Ingredior: Where Silence Stops

This is the second battle in the ongoing Ingredior campaign. Click [HERE] to read the previous part, 'The Sally At Ferroc Castle'

After the resolution of the first battle, I presented Chris and his command of Sons of Medusa with the choice found below... 

After careful consideration, the Sons of Medusa opted for a cautious approach toward Ingredior Magnifica's Astropathic Relay.  The area near Ferroc Castle had been cleared of the immediate threat of the Necron Assault.  But the areas stretching out from it, former Mechanicus Serf habitats and a lattice of now battle-worn city districts, were haunted by all manner of Canoptek horrors or Necron kill teams.  It would take careful planning and hard fighting to slowly retake the area and begin to build a sufficiently capable force of mortal men and women to bolster a large scale counter assault against the Xenos. In the outlands, beyond the city stretching out from Ferroc Castle, stand towering Necron constructions of engraved black stone, restricting and dampening the Astropathic Choir. 

The constructions are heavily guarded; legions of Necrons stalk the outlands, probing constantly into the city by the hour to determine the nature of their recent defeat. Speed and Stealth are the watchwords of the day. The psychic dampening pylons must be deactivated quickly and without alerting the wider Necron armies to a significant breakout attempt.  Once deactivated, an elite force of Astartes and Kingsguard must blitz through the gap in the psychic field to re-capture the Astropathic Choir, and orient it through the newly created breach.  

Lt. Laird, would lead a small strike team into the Outlands ahead of the Assault Force led by Captain Corporis and Galkraan, Eternal King of Iron. 

We would be using my 'Force Reconnaissance' Rules for Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition, the following will be a recounting recorded live as the battle was played on the club's discord channel. 

There are 3 pylons representing the network of dampeners outside the relay. There are Patrols of scarabs maintaining the pylons and a guardian canoptek wraith in the center. The Marines start out undetected. Canoptek units have a 10" detection range, and their likely movement direction is indicated by the models' facing. If they are obscured from sight by terrain, the model is removed, and a die is placed indicating their last known location.

There are three alert levels indicating the growing awareness of the necrons to the intrusion. With increasing damage to the pylons and detections, also increasing the alert level.

The Marine Infiltration force is led by Lt. Laird, a Primaris Lt. In Phobos armor, he leads 4 infiltrators and 3 reivers who have been heavily upgraded. The infiltrators and Laird advance past a few Scarab patrols up toward the northeastern pylon

Once there, the reivers arrive via deep strike with grab chutes. The force eliminates two scarab bases, and the wraith begins reacting, moving up to investigate the loss of the scarabs

After a fairly intensive battle, the wraith is defeated, and the first pylon is destroyed, raising the alert to level 1, warriors and directed scarabs enter play.

The marines continue a merciless advance, gunning down three warriors and forcing their way into the vicinity of the second pylon. The Alert level is raised to 2. A tomb blade enters play along the line of pylons from the southwest. As more warriors arrive in larger squads

With a single shot, Lt. Laird slays the Tomb Blade, the metal xenos toppling dead from its mount, which pinwheels into the dry surface of Ingredior Magnifica, shearing off metal in a great plume of dust and sparking energies.

The Infiltration force advances, as the charges on the second pylon erupt. The marines have completed their primary objective; 2 of 3 pylons have been eliminated, though who knows what benefit the aliens might derive from these structures in a pitched battle. Laird pushes his men onward to the third and final pylon. The alert is now at level 3, and sizeable Necron assets are beginning to arrive.

The Sons of Medusa are undaunted; they break through several Necron skirmish lines to secure the objective. Planning charges on the final pylon as dozens of warriors begin to arrive. As the final pylon topples, the Infiltration team goes to ground in a nearby ruin, snapping off shots at their pursuers. Laird fires a green flare into the air above their position to mark their success. A signal seen by Captain Corporis and the Mortal Hosts of Galkraan, the Eternal King of Iron, who begin to move to their aid

Notable Deeds:

Lt. Laird personally killed 2 tomb blades, a death mark, and nearly a dozen scarab swarms.

