Jornath Location Profile: The Moon of Ankou [pt1]

Ankou is one of several planetary bodies within the solar system of the Imperial world of Jornath. While considered by Imperial auguries to be a moon of the system’s capital its distance from the coreworld, would truly classify the stellar body as its own settled dwarf planet. The planets role in the social and political organizations of the Jornathii culture is curiously part guardian and part enslaved penal world.

Ankou was founded early in the systems settlement in the dawny days of human expansion to these regions significantly before the onset of Long Night, though the original intentions of the planet in these early days have long since been forgotten. During the period of the Unification Wars on Terra, several centuries before the great crusade would bring the light of the Emperor to Jornath, several histories suggest that Ankou enjoyed a status as its own free state within the system, engaging in trade and at times conflict with other colonial holdings and the crownworld of Jornath itself. However, by the time that Jornath and its satellites bent the knee to the Throne of Old Earth, Ankou had been thoroughly brought under the administrative control of Jornath. Like all places, Ankou enjoyed a great deal of lively development with its reconnection with wider humanity, and its immense bounty of mineral wealth which had already started to be exploited was broken open by the immense capabilities of the Mechanicum

The vast majority of this mineral bounty was in the form of Gypsum, indeed Mechanicum Surveyors calculated that the composition of the moon may be as much as 45% made of the mineral. Tantalized by the numerous practical industrial applications of gypsum, the Adeptus of the Imperium began establishing hundreds of servitor controlled harvesting installations across the surface of the moon, each linking to one of three hub cities with an interlacing web of terrestrial roadways, promethium pipes, and kilometers of cabling.

In these early days, before the heresy, the Imperial Truth still reigned as the predominant ideological current of humanity. On Ankou though, this truth was being manipulated by the early vestiges of groups which would become the Cult Imperialis, these groups viewed the Emperor of Mankind and his sons as divine and held the early colonial ruins under the surface of Ankou as holy places. The Mechanicum overseers of the mining efforts were only too happy to corroborate and promote this view, as the number of converts willing to accept the suite of invasive bionics to survive unaided on Ankous airless surface increased significantly as these groups grew in popularity. It was decided by the Ankouvian High Civitian and the Mechanicus Magos that these groups should be given a formal voice in the administration of the moon if only to better control the masses. Thus the Moulding Gate of Gouibon was founded, the Moulders established chirurgical centers around each of the cities of Ankou, these places were known as Gatehouses, and within aspirants would worship the Emperor and the Omnissiah, progressing through the ranks of the order, by doing good works within the wider community or by fundraising for ventures into the subterranean ruins. As an aspirant progressed, they would surrender more and more of their body and organs over to mechanical augmentation until they could survive without aid on the surface. These followers would be known as the Gouibon Susareian (the name for the Men of Iron in Jornathii Low Gothic, and the term for explorer) and it is these souls who would go forth into the darkened depths of the world in search of divine answers and archaeotech.

When the Horus Heresy erupted in the Imperium, and loyalties on planets across its breadth were tested, Ankou found itself in a particularly favorable situation. On Jornath small skirmishes broke out between families and guilds loyal to the warmaster and those who still held the emperor as master, but on Ankou the spread of the Moulding Gate and the singular control of only one group of the Mechanicum ensured that only limited rioting and a rather pathetic miners uprising in the warmasters name occurred.

In the wake of the Heresy, Ankou was lauded for its loyalty. It was given the task of re-educating those that stood against the Imperium in the Civil War. A task which the already zealously enthusiastic men and women of the moulding gate and the vengeful scions of the now mechanicus took too with particular vigor. The punishment of the families sent to Ankou in disgrace for their transgression of betrayal would be 100 generations of servitude in the Emperor’s name. None of these generations could enter their deeds in the noble enscroll of the families of Jornath, though they would still retain their noble titles and wealth. All were permitted to bring their associated retainers, huscarls, cohorts, and servants to the surface Ankou. It was seen as completely un thinkable to kill the traitors, they were after all, still nobility. So it was that the Equites Redempto, was created on Ankou. These Penal colonists would comprise a huge amount of the workforce, the noblemen acting as the defacto overseers who were, in turn, ruled over by the true Imperial administration of the High Civitan of Ankou and those Ankouvians not beholden to the penal sentence of the Equites Redempto.

