EVENT - The Schism of Mars

[simison]

I'm intrigued, and I'm sure Talon would enjoy any additional tools in the Mechanicum's arsenal.

[Beren]

First draft of the Battle of the Mariner Plains. Too long?

 

Also, Alexandros being able to hijack automata but not sufficiently augmented humans might prove an interesting theological discussion for the Mechanicus, and possibly another reason for their decline in use after the Insurrection.

 

Battle of the Mariner Plains

 

No one truly wishes to engage in such apocalyptic battles, with perhaps the exception of races like the vile Orks. When the forces are evenly matched with such terrible weapons of destruction in use, even if you win you will have paid dearly for your victory. So when such battles take place it is either through accident or because neither side feels it has any choice. The Loyalists intended to breach Olympus Mons and crush the Martian rebellion for once and for all. They would need all the strength at their disposal to do so. And Kelbor-Hal would need all his strength to stop them.

 

The Legios Magna, Death Stalkers and Burning Stars formed the thrust of the Traitor Titan contingent with the now decimated Legio Mortis relegated to the flanks. Below them scores of Mechanicum thralls and soldiers were lead by a brutal wall of modified battle servitors and automata. Yet even with this formidable army the Fabricator was outnumbered and outgunned. His armies were only there to hold the assaulting force in place until they could be annihilated by a salvo of vortex missiles. The glaring flaw in this plan was the Warmaster. His foresight had the potential for him to identify and put in precautions against such an event. Worse, the battle could be utilised as a ruse to exhaust Olympus Mons' defences. If Kelbor-Hal wanted to attain victory, a Primarch would have to die.

 

The opening shots of the battle of the Mariner Plains was not some minor skirmish, as is often the case, but a firestorm. Orbital bombardment from warships in orbit swept the ground before their armies passing, pulverizing what little edifices remaining in that wasteland into dust. Weathering the onslaught from within the void shields protected by Olympus Mons wasted as through the haze of the settling debris cities of marching steel emerged. The newly arrived Legio Tonarum was at the forefront, unscathed by the harsh battles that had scarred its comrades. Behind them marched Legio Ignatum, reinforced by their Warmonger Imperious Prima from Terra itself; the Legio Carnifex with not one but two Emperor type Titans, and the battered but valiant forces of the Legios Auris and Tempestus. Behind then the colossal siege Ordinatus of the Loyalist Mechanicum ground forth, surrounded by an amalgamation of Skitarii and Astartes from three different Legions. What followed was the Machine God's wrath personified.

 

The battlefield was one of murderous violence where the sky and ground burned alike. One side pushed onwards in a precise and cold fury, the other fought back with strength born out if fear. No mercy would be given, for they could accept none. Even as the strength and numbers of his army began to tell, the Warmaster took more direct action. Victory meant little if it left him with a force broken and spent. What he did justified the Fabricator-General's fears entirely. Skitarii and Automata alike suddenly and swiftly turned against one another, wreaking swathes of destruction before regaining control of their faculties. Where the senior officers were to heavily augmented to be affected the guns of others silenced them. The traitor battle line was thrown into disarray. Then Kelbor-Hal revealed his gambit. A flanking force of Thallax, Ursurax, and twenty Dominus battle-automata.

 

Had he been alone, only Alexandros' foresight might tell us what would have happened. But he was not. His brother Niklaas stood with him; together with their bodyguards they hewed the would be strike force to the ground. Elsewhere the Loyalist assault gave room for the great Ordinatus engines to move forwards, and hostile Titans withdrew rather than face their judgement. The Fabricator-General chose to attempt to preserve his forces for the final siege than attempt to annihilate both sides with his munitions, especially after Alexandros had displayed his ability to manipulate and influence machines.

 

The final offensive action undertaken by the Insurrectionists was a desperate boarding attempt on the Abyssii Imperator Ironwroth by Thallax and Ursurax. Despite breaching the initial Secutarri shield wall they found themselves cut off by assault marine reinforcements and were crushed between the defenders. The way to Olympus Mons was clear.

[simison]

That does sound intriguing. Also remember to use Legios when being plural.

 

I believe this is supposed to be an entire 'Part' of the campaign. As such, it needs to be 1,000 words. Right now, Word is telling me that it's almost 700. So add another 300-400 words. It's okay if you go a little over. 