The Reivers, though losing two of their number, slew triple their number in Necron warriors and a canoptek wraith

The Infiltrators destroyed all three pylons and killed several Necrons

We will join Lieutenant Laird and his men, as well as the rolling spearhead of the Sons of Medusa in Part 3.

I hope you enjoyed! 

-Your Favorite Madman-

Hobby: Cerberus Mercenary #1

I've been working on my own game 'With Strength Enough' which has been going very well, and a test copy is also available. Inquire in the comments below if youre interested in helping out!  The Beta version of the game is set in Warhammer 40,000. But the final version will be set in the Rennaissance of Flesh. A Biopunk setting of my and Sophie's design that we have been brainstorming for several months.  

The fellow below is a Cerberus, a transhuman species created early in the setting's history, during a time known as 'Lucy's War'. In the modern setting the Cerberi live their lives like anyone else, but due to their unique enhanced physiology are adept at combat roles and so many find work as guns for hire. 

We based the cultural morae's of the Cerberi on modern Mongolia, and obviously incorporated aspects of cyberpunk into the mix as well. I wanted to make something that felt like a mix of mis-matched practicality and efficency. 

The model is primarily a Mantic Games Enforcer, with Anvil Industries Cape and head added.  

Thanks for reading!

-Your Favorite Madman-

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: The Sect Recidivia

Pontry Contras, scrabbled through the dust-choked valley of bookcases and data terminals, the soft hum of his flock of servo-skulls the only sound disturbing the crypt-like silence of the Librarum Est Tricondriari.  He arrived at his objective in short order, picking up with his work, where had left off only a few hours before. A hand of pistons and iron gripped yet another book of deeds and actions of the noble families of the Jornathii, and deftly begins to turn page after page, Contras' cognito-enhancements absorbing and categorizing the information on each page in a heartbeat, while a lexigraphic node scribbled away on an auto-quill implanted on his back, recording the necessary alterations the adept superior felt needed to be implemented.

"Thrice benighted planetaries..." Contras breathed annoyed to himself

"What even is a..."Jurl"... that will have to go." he continued stumbling over the unfamiliar titles.

With a harsh metallic screech, a data log popped up from the mechanisms on his back, the lexigrapher having finished its work.  With the tone, one of the servo skulls descended and picked up the log, before floating off to add it to the ever-growing mountain of such logs filling the chambers of the Sect Recidivia's chamber house here in Kula Hive. 

Barely paying the skull any mind, Contras placed the book back upon the shelf and moved to the next, and the activity of exasperation and annoyed scribbling would play out once more. 

The Sect Recidivia

The Sect would find its origins upon the Sector Capital of Casa Urient, that shrine worlds various factions of the Administratum constantly battling with one another and the Ecclessiarchy about what version of history should be preserved and which should be placed upon the crematoria pyres. The Sect, believes in homogeny above all else, attempting to get as many worlds as close as possible to mirroring the titles and systems of the Adeptus Terra as it can, which means in many cases the destruction of local held titles and systems of government, which they typically view as unnecessary fat on the body of government. 

While they have been met with limited success on Casa Urient, the Sect has tried to preempt its rivals within the neighboring systems, setting forth thousands of adepts to hundreds of worlds within the Urient Sector.  On Jornath, the Sect Recidivia has been viewed with at best suspicion and disgust, and at worst with outright hostility. It is no secret that the Jornathi are not fond of off-worlders and are very proud of their traditions and culture.  Though, the Sect Adepts come from the capital and carry the licenses of authority from that governmental position, and so must be tolerated.  

For nearly five centuries, several hundred members of the Sect have combed the major libraries and studied Jornaths system of administration and each year have compiled an exhaustive list of changes and alterations, that should be imposed upon the planet.  Not least amongst these changes was the total abolition of the Roll of Honored Families, the cornerstone of the Feudal system on the planet, and the forfeiture of all private property over to larger state-run blocs controlled by the Administratum. Each of these proposals has "tragically" been lost or mired in beauracracy as to have been effectively stopped indefinitely,  though the Sect seems not to notice the outward hostility, nor the seemingly pointless nature of their exercise on the world. 