For thousands of years, Ankou continued to grow in scope, its cities growing into hives, and its mines running ever deeper into the flesh of the planet. By this point the Ecclesiarchy had taken firm control over the doctrine of the Moulding Gate, seeing its beneficial nature to the function of the planet, they contributed their own assets to the furthering of the Gate’s goals, all while making enormous sums of money from the sale of augmentations. To expand this enterprise the leaders of the Moulders, reached out to the chartist captains in the region who ferried pilgrims around the sector to its various cardinal worlds. They signed an under the table agreement called Concordant 92d, with a chartist line heading through the neighboring Bantin system en route to Casa Urients seaborne cathedrals. The Concordant meant that every tenth vessel would deliver its cargo to the surface of Ankou instead, a journey which took a quarter of the time, and the Moulder’s were willing to pay the same amount as the Cardinals of Casa Urient.  It was not hard to convince the captains that this venture was worthwhile. The pilgrims on board these vessels, were of course less enthusiastic about this prospect, though many have little money left to them to get off-world, leaving the mines and the Moulding Gate as the only real alternatives left to them.

When the War for Jornath broke out, Ankou’s roll in the systems defense would be early warning and limited defensive outpost for the systems monitor fleet.  The moon is in a far orbit from the planet, placing it closer to the systems cardinal mandeville points, and this makes it perfect to act as a staging place for defense forces. When the initial Ork invasion force arrived, Ankou was on the opposite side of its orbit from the fleets approach, meaning that Jornath’s orbital platforms and a limited number of its monitoring ships were available to counter the Ork’s arrival. For the first several years Ankou continued in its mandated roll guarding the systems perimeter, and harvesting material for export, awaiting the potential call to send aid to its liege world.

In the early months of the War’s third year, a massive burst of psychic and digital energies slammed into the moon from the heart of the combat zones on Jornaths surface. This event was called the Emerald Scream by Imperial authorities and would send the entire battlespace into chaos. The long range vox and astropathic choirs were scrambled or killed, leaving communication with the moon during this period totally severed. On Ankou this immense burst of energy would have much more extreme effects, each of the Hives on the moon began transmitting repeating psychic and electromagnetic signals into the void on repeat. Every device capable of sending the transmission into space was bent to that task. For many within the society of Ankou, the signals brought madness. Converts into the Moulding Gate, were affected severely their minds wired into the planets digital network were affected by a form of orkoid psychic scrapcode. The Equites Redempto were similarly affected, the inhibitor circuits, implanted in their brains from birth as insurance of loyalty acted as conduits for the screams corrupting influence. Ankou turned into a bloodbath, in later years it would be called the Ankouvian Civil War, though this name implies that uncorrupted forces on the planet were able to mount any sort of significant resistance to the Berzerker’s tearing the moon apart. What resistance was available came from the High Civitan Sabrina Tursur, and roughly ten thousand miners, and novitiate converts into the Moulders, who were spread across each of the three hives. Their resistance to the corrupting influence of the Emerald Scream, was also the thing that trapped them inside the hives, unable to survive for any length of time outside the protective bio-domes, the loyal Ankouvians that remained attempted to fight their way into the Hive Spires using mining equipment, and cheap autoguns. They suffered incredible casualties in the attempt, and by the time that Battlegroup Ankou arrived to the planet, to reinforce it against the encroaching alien reinforcement fleet, and to shut down the screaming void signals. Only about 2500 loyalist Ankouvians remained alive, held in the High Civitans palace at the pinnacle of Linces Hive. These loyalists would be reinforced by the Imperial Dragoons of Task Force Gideon, and would be removed to the Battlegroups flagship for through investigation by the Ordos of the Inquisition, who were hoping to glean some useful morsel of information about the mysterious and catastrophic situation which had unfolded here.