 

To tie this better with Blunt's piece, let's make it less obvious that Alexandros is responsible for Mortis' destruction, but balance it with Hal's 'paranoia'. 

 

With the extra words, let's try to give some spotlight to the other forces involved, including some character to the line units. 

 

That all said, this is a good start. I look forward to reading more.

[Talonair]

The Abyssii Imperator present on Mars would be the Ironwroth

[Beren]

The campaign outline you gave me had it as the second half of a one part, with the first half concerning the arrival of Loyalist reinforcements and the turning tides in battles elsewhere. Has this changed?

[simison]

The campaign outline you gave me had it as the second half of a one part, with the first half concerning the arrival of Loyalist reinforcements and the turning tides in battles elsewhere. Has this changed?

 

Ah, no, my mistake. Disregard that.

[bluntblade]

We may need to integrate that passage into the main body of text

[Beren]

Integrating everything together is probably going to be the hardest part of this.

[bluntblade]

I can make a stab when I have more time

[simison]

[Preface]

 

"...comprehend it[,] and implement it."

 

"...disciples of Kelbor[-]Hal saw the..."

 

"...achieve. 

They should have stood as a warning." [Missing a space between the lines.]

 

"...data containing [humanity's] inheritance purged,..."

 

[On a meta note, I'm not sure about having so many single lines. It wears down the impact of each single line, but it could fit a more mechanical mind.]

 

"The Hammer Blow Falls"

 

"...Alexandros, [W]armaster of [humanity's] armies,..."

 

"...one stood aside[ ]." [There is an illegal, extra space here.]

 

"...same motivations[,] many fragments of [L]oyalist Legions also..."

 

"...far the [L]oyalist [L]egion worst [a]ffected..."

 

"...did it[], when the..." [Extra space]

[Beren]

So, for the battle of Olympus Mons:

Astartes-Mechanicum strike teams disable void shield generators.

Ordinatus bring down the gates.

Weeks of city fighting( mention the Mordax automata).

Cognis and Eagle Warriors make a fighting retreat with what they are able to loot from the vault (mention as an unconfirmed sighting of the Eagle Warriors).

Kelbor-Hal flees.

Abyssii commence general data and personell purge.

 

Did I miss anything?

[bluntblade]

Multiple breaches, potentially. Transport arteries used by Astartes, as realistically a city that vast will have so many.

[simison]

Sounds good.

[bluntblade]

Niklaas, being a siege master in the most complete sense, will surely attempt more than one breach in a city with such a vast circumference/surface area.

[simison]

That’s a good point. This will be a rare chance for Nik to display offensive siege tactics before the Scouring.

[Talonair]

Also gives the Ordo Reductor a chance to show off

[bluntblade]

Also, breaches well above ground level, stormed with boarding rams and gunships.

 

I'm thinking the second Badab War book might be handy.

[simison]

"Flame and Shadow"

 

"...immediate victory[,] but the first..."

 

"... in infamy [']till the Scourging."

 

"At a time when [quick reactions which were needed most on the part of those loyal to the Imperium][speed was paramount to the Loyalists], decisions were marred by uncertainty of whom to trust." [The original sentence was clunky and drowning in prepositions.]

 

"...of their Primarch or with no..."

 

"...were the [best known groupings][most famous], such as..."

 

"...Eden demi-[L]egion that had..."

 

"...most dangerous overall for those..." [Most dangerous what?]

 

"...Scions Hospitalier[,] and Iron Bears..." [No Oxford commas]

 

"...Hospitalier crippled[ and] the Fire Keepers..."

 

"...of the[T]raitor Primarchs began..."

[simison]

"... thirdly, a scrapcode attack originating from the Imperator had killed the Warlord Titan Victorix Magna and crippled..."

 

Hold on, I thought the Warlord burnt out from over-use?

[bluntblade]

Nope, definitely scrapcode

[simison]

Taking a break from editing to see if we can't smooth out the differences between Beren's & Blunt's work.