With the outbreak of the Ork Invasion and the struggle for the Jornaths survival spurring on sweeping changes to the military organization of the planets defense forces to be more effectively coordinated in mutual defense rather than in opposition to rival lords and guilds. The Sect Recidivia pushed their agenda of homogenous governance ever harder, even petitioning high ranking off-world members of the Astra Militarum for audiences to back their proposed changes to the government of the world. While none of the Imperial commanders even bothered to entertain the notion, many members of the Jornathii Noble families and of the Honored Guild Houses saw this as a blatant attempt at a coup by the Sect.

Tensions would continue to rise, until the autumn of the War for Jornath's third year, when a high ranking member of the Sect Recidivia on Jornath, a man named Jakub Gendricoll was found dead in his private apartments in the Deadalus Spire of Oakenzid Hive. The enforcers who investigated the man's demise blamed heart failure, though the Sect's own investigations quickly blamed the multiple gunshot wounds as the cause of death.  The Sect Recidivia accused the Guilder Houses of Oakenzid Hives as having conspired to kill an agent of the Golden Throne, a bold accusation which would on many worlds have caused a series of Arbites raids and the deployment of a PDF regiment to maintain order during the investigation. Jornath though was embroiled in the middle of a system-wide battle against Orks, and the Sect was despised as political dissidents by the systems government.  With its hand forced the director of the Sect on the planet requisitioned the aid of a Rogue Trader named Isandore Mandic, hiring his Voidsmen to act as a personal security detail and "enforcement body" for the vital work of the Sect on the planet.

There are some that worry Sect aligned Voidsmen might soon come to blows with Guild Mustermen in the terraces of the Deadalus Spire, though even if fighting should break out among the two factions it will likely be eclipsed by the greater conflict, becoming just another footnote in the War for Jornath.

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: Raid on Urzagz Shack

In the Aftermath of the Emerald Scream event, Imperial forces scrambled to meet a new wave of unexpected Ork reinforcement and redeployments across multiple battlefield sectors, from the growing crisis in the Airfields of Altheri Hive to the xenos armada amassing beyond the moon of Ankou the situation was chaotic to put it simply.  While forces were gathering to travel to Ankou and present desperate holding action to allow for Jornaths defenders to retrench and train many more times the number of fighting personnel originally expected. Jornathii and Astartes Special Forces moved to discover the origin point of the Scream's signal output on Jornath.   In short order Imperial auguries located the origin point within the Ork Rokk landing zones in the Kulan Exclusion Zone, specifically in an Ork Scrapburg known as "Da Stabheelz" so called for its higher than normal proportion of Gretchin.  The forces responsible for hunting down the origin and its suspected mastermind, an Ork named Bonebeard Blakkstaff, was dubbed Task Force Crimson Pendant, which would prioritize small unit insertions and lightning raids to cover large amounts of ground and ideally promote in-fighting amongst the alien war leaders, driving Blakkstaff into the open where he could be killed.

The Initial primary target for TF Crimson Pendant would be the massive Xenos Flakk Rokkit Tower on the southeastern side of the Stabheelz. This tower was being supplied by regular convoys, operating from outlying Mektowns and fabrication yards, though where these routes were exactly still needed to be identified. Intelligence gathered by scouts from the Dreadmare Companions suggested that an Ork Nob by the name of Urzagz Smunch, was an acting Xenos logistics chief in the area of the Flakk Tower.  10 Wing of the Jornathii Special Operations Battalion, were thusly tasked with paying a visit to Urzagz base of operations to discover any clues as to the ammunition convoy's whereabouts. 

Neutralizing the Convoy would allow close air support to better engage the Tower itself and with the alien's major AA emplacement silenced, drop craft could then land with relative impunity within the Stabheelz proper and the hunt for Blakkstaff could begin in earnest.

In a textbook sweep and clear operation with the support of a Helstannon troop carrier and Scout Sentinel, 10 Wing quickly assumed control of Urzagz's Shack, discovering a wealth of crudely drawn maps of the Stabheelz itself.  Not wanting to waste any time, the men of 10 Wing JSOB, opted to immediately continue through the city to an intercept point for the closest convoy route and set up a hasty ambush for the Greenskin column. 

