Vitritian Interregnum: Game 4

Ankor Thrume processed the rotting, particle-laden air through the grille of his augmetic filtration units and gazed at the burning skyline of Grestian Bay, the Heretic forces had broken through the noble Skitarii's initial attempts at containing them in the Outlands. They had tracked the Chaos forces movements across the dried ocean floors of the planet and waited as they set up a base of operations in Grestian Bay, confirming the blessed Magi's hypothesis that the next clue to the Omnissiahs artifact was buried somewhere within the vast sprawl of once majestic trading concourses and coastal palaces. It was his duty to ensure that they did not escape again, the vast campaign of orbital bombardment and Precision Airstrikes had been in service to this end, crippling the lesser forces of the unaugmented human infantry that stood in his Maniples direct line of advance, and ensuring that all avenues available to other traitor armored groups or fast reaction infantry were mired in chemical fire, rubble, and debris.

His true target was finally revealing itself, clad in ceramite and gripping chainswords, backlit by the white glow of centuries dead city. Thrume would have grinned if he still had a mouth; he pulsed deployment orders to his Maniple across the noosphere. The Battle was nigh

 

Centurions of Innocence 5th Company [Chaos Space Marines]

Points: 753

Legion: World Eaters

HQ

[Warlord] "The Lamb"  Chaos Lord 

        - Trait: Violent Urgency

        - Mark of Khorne, Plasma Pistol, Ul'o'cca the Black Axe

Daemon Prince

        -Hellforged Sword, Mark of Khorne, Talisman of Burning Blood, Wings

Exalted Champion

        -Mark of Khorne, Gorefather, Plasma Pistol.

Troops

Chaos Cultists

        -9 Cultists W/ Autogun, 1 Cult Champion, Mark of Khorne

Khorne Berzerkers

        -3 Berzerkers with Bolt Pistol and Chainsword, 

        -1 Berzerkers with Plasma Pistol and Chainsword

        -1 Berzerker Champion with Plasma Pistol and Power Fist

Khorne Berzerkers

        -3 Berzerkers with Bolt Pistol and Chainsword, 

        -1 Berzerkers with Plasma Pistol and Chainsword

        -1 Berzerker Champion with Plasma Pistol and Power Fist

Elites

Helbrute

        -Mark of Khorne, Power Scourge, and Reaper Autocannon

Possessed 

        -5 Possessed, Mark of Khorne.

Skitarii of Forge World Metallica [Adeptus Mechanicus]

Points: 744

Forge World:  Metallica

HQ

[Warlord] "Ankor Thrume Uh-8"  Techpriest Enginseer

        - Trait: Learnings of the Genetor (PA)

        - The Omniscient Mask

Techpriest Manipulus 

        -Trait: Divinations of the Magos

        -Magnarail Lance, Mechanicus Locum 

Troops

Skitarii Vanguards

        -4 Vanguard with Radium Carbines

        -1 Vanguard Alpha with Radium Carbine

Skitarii Vanguards

        -4 Vanguard with Radium Carbines

        -1 Vanguard Alpha with Radium Carbine

Skitarii Vanguards

        -4 Vanguard with Radium Carbines

        -1 Vanguard Alpha with Radium Carbine

Elites

Secutarii Hoplites

        -9 Secutarii Hoplites with Arc Lances, and Mag-Inverter Shield

        -1 Hoplite Alpha with Arc Lance, and Mag-Inverter Shield

Secutarii Hoplites

        -9 Secutarii Hoplites with Arc Lances, and Mag-Inverter Shield

        -1 Hoplite Alpha with Arc Lance, and Mag-Inverter Shield

Sicarian Ruststalkers

        -5 Sicarian Ruststalkers with Chordclaws and Transonic Razor

        -1 Ruststalker Princeps with Transonic Blades

Fast Attack

Sydonian Dragoons

        -3 Sydonian Dragoons with Phosphor Serpenta and Taser Lance

Dedicated Transport

Skorpius Dunerider

        -2 Cognis Heavy Stubbers, Twin Cognis Heavy Stubber

========================================================================

So, myself and Chris are back at it again, with our Chaos versus Adeptus Mechanicus narrative slow-grow campaign. This time, the mission was a pure and simple Kill Points game, with deployment along long table edges, as it was likely to be the last game we played in 8th Edition, it felt appropriate to use the "classic" game setup.