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-

Jornath: Skirmish in Anesl Hollow

.13 Months Since the Fall of Usamilplatz.

Operation Gray Jewel was wildly successful, routing Ork forces around Behras and sending the majority of Greenskins in the central combat zone scrambling back north to the safety of the mountain ranges. Its role finished in the larger offensive, the Mechanicus begins to prepare for a campaign of its own, in the mountains around its central operations facility on Jornath, Prima Jama. The Skitarii Cohorts had withdrawn from the mountain towns and villages early in the invasion to protect areas of key infrastructure or spiritual primacy to the Cult Mechanicus, leaving many of its lay-adepts and their families to fend for themselves. After all, the hand that pulls the lever can be replaced, but the machine the lever services may never see its like again.

In some cities, the civilian population had the enormous benefit of the Crater Cohort, a sizeable contingent of Jornathii Mustermen that have sworn fealty to the Magos of Prima Jama, and which benefit from the relationship with more advanced equipment. But the vast majority of towns were forced to rely on a volunteer militia for their defense. 

The Mechanicus began its operation to liberate Usamilplatz, by dispatching units of Sydonian Dragoons and Sicarian Infiltrators to act as forward reconnaissance, scouting out the forests around the major highway's, eliminating Ork encampments as quietly as possible to maximize surprise when the main force began its push towards the city.  

These units met with limited success, the Orks in Usmilplatz had grown large on a steady diet of fighting against the local partisans and had adopted good small-unit tactics to deal with fighting these forces as part of their counter-insurgency. On top of the veteran opposition, Mechanicus' command and control tethers, allowing Dominus' to give real-time orders to units in the field were being disrupted by unusual energy spikes, causing Skitarii assets to disappear from the control auspex entirely. 

Reconnaissance Asset T86-01 was one such unit, a five-man team of  Ruststalkers, tracking north along Ancillary Highway 18-UM, to eliminate a Xenos firebase when they vanished from the Auspex suddenly in Anesl Hollow, a long-abandoned iron minehead. 

Combat Asset C67-02 is dispatched to the location to search for the wayward recon team. When they arrive, their search yields no obvious explanation, about to descend into the mine itself the Skitarii are interrupted by the sudden arrival of an Ork Raiding party.

The Ork raiders, striking with surprise on their side, catch the Skitarii in a state of rare disorganization, forcing the combat unit back off the mountain, leaving the fate of T86-01 still shrouded in mystery for the time being.  

Across the field, much of the early stage objectives for Mechanicus scout teams are not met on schedule. It is of no consequence to the Magos' of Prima Jama, if infiltration and sabotage cannot win the day, then massed superior firepower surely will...

-Your Favorite Madman-

Jornath: Operation Gray Jewel

With the year drawing to a close, Imperial commanders were eager for a shift in the tide. Operation Gray Jewel hopefully represented the beginning of that shift. Combining huge numbers of Imperial Guard assets, the Mechanicus and the Astartes, the sole purpose of the operation would be to smash open the Ork encirclement of Fort Behras, and roll through the concentrations of aliens there driving onward into the northern mountains once more, stranding orks between the heart of the counter-attacks avenue of advance, and the eastern coast. 

Tactical Brief

Mendorus Grove is one of three railyards sitting in the area of influence under H-906 (Fort. Behras)  These railyards provide logistical depots to the fortress as well as acting as servicing stations for commercial transportation from central Kula into the mountains. Mendorus Grove primarily works as a repair facility for industrial trains carrying material to and from Usamljen Heights.  It is spread over several kilometers of open ground and it is for this openness that Tactica Command has chosen this position for our breakthrough. The northern avenues to the Fortress through the Ctre Valley have been rendered inaccessible to our vehicles from heavy bombardment, as well the majority of the Ork presence has encamped there. The east, with Saine Yeltsville and the suburban areas, collapsed two months ago under severe Xenos pressure, leaving the only viable avenue there for armored counter assault firmly in opposition control.