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I hope you enjoyed this post, in the game we utilized a rough set of home brew rules to spawn in "AI" controlled Ork warriors, allowing for a joint player controlled operation, which yielded some truly interesting results. If you'd like to check out the rules you can click on the link 

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 Personalities: Captain Emith Vorodivo

Captain Vorodivo is the archetypal representation of his chapter, a dour and melancholic man, whose raw strength and capability for leadership simmer just below the surface of a sepulchral facade. For 300 years he has been in service to the Emperor as a part of the Mortifactors Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. Born on the chapter homeworld of Posul, he climbed his way to glory amongst the tribes of that feral frost world,  upon consuming the heart of the chieftain of the Ion Dreggers Clan, and offering up his body to the sacrificial pyre to the emperor he was elevated by the Astartes to the rank of an initiate.

During his time with the scout company, the young Vorodivo saw action across the breadth of the Imperium, honing his skills with long-range weaponry and stealth tactics. It was a formative time for him, as it is for all space marine initiates, it was during this period that he attained a special hatred for the Xenos of the galaxy. While the heretic was an affront in a totality, in spirit, and in body, the alien was a simpler threat, something that he came to particularly appreciate on account of his feral world upbringing. It was a simple and physical affront to mankind, one that could be rectified by a bolt round or the skilled swing of a blade. By the time he was elevated to the rank of a full battle brother, after 30 years of service in the 10th company, he had already decided to some day earn service into the Deathwatch. He would eventually succeed in his goal, during the Shackle Storm Interregnum, Vorodivo who was then amongst the ranks of the assault squads, descended to the deck of a Drukhari Archaon’s Ravager and, fighting his way past the Mandrakes guarding the Aeldari slaver lord, hurled a melta charge at the Archaon, igniting the Void grenades kept by the xenos. Sending a cascading whirlwind of flame and gore whipping into a coruscating void where the Archaon once stood. Vorodivo barely survived, his jump pack gave out upon his attempt to flee the wound in real space, He was recovered by his battle brothers, missing his right leg with large segments of his armor ripped away. Were it not for the excellence of the Astartes apothecary, he may well have died. Fortunately for the Imperium, Vorodivo did not succumb and was immediately elevated to the Tactical Squads for his actions. As a member of the 7th company, he undertook garrison and reconstruction duties with the rest of his squad, much to his chagrin. The Reserve company was rarely called to join in the larger actions of the chapter, and while this chaffed Vorodivo, who longed to earn glory in the great deeds of the chapter. It was a formative time, during his decades of service in the 7th under the mentorship of Sergeant Lyrtes, Vorodivo learned the minutiae of combat leadership, counter-piracy, guerilla and anti-insurgent combat doctrines, honing the young warriors hot-bloodedness into an expert military mind.