The Mechanicus Set up, along the town's outskirts, with the Dunerider on their far-right and filled with Sicarian Infiltrators, the core of the battleline comprised of Vanguard and Hoplites is a vicious prospect to attack, and the Sydonian Dragoons are a punishing unit that, if you allow them to survive will absolutely tear a hole in your forces.  Chris' Mechanicus force is very interesting, as its highly aggressive and close combat-focused, with aura debuffs from vanguard and truly intimidating damage output from their specialist units.

My Chaos forces set up within the heart of the town, I was attempting to get as far forward as I could, and overlap my Character's aura abilities onto my Berzerkers, which would be pivotal if I was going to overcome the Vanguard-Hoplite wall

I lose a Berzerker squad to the entire armies worth of Mechanicus fire, and move up my troops, using the cultists to screen my left from the transport mounted Ruststalkers, and positioning the rest in preparation for a charge

Both forces move forward aggressively, I think I made a critical error in this turn, with my placement of the Daemon Prince, I chose to go after the core of the Mechanicus forces, which hampered my placement of models and likely led to their encirclement and destruction in the coming turn. I was considering going after the Dunerider and its occupants with the prince, which may have been a better choice as it would have forced some of the Mechanicus' infantry to either commit to helping the Infiltrators, or at the very least would have slowed the Ruststalkers down

I committed the majority of forces into destroying the Sydonian Dragoons, (which are an excellent "distraction carnifex" im finding), this led to me killing that target, and damaging some Vanguard, but opening up the majority of my force to be counter charged by Hoplites. My hope was that I would have enough of my forces left after the counter attack, to be able to break out and continue my attack, this proved to be wishful thinking.

In the end, the Mechanicus' Counter-attack, consisting of both HQ characters, debuffing Vanguard, and the very hard hitting Hoplites did a lot more damage to my main forces than I was really hoping they would, and the Ruststalkers tore into my rearguard and really shut down the game. It was a textbook encirclement by Chris, and I do really need to be more careful with how I commit to different targets in Melee. I think that target prioritization really cost me the game here, but regardless it was a ton of fun to play, and i'm looking forward to locking blades again with Chris soon in 9th Edition.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope you all stay safe!

Jornath: The Fall of Wilset 542

.23 Months since the Fall of Usamilplatz.

With the Maniples of Prima Jama's Skitarii embarked upon increasingly heavy fighting across the breadth of the offensive area around Usamilplatz and with the alien's attempted breakthrough on the extreme right of the Imperial line only barely rebuffed with extreme casualties. MQC 87-C* in control of the PDF and Astra Militarum elements within the surrounding areas looked to stymie any potential flow of new Ork warbands into the region. With most of 1AG's regiments already embarking on a campaign of retaking major automotive roadways and mag-lev lines through the Eastern ranges of the Usamiljen Mountains, assets were already in a position to be moved quickly to act as blocking forces.  

The 334th Idrian "Ghosts" Irregulars, were just one of 3 Regiments moved to act in this capacity. Understrength after sustaining casualties clearing out villages in the vicinity of the Ork Exclusion Zone east of Kula Hive, the 334th was acting in a support role to the 1st Usamiljan Fusilier Cohorts' "Operation Vengeful Deliverance", this being their recapture of the city of Saltzkost, along a major highway running southbound into the lowland regions of northern Kula Province.

The Regiment was moved into a 60 Km mountain pass, blocking a tertiary highway which runs into the southeastern edge of Korsnokrat. While the Orks in the Saltzkhost operational area's eastern reaches were expected to deploy only noncommital probing assaults until the city was retaken (the aliens holding the city represented a rival warband to those positioned in the foothills east of the city.) the counter-offensive launched haltingly in the wake of the Emerald Screen incident would spur the orks into a frenzy and all three units occupying the Saltzkhost operations area were battered with waves of light infantry and vehicles for several weeks. 

