a specific campaign

Cohorts remain the same

 

As such, the revised rank structure is as follows:

 

Primarch > Legate > (Brigadier) > Captain > Centurion > Lieutenant > Sergeant

 

Lieutenants aren't granted their own official unit, but serve at the behest of their Centurion. In practical terms, each Century typically has three Lieutenants. Two of them command over 50 marines, while the third functions as a specialist officer. 

 

And, since I heard exactly one vote either way on the 6th Cohort, I will keep it. While severe rebellions will require Legion redeployment, anything smaller can be handled by the 6th. 

 

Now, back to the original task of organizing 240,000 marines. 

 

Let's get the easy one out of the way. The 7th Cohort is always a set number of 10,000 marines, divided equally between....

 

Ah crap. Should the 7th be so small if one of their primary duties is guarding Terra? In canon, the Emperor has an entire Legion stationed in the Sol System. Why does the Emperor recall Dorn and his sons?

Edited January 15, 2018 by simison

[bluntblade]

To fortify the Palace. Hence Niklaas going.

[simison]

Okay, after a long side conversation, the Fire Keepers now have a garrison of 12,000 on Terra to maintain the fortifications as requested by the Emperor when he initially retired. Since this originally entailed the entire Legion, the Halcyon Wardens have since maintained their own garrison of 12,000 marines to complement the Tenth Legion. While this is only 1/5 of the original garrison force, the Warmaster feels that this force is sufficient to safeguard the Sol System in combination with the improved fortifications, the Mechanicum allied forces at Mars, and the 10,000 Custodians. 

 

This brings the 7th Cohort to a total of 22,000 marines. 12,000 to guard Terra and 10,000 to guard Delos and its neighboring systems. 

 

That leaves 218,000 Wardens. 

 

4th Cohort is the smallest one where Wardens are serving with other legions. Given that serving in the 4th is required to earn a promotion in the officer track, I'm going to estimate its size at 14,000 Wardens. Mostly officers-in-training but also specialty units.

 

204,000 Wardens remaining.

 

Although originally a larger cohort, the 6th has not grown in size as the Great Crusade has carried on, with Imperium rule becoming more stable and enduring fewer rebellions. Only 20,000 Wardens still serve in this cohort, and it's divided by segmenta. 

 

184,000 Wardens remaining.

 

The 3rd Cohort, while enjoying the largest psyker contingent, pays a correlative price in bodies. Only 31,000 Wardens serve here.

 

153,000 Wardens remaining. 

 

This leaves the three largest cohorts. Beginning with the 2nd cohort, its aggression acts on its cap of its total size but still reaches a size of 42,000 Wardens. 

 

111,000 Wardens remaining. 

 

The 5th, garrison, cohort has detachments seeded throughout the Imperium unlike the more mobile 6th. A full 50,000 Wardens serve here.

 

61,000 Wardens remaining. The rest of which serve in the 1st Cohort. 

 

To recap without all of the word:

• 1st: 60k
• 2nd: 42K
• 3rd: 31k
• 4th: 14k
• 5th: 50k
• 6th: 21k
• 7th: 22k

 

Now, I did all of this to get a better handle on what should be the size of the Order of the Shield, and by extension how many members are in the 18th fleet. 

 

So, while the 1st is the primary home, many members also serve in the 5th, the 7th, and the 4th. All combined, that's 147k Wardens that are potential members. I'm to reduce this number by a third for a final membership of 98k Wardens who serve in Alexandros' favorite Order. 

 

This means the Aegis Reforged is now unrealistic for suggesting the entire Order gathers every 25 years. As such, I'm going to retcon it that it's just the upper echelons of the Order who have an invitation to attend, bringing it to a more realistic 19k as the number of Citadels and Athenoi. Of course, not all can make the journey to the event, especially the Athenoi charged with safeguarding the Primarch. Cut the number in half to represent just how widespread the Great Crusade is, and 8.5k Wardens are now on the 18th. 

 

I can now go back and finish the Madrigal Purge.

 

EDIT: More Greek lessons 

nickname/title for Alex: "ho elpis tou anthropou/delou". The hope of man/delos

Edited January 17, 2018 by simison

[Grifftofer]

If I might suggest a small change to the 6th Cohort: 20,000 makes sense and is easily divisible by segmenta in the original universe, however with us adding the two additional segmenta I suggest increasing this to a multiple of 7 (either 21 or 28k). I think the difference could be easily taken out of the 1st and hopefully wouldn't have too much effect on the other calculations..

Edited January 16, 2018 by Grifftofer

[simison]

I transferred 1,000 Wardens from the First to the Sixth, leaving 3,000 Wardens to watch over each segmenta. 

[bluntblade]

So with such massive cohorts, I'm thinking the Wardens will also need Chapters (see the Death Guard, who had Chapters within their Grand Companies). My advice would be to split the First and maybe move some from the Second (even at the height of the Crusade, I'm not sure 40,000 Astartes would be necessary for most systems they came across once you take Army, Knights and Titans into consideration), but if you stick with this, each Legate will want some praetors under his command.

 

Also, which Cohort should Sauhan be in charge of, and with Pheidius pencilled in as a Chapter Master under Ruel, which Cohort should he be in?

Edited January 30, 2018 by bluntblade

[simison]

After some lengthy discussion, I have decided to make Brigades a permanent addition the HW organization. And I'm dropping the oblique 300 reference. Instead, I'm going to continue the base 10 basis.