Vorodivo would eventually earn his place into the deathwatch in 388 M40, when the 7th was called to support the 3rd and 8th Companies and 6 other Space Marine Chapters in the containment of the Tyranid Splinter Fleet Umibozu, above the worlds of the Kisphaz System. The Kisphaz System fleet had been all but decimated, and 6 of the 13 worlds had already been annihilated by the aliens. Vorodivo and his battle brothers spent much of the year in the void, participating in a series of fleet actions to draw off portions of the hive fleet, to bleed it’s strength for the final killing blow. During the final incursion, huge sections of the tyranid biofleet were caught between two powerful battlelines of the Imperial Navy above the desert world of Markay III. As lance batteries and void torpedos ignited the fleshy organ ships, xenos spore pods fell to the surface in a desperate bid to continue the survival of the hive. It was to one of the Hive Tyrant bodyguards of the enormous Norn Queen, that Sergeant Lytes was to meet his end, and while the beast quickly met a painful end to the Sergeants plasma shot melting through its chest cavity, the foul constitution of the monster saw it given enough strength to drive a pair of bone swords through his torso. Not stopping the momentum of the squads charge, Vorodivo dropped his bolter, and recovered the relic weapons of his fallen mentor, using them to slay two more of the commander beasts, allowing Chapter Master Jaccat and his Ancients of the Solemn Blades Chapter to finally come to grips with the queen itself and end its synaptic hold over the dwindling remains of the fleet. Vorodivo was approached by Captain Auguri, commander of the Mortifactors 7th Company upon his return to the companies strike cruiser, the Captain had heard tell of Vorodivo’s mighty actions following the death of Lytes, and offered the honor of either Lytes’ command, or to represent his chapter in the ranks of the Deathwatch. Vorodivo would take the black the very next day, travelling to the nearest Watch-Fortress of Eocore. At Eocore, Vorodivo would learn the specialist tactics of the Deathwatch, sadly though his tenure with the venerated order would not be a lengthy one. Whilst aiding merchant vessels under duress by Rak’Gol raiders, Vorodivo and the other members of his kill team was ambushed by Aeldari Corsairs. While he was unaware at the moment, the mistress of their lithe-limbed attackers was, in fact, the daughter of the archaon Vorodivo had slain so many years before.  Artesha Sull, had brooded and plotted for her father's demise for centuries, as is the way of the Drukhari, but when she was outdone by Monkeigh brutes, all her hatred and outrage towards her abusive sire was poured into the fulfillment of a perverse alien honor debt, geared singularly towards the Mortifactors, and centuries later, towards Vorodivo himself.

The sudden arrival of the Corsairs caught the Kill Team flat-footed, shuriken and lances pierced from psychically concealed hides, adding to the havoc of the Astartes’ melee with the Rak’Gol’s Abominations. A quarter of the team was slain immediately in the Aeldari’s killzone, Korsae Charfang, rallied the survivors of the deathwatch near the docking umbilicals of the Rak’Gol’s assault ship. Opting to detonate the connecting walkways, to spare the humans on board the merchant vessel from the predations of the aliens. While this would strand the Kill Team aboard the xenos ship, it was not in the nature of the space marines to yield the victory to the enemy.  The Astartes fought their way to the vessels vital systems, slaughtering their way past Rak’Gol monsters and the occasional Aeldari ambush, as each system was laid low it was paid for in the life of another team member, until only Charfang, Vorodivo, and Kori Rycaspen remained, each heavily wounded. In a last-ditch attempt to take the aliens with them, the trio made way to the ships warp reactor. It was in the heart of this enginarium that Artesha Sull, revealed her purpose to Vorodivo, gloating over the corpse of Rycaspen, as both Vorodivo and Charfang laid bleeding on the ichor soaked decking. Had the Aeldari been less sadistic in her desire to boast over her quarry, the two astartes would likely have met their end in that horrid place. Fortunately, the arrival of more Rak’Gol crew members proved enough to distract the knife-eared corsair queen, allowing the two stricken astartes to drag themselves into the lower levels of the reactor, using the maintenance access ways the two survived in the recesses for days, allowing their superhuman physique to heal their wounds, biding their time as the Aeldari and Rak’Gol fought violent skirmishes, in an attempt to gain control of the vessel for their own ends. After a week had elapsed, the full might of the Eocore Watch Fortress descended upon the Rak’Gol ship, thanks to the actions of the kill team, the vessel found itself stuck; listing amongst the shipping lanes it had attempted to raid. Four kill teams and a strike force of the Militarum Tempestus made entry across the vessel via Thunderhawk and Boarding Torpedo, and cleared the entirety of the ship, thirty Aeldari Corsair’s bodies were recovered, three captured, of Artesha Sull and any others there were no sign. All sixteen hundred of the Rak’Gol aboard were purged, not one of the beasts even attempted to give up battle. Both Charfang and Vorodivo were recovered, along with 7 of the 10 bodies of the Kill Team, the other three were too badly disfigured to be moved without damaging their gene seed. The Rak’Gol hulk was declared Blackshields Razor, to commemorate the deaths of the astartes aboard it, it is still used as a merchants landmark to this day.  Following the internment of his battle-brothers in the Watch-Fortress’ crypts Vorodivo opted to end his watch, addled with guilt at the deaths of his brothers he returned to the Mortifactors, though many considered him a hero for his activities it did nothing to dissuade his own sense of self-doubt for what happened on the Blackshields Razor.