Therefore the flat ground, around the railyard has been chosen to maximize the capabilities of our armored vehicles and allow Infantry units to make full use of range to neutralize the Orks before they can close to close quarters. The primary objective of the attack will be the seizure of an Ork forward operating base built into the repair yards of the 3rd transit hub.  It is likely that the local tribal leaders are positioned here, alongside a bulk of ammunition and xenos heavy equipment.

The offensive will be preceded by scheduled artillery fire from Fort Behras onto positions to the south of the ork FOB to aid Pioneer units in clearing minefields in preparation for 1st wave assets.

Game Overview

5000 points per side.

1 “Superheavy Class or Gargantuan” option per side.

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Deployment will be 12’’ off from Long Table Edges

Each team is allowed 15 minutes for planning and 15 minutes for deployment. Any units not deployed within the allotted time period are to be placed into reserve. Deployment will be in the pre-8th edition style, with Imperial forces deploying first.  First turn will be decided by roll-off.

The board will have 3 territorial objectives placed evenly across the middle of the table in No Man’s Land that will allot victory points on turn 3 and on turn 6 to the side that has more Wounds, inside or within 3’’ of these objectives.

Maglev Repair Hanger - This repair hanger has been retrofitted by the greenskins into a Mek Workshop of terrifying proportion, the position is heavily fortified, and bolstered. Much of the facilities repair machinery is located in its underground substructure.  This is a Vital Objective, worth 4 VP on turn 3 and 6VP on turn 6.

Cargo Yard- The material storage area for cargo going out from the railyard, and for spare parts used by the repair hangers. This objective is worth 2 VP on turn 3 and  3 VP on turn 6.

Comptoria Gantry- The control tower for the railway, this facility guides the function of the whole of Mendorus Grove while it’s complicated auspices, sensory arrays and servo-slaves are of little interest to the Orks. The destruction of the massive glyphs and WAAAGGH banners adorning the Gantry would likely heavily demoralize Ork warbands battling in the pathway of the Offensive. This objective is worth 2 VP on turn 3 and 3 VP on turn 6.

Imperial Stratagems

Strategic Reserve (2CP)- When a unit of Imperial Guard Infantry you control is completely destroyed. You may expend this stratagem, to bring a fresh unit with identical upgrades to that unit’s starting profile onto the field on your next movement phase as though from Reserve.

Mobile Bastions (2CP)- When an Infantry unit would become the target of attacks from ranged weaponry, if that unit has a model within 3’’ of any Imperial vehicle, then it may instead differ those attacks to that vehicle instead.

Death from the Skies (3CP)- During your shooting phase you may select 3 enemy units within line of sight of any platoon or company commanders. Roll a D3, the result will be the unit selected to receive an attack following this profile  ( 1xD6 - Strength: 7  AP: -1   Damage: 1)

Angels of War (2CP)- When an Imperial Guard unit would fail a battleshock test, if the unit is within 9’’ of a unit with keyword <Space Marine> then the test, will instead pass successfully. If an Imperial Guard unit chose to fallback from combat, but are within 9’’ of a Space Marine unit they may act as normal this turn, rather than suffering the penalties for withdraw

Surgical Operators (3CP)- If a unit with keywords <Space Marine> or <Tempestus Scion>  are within the Maglev Repair Hanger, you may expend this stratagem. The unit chosen will not suffer the penalties for moving and shooting with a heavy weapon, advancing and shooting with an assault weapon, and may choose to fire twice with rapid fire weapons on this turn, at targets also within the Maglev Repair Hanger.

   ORK Stratagems

Get Lootin’ Ladz! ( 3CP): If a unit of infantry is in close combat with a vehicle that has less than 3  wounds remaining, they may attempt to seize control of the vehicle themselves. If the orks deal more wounds to the vehicle that are dealt to their own unit (this includes wounds dealt by other units in the same combat) then the infantry unit will remove 3 models from its number and the opposing vehicle will be under the control of that units’ player until it is destroyed. The vehicle will be restored to D3+2 wounds.