 

Introduction

• Hammer Blow Falls
• Flame and Shadow
• Binary Choice

Chapter 1

• Compact of Copper and Iron (will need to tweak it, but this will explain Hal's personal decision to join the rebellion and can lead into the rest of this section with minimal fuss)
• http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/330234-event-the-schism-of-mars/?p=4988485
• Titanicus (Red Box)

Chapter 2

• http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/330234-event-the-schism-of-mars/?p=4994925
• Abysii Disposition (Red Box)

Chapter 3

• The Emperor's Sword and Shield (will need to delete Ruel's part and tweak)
• http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/330234-event-the-schism-of-mars/?p=4997574

 

 

 

"Forbidden Knowledge" has been adequately covered by the "Binary Choice". This only needs addressing if either Blunt or Beren wishes to change something.

I'm confused. Where or what was "The Red Dust Settles"?

[Beren]

Per Sim's request.

 

The Red Dust Settles

Kelbor-Hal arrived in Icarion’s realm with his authority diminished, but not reduced utterly. Certainly at this stage no rival to his power existed within the Mechanicum sects pledged to the Stormlord, and the dread authority of the Fabricator General was not easily negated. Certainly Kelbor-Hal turned his brilliance and adamantine will to shoring up his position. Seeking a new base of operations in which to do this, close to the centre of Icarion’s power, he alighted on the Loyalist Forge World of Sarum.

 

Sarum had been bonded to the Warmaster’s own Legion for over a century, its masters slowly evolving from their survivalist origins to something more in line with the Martian mold, yet steadfastly loyal to Alexandros. It is likely that, even with such stunted emotions as his augmetics left him, Kelbor-Hal viewed them with loathing and relished the chance to wreak some measure of vengeance upon the Warmaster. While Icarion’s forces had blockaded Sarum until this stage, now Kelbor-Hal mustered an invasion force from the taghmata of several Forge Worlds and his surviving followers, and launched an all-out assault upon the world. The defenders of Sarum, including a garrison of Halcyon Wardens, were butchered, their surviving works turned to the cruel purposes of Kelbor-Hal.

 

While none yet challenged Kelbor-Hal’s primacy, there were those who took note, and began to scheme. Certainly several factions escalated their work with a newfound zeal, foremost among them Xana and Cognis. Freed from many of the constraints their Loyalist counterparts continued to toil under, Icarion’s allies delved headlong into forbidden science, many senior adepts driven by personal and factional ambition as much as they were by religious fervour or scientific curiosity. For the cunning, powerful and well-connected, disorder was a ladder, and untold power beckoned from the top.

 

Mars was placed under the control of a diumvirate of Zagreus Kane and Ipluvien Maximal, the most senior of the loyal magos to survive the Schism. Under their oversight, Mars returned to productivity, though it was severely diminished. While great effort and vast resources were expended to restore what had been lost, works such as Zeth’s Akashic Reader could not be restored or replicated. The sheer extent of prototype or relic technologies lost forever is long enough that no serious attempt has been made to catalogue them.

 

The Loyalists had little reason to celebrate, however, as they counted the cost and viewed events beyond the Sol System. For while the Imperium’s heart and the surrounding sectors were secure, events elsewhere threatened to overwhelm the Warmaster’s forces.

[simison]

Thank you again, Beren. 'Red Dust' will obviously go in Chapter 6. As such, I think we've figured out which section goes where, and it's now a matter of detail work as opposed to planning. As such, I'll return to editing.

[bluntblade]

Ideas escalated. This should sit next to gates and walls being torn down:

 

Fire-Crowned Towers

Niklaas and Alexandros had no intention of forcing breaches at ground level alone. Indeed, to a siege master such as Niklaas, to simply break down the greatest gate of so vast a city was an offensively crude proposition. Olympus Mons was to be breached in many places, all across its expanse, and the minds of the Steel Prince and all his lieutenants were set to the task. Points along the cyclopean wall were identified for bombardment by Ordinati, Titans and massed artillery. Transport tunnels were made the target of Skitarii infiltrators and Astartes Seeker squads.

 

Above ground level too, Niklaas sought and found opportunities. Even as the gates and walls came under attack, the clouds above Olympus Mons were split. Wings of Corsair bombers, aglow with the heat of atmospheric entry, descended from on high, accompanied by interceptors and fighter craft. Niklaas had deployed hundreds of Xth Legion craft for this task, and they rained fire down upon the proud spires of Olympus Mons. Anti-air batteries blazed up at the attackers, destroying scores of them, but already the Loyalist craft were loosing bombs and missiles against them.