Upon returning from the Deathwatch, Vorodivo was moved into the tactical squads of the Mortifactors 3rd Battle Company as a demi-squad leader, it was in this position that he would spend a great deal of time, nearly a century battling across the breadth of the galaxy, against the Arch Enemy, Xenos, and occasionally acting in conjunction with members of the Inquisition or as a liaison with Astra Militarum Lord Commanders fighting against alien threats. During the Invasion of Ultramar, Vorodivo would earn his Terminator Honors. The 3rd Company was locked in melee with a Chaos Marine Warband led by the dread prince Galgathrax the Unwholesome, a wash of pox addled cultists swarmed across the companies battleline, pinning the various elements in place as Galgathrax’s personal guard waded into squad after squad, turning the noble armor of the Astartes into a oxidized metal coffin overflowing with thick white puss. Vorodivo, wrenched a Multi-Melta from its mounting on a shattered Imperial Guard emplacement, and charging forward he sent a searing blast of molten gas into the mighty daemon prince. While nowhere near enough to kill the monster, it did stagger him, allowing a volley of battle cannon rounds from the Vostroyan 423rd to find purchase on the princes’ bubbling oily flesh without being flung aside by Galgathrax’s magics. Cutting through a half dozen cultists, Vorodivo was met by Galgathrax’s personal bodyguard, ten mighty terminators, veteran warriors of 10,000 years of rebellion stood between the mortifactor and the arch-heretic, he had only moments before the monstrous warlord recovered from the wounds he had sustained. A flurry of bolt rounds tore into his body, detonating across his armor, sending his to his knees as his armor locked down under the onslaught. Desperately, he fired his multi-melta again, but the blast was intercepted by the body of one of the monsters terminators. His squad close behind him, rushed into battle with the traitors, taking advantage of the momentary gap in the bodyguards defense, caused by the melta blast, two battle-brothers Derafae and Eamilius riddled Galgathrax with a torrent of bolter shells, tearing the creatures arm from its body.  At last the Daemon Prince signalled his warband to withdraw from the field, the bodyguard scything down several of the Squad as they broke contact. Again the cultists returned, shielding their master from more harm. Vorodivo struggled back to his feet choking one such foolish mortal to death in rage at his quarries escape. Moving to the creatures severed arm, Vorodivo pried the sword from its atrophied hand and held it high above him, screaming hymnals of victory, it is said a gleaming beam of sunlight broke through the battle haze and illuminated the Sergeant in light, showing all assembled upon that field of the Emperor’s gaze apparent upon him. At this fearsome visage of Humanities fury, the sea of cultists broke as well, saving the 3rd Company and its supporting assets from defeat. The Blade, named Penitents Wish was a stolen relic of the Executioners Chapter, lost to the forces of Chaos since the time of Badab,it would become Vorodivo’s personal weapon, a testament to his heroism and long service in battle against the Imperiums many adversaries.