Kunninly Brootal ( 3CP): Select an armored container, Ork trukk, Warbuggy, Wartrakk or a similarly sized piece of battlefield terrain, All units within 6’’ of this terrain piece or vehicle suffer D6 Strength 7, AP -1, Damage 1 hits.  Remove the terrain piece or unit from play for the rest of this game.

Da Roost (2 CP):  After deployment but before first turn, you may expend the CP for this stratagem and place a unit of Stormboyz, Lootas or Flash Gits on the Comptoria Gantry.

Mob Up Yer Runts! (2CP) : If a unit of Ork Boyz or Gretchin you control is completely destroyed. You may expend this stratagem, and place a new unit of the same type onto the board from your deployment zone at the beginning of your next movement phase, with 4xD6 members, and either 1 Nob or 1 Runtherder depending on unit type.

Propa WAAAGGH!!! (2CP): Used on a unit that you control who possess the “Waaggh” special rule in its profile. For the duration of this turn the range of that power will double to 12’’ and will effect units from allied player’s armies as well as your own.

Theme Set Stories

Put out one a day in preparation for the Apocalypse game

The weather had turned cool finally. The soft winds of early autumn rolled across the lush green hills in Northern Kula's wine country. Cohort Praefector Hildegras breathed in deeply, from the pulpit of his Leman Russ, and thought back to his days as a stripling lad chasing girls and causing a ruckus in the local alehouses. The warm glow of the sun on his face giving the perfect compliment to the breezes nip. It let him forget... to push the distant chattering of stubbers through the filter of his own nostalgia until they were festival firecrackers or Clatterbirds. To equate the bustle of the gathering might of the Imperium's armies around him to just market noise. To forget the dread of his own likely demise looming over those hills for just a little while longer...

Sergeant Aeneas sat onto the hard cot within the spartan drop-barracks that represented his squad's operations center on this planet. A throng of chapter serfs shuffling around him with a veritable library of data slates showing ammunition counts, intelligence on Ork troop movements around the squad's target area and other vital operations information. It was one of the few things that brought him enjoyment in his life. It let him focus on tasks, exert his mind without risking the lives of others. Major operations were particularly enjoyable. Especially against a foe like the Orks, an infestation of the greenskins was good to take the mind of the worsening galactic situation. He almost envied the defense force soldiers outside, they would spend their short lives only knowing the ork, able to focus on this conventional barbaric horde while elsewhere unspeakable nightmares waited to devour mankind. He pushed such gloom aside as a serf handed him Astra Militarum figures for zone 6, and he set his mind back into a happy focus.

Fusilier Vano bumped up and down in the back of the Helstannon troop carrier. The old coastal roads down from the mountains were far from ideal, but the greenskins held the paved ones since the Necs Pledge Cohort routed two months ago. The journey was filled with mixed emotions for the cohort, some of his comrades were jovial for a change in scenery. The mud-slicked depot that had been their home for the past few months was a cratered ruin, littered with the bodies of aliens and friends. But others sat in sullen silence or rocked with nervous ticks, anticipating the coming mighty offensive. Vano took out his cohort primer, hoping to take his mind off things. Just as he opened the booklet to a section on proper footwear maintenance, a deafening crack echoed out across the convoy. He dropped the book, startled by the sudden noise, which was soon followed by another and another.

"UP DAMN YOU! GET YER GUNS UP YA SKAGS!" Screamed Master Fusilier Chebzch from a few vehicles over.

Vano's heart started beating frantically. scrabbling around in a pile of equipment on the flatbed to get his lasgun. He grabbed ahold of the weapon, only for it to be knocked out of his hands by the body of Fusilier Cyril slamming against him. He tumbled to the bed of the vehicle, the rattle of Ork weapons and snap-pop of the cohorts lasguns roaring around him. A hand grasped him by the collar and yanked him off the back of the flatbed, onto the stony ground.

"Shoot the Orks you coward!" yelled a Sergeant he did not recognize from above him.