About a month after the Emerald Scream, greenskin forces within the Usamilplatz region gained a great deal of tactical coordination, at odds with trends extrapolated by IntRec for those xenos formations. The ensuing attacks within Usamilplatz and Korsnokrat which resulted in the death of multiple Skitarii Magos and the routing of PDF and Mechanicus forces has already been recorded. But in Saltzkhost, Ork Motorized forces advanced into the understrength 334th,  no doubt under orders from their unknown warlord to link with their comrades expected to break through the Imperial defenders of Korsnokrat. 

The Regimental headquarters of the 334th was Bastion W542,  this position would come under no less than 21 successive waves of greenskin's before the end.  At the height of the attack, when 8 of the regiments 12 companies had already been destroyed, the regiment was reinforced by members of the Sons of Medusa's Warclan Megara reserve assets. They would join the remnants of the regiments command bastion garrison in their final charge, to buy time for the remaining companies to withdraw and link with units in southern Korsnokrat.

The Fall of bastion W542 would be the final resistance preventing the Ork reserves in Saltzkhost from sweeping north into the southern flank of the already depleted Imperial forces in Korsnokrat. While all members of the 334th conducted themselves with honor in the field, it changed little in the bearing that the Mechanicus line in Usamilplatz was in dire straits of being rolled up from the south by Ork motorized units.  Only steadfast resolve and a great deal of ammunition would save the Imperium's soldiers and allow them to continue to hold the line.

Thanks for reading!  This post was a part of an ongoing narrative campaign, in the "living setting" of Jornath. For more information about Jornath as a setting, including units, missions, and posts from other Jornath bloggers be sure to click on the Jornath [40k] tab at the top of this page for an up to date list of all posts.

-Your Favorite Madman-

Hobby: Ankouvian Berzerkers

All is not well on the surface of Ankou, its population infected by a psychic scrap code leading vast tracts of its enslaved augmetic population to revolt against their masters. 

A painted example of an Equites Redempto

A painted example of a Renegade Ankouvian Miner 

A squad of corrupted Ankouvian miners 

The traitorous hordes of Jornath's mining moon grow larger. I hope you have enjoyed the look at them.

-Your Favorite Madman-

Jornath: The Day of the Emerald Scream.

The Imperium was ascendant, victory had been attained at the Battle of Mendorus Grove, and with that success, Operation Gray Jewel saw the Orks' subsequent disorderly withdraw from Fortress Behras. In the exclusion zone east of Kula; Imperial Guard assets coupled with pinpoint raids by the Sons of Medusa had crippled the aliens' forward defenses, leaving Kulan Cohorts to sweep into the Xenos cities and begin the process of burning the greenskins out of the marshlands. In the mountains, the Skitarii of Prima Jama marched to liberate the cities and infrastructure in the shadow of their forge hold, which had been under the dominion of the Ork since the beginning of the war.

In the north, the routing aliens were pushed into the Ctre valley proper, placing them far enough from important civilian and military facilities to sanction large-scale orbital bombardment, and indiscriminate bombing campaigns by atmospheric flyers launched from Altheri Hive. The heightened pace of the campaign spurred occasional lapses of decontamination protocols for aircraft fighting in the operations area. While most Imperial Navy airframes are resistant to biological or chemical contaminations, the local PDF aircraft from Altheri do not possess this style of standardized construction, necessitating rigorous checks by maintenance and ecclessiarchal crews. This lapse in protocol would prove incredibly dangerous. An immense amount of Orkoid spores, released by the millions of dead greenskins drifted in yellowish clouds around the Ctre Valley and foothills regions of the Guffmans-Platz administrative area, these spores found purchase within the airframes of PDF aircraft while they refitted at improvised airfields. When these airframes returned from the combat front to their home fields, ground crews skipped their decontamination checks, pushing the aircraft immediately to basic maintenance bays crewed by servitors and menial laborers. In short order snotlings, the lowest level of Orkoid life form, pryed their way from these aircraft and set about turning the disused corners of the maintenance hangers into breeding pits for more complex forms of their malign race.