Following the completion of the Ultramar campaign, Vorodivo would join the 1st Company, after two hundred and fifty years of glories earned. For two decades he would act in support of the actions taken against the remaining forces of Chaos in Imperium Secundus. Eventually being called to support his brothers in the 3rd Company battling a strangely coordinated pirate ring just beyond the reaches of Ultramar, thanks to Vorodivos tutelage in counter piracy tactics under Sergeant Lyrtes and within the Deathwatch so many years before. It was upon discovering that the pirate fleet was being coordinated by a shadowy Aeldari Corsair flotilla referred to as Nezahs Courtesans, that Vorodivo would become truly invested. While it was incredibly unlikely that Artesha Sull was in any way responsible for this organization, he harboured a secret hope that he might drive Penitents Wish into the perfidious xenos heart, finally avenging his fallen deathwatch comrades, and erasing the stain on his honor. The human pirates were little challenge for the Astartes, many surrendered without any attempt at a battle. Better to work on a penal world than face certain death and excommunication for drawing a blade against the Angels of Death. It was when the fleet assets of Nezahs Courtesans were finally cornered in the asteroid fields of the Banfin system that the true conflict occurred. The void battle was brief but incredibly violent, a knife fight by naval standards, as the Aeldari attempted to break contact with the Imperial flotilla by speeding behind them and using the Imperials much slower turning speed to their advantage. In the minutes that the Aeldari Kingship sailed past the Mortifactor’s strike cruiser Acheron, the 3rd company launched an all-out boarding attempt, Vorodivo and his squad along with Captain Mediosk and his Honor Guard teleported to the Aeldari vessels bridge. A teleportarium flicker sent Vorodivo, with his terminators off course, placing them mid-ship, and leaving the Captain with his command squad unsupported amongst the enemy.  Racing to support its captain the 3rd company set upon the xenos with redoubled vigor. Tragically it was not enough, as Vorodivo’s squad made entry to the bridge he gazed upon a carnal house. Even while outnumbered, an Astartes company command squad was not an easy target to fell. Captain Mediosk had died well, his body was recovered atop a mound of Aeldari warriors known as Incubi, dread bodyguard to Drukhari Archaons, each was a master swordsman. As the 3rd Company began rallying towards the vessels bridge, Vorodivo more closely inspected the late captains body. His death wound had come from the front, scarred in a score of places from the Incubi’s power swords the captain's armor was shattered, but it was not these weapons which had ended his life. That, had come from a Deathwatch combat blade…

Assuming command of the 3rd, Vorodivo massacred the Aeldari and sundered their vessels, igniting the reactors of the ships. Every man, woman and child were slaughtered in his rage. Even the human pirates, who had surrendered earlier in the campaign were put to the sword. Bitterly the 3rd, now under Captain Vorodivo left the Banfin system towards Ultramar. It was in transit to Macragge for new orders and re-fitting that they received a distress call from the nearby Imperial world of Jornath, which had come under attack by Orks. Even while the 3rd mourned the loss of its captain, the company made ready for a lengthy ground war. Upon arrival the Mortifactors found the PDF woefully unprepared for the task to hand, having squandered troops on ill-prepared operations, Vorodivo opted to using his company for a primary support role, developing a command framework for the war, as well as formulating a long-term plan for planetary combat operations. Vorodivo and the 3rd Company would quickly become indispensable in Imperial operations during the War for Jornath.

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: The Storming of Eckard Lane

Petyr clutched his lasgun tightly, the sounds of fighting echoed out across the town. The fat forms of xenos aircraft screamed by overhead like revolting bloat flies of scrap. The guild master had to scream over the enormous barrage of noises.

"Keep your heads down lads! The Crater Cohort will be here soon and then we'll retake the city!" 

Petyr peaked up over the lip of the shattered building, another handful of civilian vehicles was rocketing down the body-strewn street. Orks with crude jump packs tailing them closely, they let out perverse jeering calls in their bestial tongue as they fired heavy slugs towards the fleeing cars. 

From the second story of the antique shop, the platoon's heavy bolter kicked into life, barking out a short burst of gunfire...

The Stormboyz, scream forward towards the Imperial lines, seeking to hamper the human's firing to allow for the rest of the force to close. 

Nobz bound from cover to cover to avoid the withering hail of las and bolter fire pouring out from the Imperial blockade

The Orks close and take a considerable few guardsmen before the close of the final turn, curiously the gretchin do a not insignificant amount of damage on their own, firing from cover within the garage, making them particularly hard to hit. 

The Imperial town of Usamilplatz falls to savage Ork raiders, its militia buying precious hours to allow for portions of the civilian population to withdraw into the countryside in an attempt to find refuge from the vengeful aliens. This scrappy militia and their families would go on to form the backbone of the human resistance in the Usamiljen mountains for several months. Called Partisanii, these troops would hold out, striking at the aliens, as they created infrastructure across the region, eventually aiding the Mechanicus' Reconquest Campaign when it began in the weeks after Operation: Gray Jewel.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned as always for more battles from Jornath, particularly from the Mechanicus' push onto the Ork held mountains, and for a major lore update in the next few weeks.

-Your Favorite Madman-