Pulling himself to his feet Vano scrabbled across the road looking for any kind of protection. Finding an autopistol on the ground he turned towards the sound of the shooting. Peering out from behind the helstannon, he could see a half dozen Gretchin withdrawing back into the coastal marshes, firing autoguns wildly back towards the convoy. The bellow of their Ork minders carried from further off into the tall reeds and scrub.The firing had not even subsided before the call came down the line from the Master Fusilier.

"Right! Mount Up, we've got to win the bloody war and get these crates the army lads. Pick up the wounded and treat 'em in the carriers. MOVE!"

Vano returned to the back of the flatbed and hauled himself up. He turned to help up some injured, laying them as carefully as possible around the scattered equipment and Cyril's body. He sat back down roughly into his seat, numb to the world.

The convoy kicked back into motion, ork rounds still smashing against the vehicles as they bucked down the roads into central Kula

Click Here to read more about the Fusiliers

The Valkyrie bucked from turbulence as the aircraft crossed over the coastline of Kula province. Samn leaned over a little to look out at the landscape coming into view he'd seen Kula from the air plenty of times through training drops and a handful of raids, but there was something impulsive about the act of looking that he chose to consistently indulge. He turned his attention back to cleaning his hellgun as another gunship in the formations blocked the view out the door gunners nest.

In a few hours time, the Valkyrie was touching down amidst a vast field of prefabricated shelters, armored vehicles of every shape and size. Samn polished off the cohort badge of his beret, donning the hat and getting to his feet.

"Sergeant, order the formation to parade ready deployment, would you," he spoke over his shoulder thumbing the rune of opening on the Valkyries assault ramp. The heavy slab of adamantine dropped almost noiselessly to the soft grass below. beyond the end of the ramp across a few meters of open ground denoting the landing area stood a fierce taciturn looking off-worlder in the accouterments of a lord commissar. Samn put on his best diplomatic smile and made sure to put a swagger in his step on approach to demonstrate his confidence and status as a cohort commander.

"Lord Commissar Gralin "Gladius" It is auspiciously met. I am Samn, son of Crocren of the Isle of Precpia, leader of the Royal Guard of that Islands most noble and hon..."

"Shut the hell up! You Jornathii and your introductions, I swear to him on earth. I have three questions commander you will answer them with brevity. growled the Lord Commissar.

"W..W...well very well then..." stammered Samn, very much deflated and not a little bit angered at having been spoken to in such a manner in front of his cohort.

"Do Sub-sector logistical figures of your cohorts strength and armament match the truth." spoke the Lord Commissar, with the same menacing growl from before.

"It does my lord, 9,000 Souls. Grenadiers. Specialist Airborne Assault Infantry according to standard specifications."

"How many engagements have your forces participated in?"

"2 Raids my lord. One on Valeri Pesh, the other a Manor house to rescue a nobleman's family."

The lord commissar seemed puzzled at this but spoke nothing in direct reply to it.

"Does your cohort have outstanding social, economic or political grievances with any unit currently serving under the 1st Army Group?"

"No my lord we are Precpian, not Manfredi"

A look of mild exasperation this time.

"It is the decision of the command staff of this army group that your cohort shall be broken into three divisions to hit key locations in the operations area. Your men will have the immense honor of securing tier 1 objectives alongside the emperors avenging angels. Fail in this and I swear to you now I will personally execute you for embarrassing this army." Said the Lord Commissar with poison behind every word.

With the meeting done the Lord Commissar turned and stormed off into the heart of the camp. The certainly don't call him the Mordian bulldog for no reason he thought to himself. He stood an absolute stew of emotions, if he was successful here he might go down in sector history as a hero, and to battle alongside Astartes, was an honor he had never hoped to attain in his professional life. But there was also so much at stake...

He turned around to his cohort.

"COMPANY COMMANDERS TO ME!" he bellowed

Jornath 40k: Kula

Location:   Kula, Kula Province

Country: Manfredi-At Prima

Province: Kula Province

Population: 4.5 Million

Kula is the capital of Kula Province, the largest civic and maritime producing region in the nation of Manfredi-At Prima along the Imperial World of Jornath’s Northern Hemisphere. It is the focal point of the opening stages of the Battle for Jornath.