 

Now, companies are composed of 10 Centuries or 1,000 marines. A Brigade is composed of 10 Companies, for a total of 10,000 marines. This leads to 24 Brigades in active service before the Day of Revelation.

[bluntblade]

Vth Legion Praetor

Tribune Pheidius Zimikes

First Cohort, Third Brigade

The Battle of Delos, Defence of Lakhaon

 

Zimikes achieved the rank of Tribune after a long period of service as Master of Signal under Irvin Ruel. Having commanded with distinction on Mars, he was given the vital but unenviable task of holding the Lakhaon fastness against the XIIIth Legion’s vanguard. This effort would have come to ruin when the Legio Mortis routed the Tempestus war maniple, if not for Zimikes’ careful marshalling and deployment of reserve forces. As the lesser Mortis Titans and their escorting Knights advanced into the outer rings of the fortress, he met them with expertly-placed squadrons of tanks, most notably Glaives and Shadowswords. Under their guns even the proud god-machines of the Death’s Heads reeled and fell, Zimikes’ skill ensuring a remarkably low casualty rate for his own forces.

 

The greater Mortis machines threatened to level the fortress in response, but Pheidius countered with a strike by massed bombers and gunships, reducing the Warlords and Nemesis Titans to iron corpses. By his tactical acumen, the traitors were forced to assault with their own armour and infantry, and Pheidius’ warriors turned the sprawling complexes into a series of vicious kill-zones.

 

Zimikes wears highly artificered Maximus armour, with a helmet forged in the distinctive style of Tyrins. He also retains the nuncio vox he used as a Master of Signal, finding it invaluable in coordinating his Brigade.

 

Wargear

- Eskut pattern bolt pistol

- Delian power gladius - Forged from Ryzan adamantium, Zimikes’ sword is a typical example of the blades borne by Vth Legion praetors.

Edited December 25, 2018 by bluntblade

[bluntblade]

Sim, any ideas for Zivich Knight names? As in individual walkers

[bluntblade]

"Contrary to what some of our cousins believe, our Primarch has not spayed us and made a Legion that cowers behind shields. We have learned patience and restraint, true, but that only makes us more dangerous when we allow the storm to slip its leash.”

Irvin Ruel

 

“Measure the mortal soldier who stands beside you. Not against yourself, for then you can only find him wanting. Gauge his courage, his wits and prowess, and how best to use them. Mortals cannot equal us, but never should we treat them as petty coin, to spend without care.”

Alexandros, A Dissertation on the Excertus Imperialis in Transhuman Hands

Edited February 22, 2018 by bluntblade

[bluntblade]

Vth Legion Terminator

Chotak Kribah

2nd Terminator Squad, 5th Black Tower Company, 9th Brigade

The Schism of Mars, Battle of the Mariner Plain

 

Legionary Kribah’s heraldry denotes his station as one of the “Black Towers” - Vth Legion companies bound to guard the ships of House Zivich as well as fight alongside them in terrestrial operations. As a consequence of their role, Black Tower companies fielded large numbers of Mk III-clad breachers, heavy support squads and Terminators such as Kribah.

 

Just as Zivich deployed as skirmishers for the Legio Tempestus, it was the task of the Black Towers to respond to any infantry or armour which might threaten their charges. On the Mariner Plain Kribah fought valiantly to protect the Lancer Skeras, destroying several Kataphron Battle Servitors and Skitarii before falling to a Domitar combat robot. His sacrifice was recorded both in the Legion’s halls and those of Zivich.

 

Kribah, as pictured here, wears Cataphracti pattern Terminator armour. While the Athenoi elite prized the Tartaros pattern for its mobility, Black Tower Terminators prized the greater protection afforded by Cataphracti. Knights tend to draw a great deal of firepower from any opponent, and the strength of this warplate can make all the difference between life and death for the warriors who fight at their feet.

 

Plasma Blaster

Power sabre - derived from Sindhuan cutting designs instead of the more common Tyrin gladius, this weapon served Kribah well against such foes as Thallax and light automata such as Vorax.

Aegis-pattern Storm Shield - note mix of Vth Legion and House Zivich insignia

Edited February 23, 2018 by bluntblade

[simison]

We retcon the storm shields to Aegis-pattern as they are shared by the Wardens and Bears.

[Slips]

IT should also be of note that, generally, TDA equipped marines did not have pistol sidearms.

[bluntblade]

I was wondering about that - would the shield change that? Or should it simply be a bigger gun?

[Chief Captain Redd]

A combi-plasma or plasma blaster would be suitable weaponry for a "line" terminator.

[bluntblade]

Ah,cheers

[bluntblade]

For future reference, Akylles began Ascension about ten years before the Qarith Triumph, seeing his first fighting as a true Astartes in the Koloss Syntheticide. He was a sergeant when the Insurrection began, and was promoted in the field when his captain fell on the Mariner Plain.

[bluntblade]

Had an idea for a character who follows Malis. Will do some fleshing out and post later

[bluntblade]

"Interlink your strength, as the Emperor binds Mankind into a stronger whole. Comradeship is as much a source of strength to us as our physical power and the weapons in our hands. Know that brothers stand either side of you, ready to support you just as you are for them. With the hands of many joined as one and our shields overlapped, there is no foe so mighty that we cannot throw them back.”

Alexandros at the Battle of the Daggored Pass