It was at the beginning of the spring combat season that airfield 2C in Altheri Hive was suddenly attacked by several dozen Ork warriors and droves of gretchin wielding improvised weapons. The surprise of the attack was such, that many of the pilots and ground crew fled the facility in confusion rather than combat the attackers. With a great deal of ordinance and heavy weapons now lying around undefended on various aircraft, the Orks immediately set about crafting these into dangerously effective emplacements. Arbites, in conjunction with reorganized aircrews and crowds of lightly armed militia, attempted to recapture 2C several times over the course of the day but suffered severe casualties. Instead, these forces opted to quarantine the field and wait for more Astra Militarum assistance. This breakout may well have been crushed before it spread any further outside of the airfield if it were not for an event which would shape the dynamic of the War for Jornath for years to come.

In the Exclusion zone to the West of Kula hive, Imperial Guard and Astartes strike teams had spent much of the previous year neutralizing the warbosses and various commander beasts of the Orks nestled in the Scrap cities. They had been brutally effective in this endeavor leaving the majority of the Ork "nobility" fighting each other for control of dwindling resources and ever-shrinking territory. Amid this confusion, a pseudo-religious psyker cult emerged under a Weirdboy called Bonebeard Blakkstaff. Blakkstaff rallied control of a half-dozen Snakebite warbands whose leadership had been assassinated by actions from the Dreadmare Companions and the Sons of Medusa. What made Blakkstaff's force called the Kult of Da Blak WAAGGHH dangerous was due to Blakkstaff's own psychic abilities, which seemingly allowed the xenos witch the ability to give life to slain greenskins and halt death in the grievously wounded. Biding his time, the Ork weirdboy sheltered his forces during the day when Imperial raids would be conducted to neutralize HVT's and strategic locations. In the evening the Kult would emerge from its hiding places and resurrect the fallen warbosses and boyz, wrangling the undead ork's into underground squig pens. The first real intelligence Imperial command had of the Kult's activities came from vanguard PDF forces from the Kula Conservator Cohort, noting that the bodies of orks killed in the previous day's action had been removed in the night en mass.

It was men from the Precpian Air Cavalry's 20 Brigade 9 Co, fighting in the Totemkrash suburbs which engaged the Kult in direct combat for the first time. 9 Co was engaged in particularly lengthy fighting against Deffskull warbands defending a large refueling depot, in the evening of the second day, the Precpians set out a distress call citing that their forces were now totally surrounded by unidentified Xenos lifeforms. This alarm immediately warranted the deployment of a tactical squad from the Mortifactors, when this squad arrived they found a charnel house, filled with the crashed wrecks of the companies valkyries and heaps of Precpian dead, seemingly placed in ritualistic positions. Of the Ork dead, there was no sign. Tactical Squad Redala, signaled its findings and continued to move to 9 Co's primary objective. Upon entering the refueling depot, Redala encountered trailing elements of the Kult, these "Black Orks" were reportedly able to sustain multiple bolt rounds before succumbing and were possessed with unnaturally elevated strength. Upon destroying the refueling depot, Squad Redala reported its findings and immediately set about coordinating with other nearby ground forces to give chase and eliminate this new threat.

In the next few hours, Scout and Reiver squads in the exclusion zone redirected themselves to harass the Kult as it withdrew, these teams neutralized several pockets of Black Orks and Snakebite fighters in small subterranean outposts below the Scrap cities. But were unable to locate the primary leadership of the Kult. Realizing that much of this new forces' infrastructure was located underground, Navy forces began deep seismic scans of the area. They discovered layers of underground tunnels built in concentric circles which progressed deeper into the crust of the planet. Larger caverns and portions of the Rokk's punctured these tunnels in hundreds of places, creating a lattice of Xenos mine works.

It was as these readings were being transmitted to the Astartes Operations command, that 2C was taken in Altheri Hive, slowing down direct responses to both situations by a handful of hours, as effective strike plans were created. At sundown over the battlespace, just as PDF and Astartes forces were launching to neutralize both threats the Emerald Scream occurred.