History: Kula was founded 3,500 years after initial human settlement on Jornath, springing to life at the confluence of the bountiful river systems flowing in from the coast. It was a combination of numerous agricultural facilities, communications outposts, and minor maritime ship crafting factories. For several generations Kula gathered regional influence, through the petty feuding of local Lords or Kings, it even purportedly enjoyed a brief time as the capital of a regional kingdom. Though much of the information and histories of this period were lost during reunification, with the Imperium of Mankind.  After the Legiones Astartes departed, vast caravans of interplanetary traders, artisans, and the enigmatic tech-priests of Mars, flooded the planet, Kula was one of many cities on Jornath to benefit from the technologies of the wider Imperium. Already a truly labyrinthine metropolis,  the advanced building capabilities and solutions that the techpriests offered turned Kula into North-western Jornath’s first Hive city,  though a meagre hive by comparison to other worlds, Kula’s reputation terrestrially, as a beautiful river city, a place of business, art and mercantile power was amplified a thousandfold.  Soon the Patrician Families from Guffmans-Platz, to Oakenzid and even further south were scrabbling, bribing, and scheming to control the “River Jewel”. This reached a head several years later, during the outbreak of the Horus Heresy. The Genntim Family, with the backing of the Black Cross Shipwrights Union, and a notable supporter of the Warmaster’s cause, (Addolense Genntim, the family patriarch seemed to believe the burgeoning Church of the Emperor was being encouraged rather than dissuaded by the Emperor) marched into Kula’s southern civic basilica, with a few dozen well armed retainers, and began shooting.   The Genntim Massacre, solidified Kula Province in the name of the Warmaster; echoing similar scenes across the planet, and indeed the galaxy as Chaos tore at the soul of the Imperium.  Fortunately, the Traitor’s did not hold Kula for long, thanks in large part to the commander of the (then infantile) Kula Conservator Cohort, Euclid Kinnell, who remained loyal to the planetary governor’s ( an Ultramarine Administrator and Advisor) final order to maintain the Imperial Truth, as laid down by the Master of Mankind himself.  The Kula Conservator Cohort, was at this time billeted several kilometers outside hive spire,  in the Indigo Sparrow Dockyards, Euclid rallied his men, and marched to the southern civic basilica, encountering traitor union men from Black Cross, and mustermann from House Genntim. Eventually the K.C.C.  battered their way to the civic basilica, and therein forced the Genntim families surrender, under pain of having their name expunged from the noble enscrolle of Kulaian Families, a threat worse than the death of each member of the family. Since that time the people of Kula hold loyalty, and pride of arms in high esteem,  the path of the KCC’s march to save Kula’s soul from Heresy is now immortalized and is a must see for any pilgrims to the area,  beginning at the Indigo Sparrow Dockyards (now the regional command center for the planetary defense forces) and ending at the Cathedral to Saint Euclid the Loyal.  

Geography: The Hive city of Kula covers an area of 1567 km,  and sits only slightly above sea level,  the city itself is criss crossed by rivers, tributaries and lakes, which sparkle with the millions of lights from the city, which is divided into 27 districts. The land around the city is marshy, and nutrient rich,  covered in agricultural complexes, fisheries, and swamps.