 

Kelbor Hal ordered his city’s air fleet into the skies, but even as fighters and ornithopters rose from their hangars, the second Loyalist wave was inbound. Vth Legion Xiphon interceptors and Lightning fighters homed in on the city from the south and the northwest, hugging the red sands until they drew close. The Fire Keepers craft pulled clear of the spires to regroup, and as the traitors rose to pursue them, so too did the Halcyon Wardens strike from below. Another force of Fire Keepers craft came screaming down from orbit, and the Insurrectionist squadrons were dismembered like a great shoal of fish caught by ocean predators.

 

As the Loyalists cemented their control of the skies, the bombing runs were renewed. Most of these targeted the massive cannons which threatened their ground forces, but here and there gaping holes were torn in the upper walls of Olympus Mons’ towers. These appeared to be mere side effects of the onslaught, but this assumption was proven wrong as Legion assault rams and gunships emerged from the clouds. Niklaas had identified areas where Astartes might enter the upper levels of the metropolis and severely disrupt Kelbor-Hal’s defences. The Caestus rams used their magna-meltas to widen breaches made by the Corsairs, and in their wake came Stormbirds and their lesser kindred.

 

Mortera’s aerial forces were hardly idle at this stage, and at her command Abyssii craft joined the attack. Hundreds of Arvus lighters swept in, their holds filled with Skitarii, Thallax and combat servitors, while larger transports ferried robots and Kataphron servitors to the breaches. Though the traitors’ defences had destroyed scores of craft, Niklaas’ carefully planning had seen the gun emplacements entirely destroyed, and Kelbor Hal’s aircraft had been reduced to fragments, raining still more destruction down upon the sprawl.

 

The first wave of Loyalists who penetrated the city from above comprised some 8,000 Astartes and 20,000 Skitarii, the latter aided by sundry other Mechanicum units. A large part of the Astartes were Terminator, breacher and assault units, as these stood the best chance of success of establishing beachheads and fending off the hordes of Adescularis, Skitarii and automata sent to kill them. More followed, bolstered by Dreadnought talons. In claustrophobic passageways and vast forge chambers, battle was joined with bolter and blade.

 

The most daring of these assaults was carried out by Nibaasiniiwi’s Iron Bears and Tribe Barinthus of the Fire Keepers - a direct attack on Hangar Eydisiun in the northern part of the city. Flanked by Fire Raptors, they deployed by Stormbird into the hangar even as the gunships’ cannons turned the space into a mess of scrap metal. With them came Thunderhawk transporters carrying Predators and Sicaran Battle Tanks, but these paled beside the bulk transport that followed once the gunships had destroyed the turrets emplaced within the hangar. Setting down, its embarkation ramp lowered to reveal seventeen Knights of House Blinstrubas. They strode out to face the rallying traitor forces, war sirens blaring and weapons thundering.

 

The defenders had already roused automata and tanks, fearing the Loyalists’ intent, but with their forces stretched across the city, they could not overcome the vanguard. Skitarii and thralls were deployed in their thousands, only to be destroyed by the Iron Bears and Fire Keepers, who were rapidly entrenching themselves and bringing in more troops. In his desperation, the zone commander sought and received permission to use greater force, and a detachment of House Morbidia were sent into battle, twenty grim walkers manned by pilots who lived only to kill in Kelbor Hal’s name.

 

These condemned warriors met the Knights of Blinstrubas in the middle of the cavernous hangar, and such was the violence of their clash that even the Astartes took cover. Any lesser combatants caught between the warring Knights were simply obliterated in the crossfire. Morbidia fielded the more resilient machines, but Blinstrubas fought with the greater fury, and several wielded armaments crafted by Daer’dd himself.

 

Several of the Sicarans were of the formidable Ustor variant, armed with volkite cascades which had already devastated the ranks of defending machines, and reduced servitors and Skitarii to ash by the hundred. Advancing in support of their Knight allies, they brought these murderous weapons to bear upon Morbidia. Five Blinstrubas Knights had fallen, but aided by the tanks and Astartes, they savaged the slave-Knights and tore them down. Thus the hangar was secured, paving the way for more Astartes to land, followed by tercios of Solar Auxilia. From this point the Loyalists began to steadily advance, slaying all those who obstructed them.

[bluntblade]

Wondering if Alex should enter via his dakka'd up flying pimpmobile.