A massive surge of warp energy pulsed forth from the core of the subterranean latticework, totally shutting down vox communications, and driving hundreds of astropaths into a fit of blind rage, their eyes glowing a bright green as they attacked their minders or ripped one another apart with their bare hands. The energy pulse traveled past the Navy blockade and through the debris of the early ork fleet, smashing into the Mechanicus controlled moon of Ankou in the systems outer limits. All communication was lost with facilities on the moon, save for an errant signal on loop, a piercing guttural scream of rage which could be detected all across the sub-sector.

As the Imperium worked to understand what had just occurred, dozens of warp signatures were detected at the fringes of the system. Orks from across the sub-sector were reacting to the call of the Emerald Scream and moving to Jornath to aid their kin in battle or for their own sport. While these newly arrived Ork vessels lacked any command structure, it was only a matter of time before the Kaptians of the greenskin navy came to a conclusion as to who was the toughest and turned their attention to the conflict on Jornath's surface. Where Ork warbands on the ground were in possession of deep space sensory equipment, such as the newly seized 2C airfield or in installations in the north around Usmilplatz or Valeri Pesh, they set up signals to call on the new arrivals to join in the fighting.

Tactica Command Jornath and the Astartes Operational Command immediately set to work to counter these new arrivals, putting out a priority call to all Imperial assets across the sector, which was answered by numerous Imperial Guard regiments, the Imperial Dragoons Marine Chapter and even a mighty Watch Fortress of the Deathwatch. On the ground Task Force Crimson Pendant was organized, a combination of veteran militarum special forces, and scout squads from every marine chapter present in the Battle Space, this task force's sole objective was to move into the Stabheelz area of the Exclusion zone, the core of the underground lattice, find and destroy every vestige of the Kult of the Black Waaggh. Ground Operations in Usamiljen and the central conflict zone were permitted to continue as Tactica command felt that these were still progressing favorably. Oakenzid and other previously unengaged Hive cities, as well as nations across Jornath which have remained unmolested thus far by the war, began preparations to receive the new Ork fleet, conscript formations were raised in their hundreds and miles of trenches were dug to bolster the defenses of as many towns as possible. In space, the fleet split itself into two formations, one would remain in high orbit above Jornath to act as a close support and command asset to ground operations. The other would travel to Ankou to hopefully end the Emerald Scream, and harass the new Ork fleet while Imperial reinforcement arrived from other systems.

Stay Tuned for more major lore updates this year for the War on Jornath as things heat up on a fearsome new second front and the situation on the ground gets ever more desperate. Be sure to check on the Jornath [40k] tab at the top of the page to catch up on all the previous Jornath lore, battles, units and posts from other Jornath Bloggers!

-Your Favorite Madman-

Jornath: Recapturing Data-Tether Ignatius

.14 Months Since the Fall of Usmilplatz.

The Mechanicus launches its main thrust towards Usmilplatz from the south, with a diversionary task force striking from the west earlier in the same week to divert Ork warriors away from the main body's axis of advance. Reconnaissance units still present in the wilderness areas around the AO redouble their efforts and attack xenos artillery positions and communications outposts to confound the Ork's (already less than stellar) command and control capabilities. 

The Easternmost column of the main body's advance will be the first to hit a major population center, the town of Korsnokrat. While local partisan and militia forces moved house-to-house clearing out the xenos, and liberating slave encampments, the Skitarii maniples would be moving to one of their first primary objectives of the campaign, a data-tethering compound, in Korsnokrat which houses huge amounts of backup information and ancillary servers for Prima Jama.  

The battle concluded quickly, massed fusillades of high-powered weaponry proved the better of the data-tether's occupiers. The Orks, as is typical of their race gave a hearty effort, but lacking effective armor or transport could not approach the sons of mars to bring their savage strength to bear, and thus before nights end, the street outside the compound was piled with the charred corpses of Ork bully-boys, and the crude sheet metal glyphs and heretical alien technology which had been rammed haphazardly into the priceless equipment within.  A day on and a small army of newly freed lay-adepts and noncombatant mechanicus personnel had brought data-tether Ignatius back into the operational fold of Prima Jama.

The Liberation of Usmilplatz was having good success thus far, but could it be sustained?

-Your Favorite Madman-