Military: About 5% of the population is permanently enlisted into the Kula Conservator Regiment, which equates to roughly 225,000 fighting men and women.  Which is broken into 10 Regiments of 22,000 Armsmen apiece with a single 5000 Armsmen mechanized regiment.  Basic equipment is fashioned in the Cadian style, but with a bent towards the finery and circumstance consistent in traditional Jornathi battledress. The Cadian Flakhelmet Mk XI, is an expensive and highly technical piece of equipment, which can be difficult for less disciplined or less technically inclined personnel to maintain efficiently,  the Jornathi Defense Forces meeting both of these criteria, the optionable alternative chosen by many cities on Jornath, is the Alar-Median, Slatthelm K1,  which, offers a similar weight and protective capability to that of the Cadian Mk XI, but does not include the Vox interface or advanced user HUD, or sensory deadening suite.  In terms of Body Armor, Jornath sources from Antax, Alar-Median and Tolkhan.  Kula chooses to take from the Tolkhan Dura-Curiass 023, which takes the Cadian style flakvest, removes the shoulder plating, and alters the sensory and trauma response systems to maintain operation at peak efficiency under water, or in highly damp conditions, but it suffers from decreased performance in high-dust situations, it offers similar impact resistance. The Kula Conservator Regiments, use the M36-C Kantrael Pattern Lasgun, for the carbines obvious benefits in naval operations.  The Regiments use the Chimera Armored Personnel Carrier as its chief combat transport,  the Helstannon “Intrepid” Carrier, for both hauling equipment and most terrestrial troop conveyance. The Chief combat vehicle for the KCC units, is the Leman Russ Battle Tank

This has been a detailed look at one location involved in the Battle for Jornath.

-Your Favorite Madman-

Col.Uriah Merda. Commander Yurien 3rd

Colonel. Merda,  known also as "Rust's Bulldog."  Is a older man,  of 52 years,  and one of Antilo Rust's most tenacious, and senior of Army Group Commanders. He is vicious, known for lightning quick armored offensives and the liberal application of Mechanized Infantry assets.

As a young man, Uriah Merda was a fiercely independent member of "The Brass Hegemony" a volatile economic sect of the Imperial Government on the Hive World of Cauldron's Gate. There he was responsible for overseeing the discipline and punishment of illegal mutant slave laborers, that provided much of the workforce for the Hegemony's obscenely high product quota. Cauldron's Gate, was eventually shifted into the zone of reinforcement for the Astra Militarium war against Orc Pirates in the sub sector.  Merda's, natural talents as a disciplinarian proved very helpful for his career, and he was placed in the 4th Cauldron Infantry's regimental command staff as an adjunct Commissar.

In his tenure with the 4th, he learned the trade of the political officer, and soon relished the work, putting the fire of battle and will to succeed into the hearts of the infantrymen under his direction.  After nearly a decade in service with his home regiment. Merda was given the rare promotion to the rank of full Commissar, by his mentor, and was to be transferred to a special Schola in the Segmentum Solar for indoctrination of the just right of Imperial Law.   However, as is sometimes the case with the Departmento Munitorum, he was prematurely transferred to the 3rd Yurien Regiment as a Senior Political Officer, to assist with the Cyrian Civil War.

Upon making planetfall on the dusty flats on Yuria. Merda, assisted for sometime in small scale anti guerrilla operations, becoming familiar with the mechanized blitz tactics of the tankers.  Eventually, late in the war, only a few months before the Pilgrims would arrive and liberate the world.   The Governor issued  Edict 001,  to all loyalist regiments,   the systematic annihilation of all resistance units, their families, their families relations, and those relations' relations.   When the 3rd heard of this, their fury and outrage was absolute, armed terrorists was one thing, but few had been prepared to enact a full purge. Loyalties were tested, and it looked like even the PDF would rip itself apart.  Merda, spent much of this time brooding, thinking about his true place.  He decided, that the only proper thing to maintain discipline in the regiment would be to execute the acting Colonel Tamhander,  and place the regiment in a state of total neutrality until the wars end.

The 3rd, would be encountered at the central Tram station, holding off the 2nd Yurien "Loyalists" by the 11th Rallen. The stress, and lapse of imperial law, had let the temptations of Chaos slip in, and the 3rd were just starting to build bloody alters to Al'shata Kharone (The Blessed War Father).  Merda acting as their defiant new Colonel.  

Soon, Merda, would be promoted to the rank of Lex Commandat in the Pilgrims,  and be in command of the entire 2nd Army Group, some 1.8 Million Souls.  but for all the titles of distinction, he chooses to be called Colonel and thinks it more "homely" and "down to earth".   While he spends a lot more time in command rooms, and briefings than he would like, Merda still finds plenty of excuses to extol great feats of courage, and fight alongside his "Tough Bloody Boys" .

-Your Favorite Madman-