It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of His inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the vast Imperium of Man for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day so that He may never truly die.
Yet even in His deathless state, the Emperor continues His eternal vigilance. Mighty Battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in His name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst His soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat to humanity from aliens, heretics, mutants -- and far, far worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.
Welcome to the hottest RP of 2018! I will ask you to join the discord here if you have not yet. Now, let's get into it!
This is an RP set in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe in which we play the Imperial Guard. However, this one will have a significant twist upon the classic 'Only War' styled Guard RPs that the good lad @JBCool constantly provides us with; in this you will roleplay as the commander of an Imperial Guards regiment and all that entails. You will see the whole galaxy and its greatest figures. You will meet figures from all Adepta of the Imperium, you will fight enemies unimaginable in scale and horror. You might attend balls before the start of a Crusade, only hours later leading great charges upon an enemy position. You will stand defiant as greenskins start chanting mere metres from your trench, or commune through hololith in your command vehicle with fellow commanders before orchestrating an encirclement so glorious that even the enemy will honour you with the bow of a head.
Without further ado, let us get into the character sheets!
Regiment Name
Regimental Specialty: Here you shall go into a very brief analysis at what they are good at Regimental Flaws: Here you shall go into a very brief analysis of what they are bad at Number of Humans Souls: List the total amount of men in the Regiment
Regimental Organization: For this section, I would rather you split things up, perhaps with smaller hiders within. As an Example, let us take the imaginary Cadian 253rd Cadian Infantry A Company: A Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) B Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) B Company: A Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) B Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) C Company: A Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) B Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) D Company: A Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) B Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) E Company: A Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) B Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) F Company: A Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) B Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) G Company: A Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) B Platoon: 4 Guardsman Squads(10 per squad), 4 Heavy Weapons Teams, 3 Special Weapons Teams(6 per squad), 1 Conscript Squad(50 per squad), 1 Outrider Squad(10 per squad) Support Elements: 10 Commissars, 20 Adeptus Ministorum Priests, a Tech-Priest Enginseer, an Astropath, two Wyrdvane Psyker Squads
Regimental Armoury Allocation: Here we describe what armaments your regiment brings to bear, and [how it brings it to bear As an example (doesn't need the same level of detail) for the above regiment: Kantrael Short Pattern Lasgun: Standard Lasgun of the Regiment's Guardsmen x2,000 power packs x10,000 M35 Magna-Core Plasma Gun: Issued to all Special-Weapons troops x260 Flak Armour: Issued to all but officers, x2000 Carapace Issued to Platoon Commanders and Sergeants x100 Chimera [multi-laser refitted in favour of autocannon] x24 issued to platoon and company command squads. Kantrael Pattern Laspistol: x1000 issued to officers and other troops x1000 power packs (separate from lasguns) Hell Hammer Pattern Lascannon: Issued to every heavy weapons team, x60 Heavy Stubber: issued as a special weapon to each guardsman squad. x60 (2,000 bullets each) Duelling Blade: A Ceramite-Plasteel-Adamantium composite sword of moderate weight, used for outriders and other troops x1,000
(Note, you should bring more of each piece of equipment that you're using than you need for repairs, replacements and similar things in the field of battle for you cannot be reinforced and rearmed instantly. However, if you bring too much spare equipment the administratum might be lazy to reinforce and rearm your particular regiment).
An important thing to note is that while detail is appreciated and desired, you should not make it so much that you will be hurt or upset at the loss of them.
Name: gee I wonder Age: gee I wonder Gender: gee I wonder Physical Description: What do they look like? Pictures may be linked but if it's just a picture so help me God. If it's an anime picture, so help you God. Equipment: What do they carry upon themselves? This may include non-martial items Personality: What are they like to be around? How do they behave? Capabilities: What are they expert at? Failings: What are they bad at? What is their weakness?
Regimental History: Quite simple. I'd prefer you include at least one triumph and one catastrophe; unless they are a freshly raised regiment.
Regimental/Planetary Culture: Also quite simple. What's their home like? What do these people look like? What's their interpretation of the Imperial Cult? Do they speak High Gothic, a local tongue or both?
Recruitment Method: How are they recruited? Are they the firstborn son of couples? Orphans that didn't make it to the Schola Progenium? People who drew a bad number at a lottery?
Now you are good to go, ping me here as you post it (in a hider plz) so that I (and others if they so feel like) can critique your regiment and then you can post it in the Character tab
NOTE: I would very much prefer it if your regiment had a homebrew planet/origins rather than using an existing canon regiment. That said, if you want to use an existing one I'd prefer you at least make it very creative, perhaps putting a "twist" on it, as an example make a Rough Rider regiment from Mordia, a people known for infantry and mechanized regiments rather than cavalry.
Now, if you have any questions, anything to add, or comment, anything at all, feel free to PM or ping me!
Interested! I'm kicking around a couple of ideas, which I've got down to either an armored regiment or a drop troop regiment. I'll probably bother you in Discord about it as well as "party" composition and that.
The Griskan 39th, also known as the Iron Lions, are classified as a "mobile artillery" regiment that's 2,500 men and women strong. They excel at bringing devastating, close range artillery support to the front line for immediate barrages. They advance behind the main push, establishing "fall back" lines so should the advance falter, it doesn't have to retreat all the way back to the original main line. Where as traditional artillery regiments may require set up time and are generally unable to provide meaningful support should the enemy be too close, the Griskan Gunners can bring down the hammer where other regiments would worry about firing "danger close".
Regimental Flaws
Although able to quickly set up and maneuver around the battlefeild, the Griskan Gunners lack the more traditional heavy artillery such as Basilisks and Colossus. This means that their firepower lacks the punching power that a more traditional provides. In addition, their proximity to the front line means they are at a considerable danger of being overwhelmed unlike other artillery regiments who stay far behind. More than one regiment has been wiped out when their fallback lines failed. In addition, many would consider what the Griskans have to be outdated and more at home in a PDF regiment than a true guard regiment as seen with their use of vehicles such as Goliath trucks and Medusa siege guns. Griskan regiments also have a bad habit of flaunting "faux bravery" as they see themselves more courageous than other artillery regiments but have a tendency of deligating actions of real courage to infantry regiments citing that said regiments are "better equipped to handle them" and that "mobile artillery is still technically just artillery".
Regimental Organization:
500 Section 1 - 100 -
Regimental Armoury Allocation: Here we describe what armaments your regiment brings to bear, and [how it brings it to bear As an example (doesn't need the same level of detail) for the above regiment: Kantrael Short Pattern Lasgun: Standard Lasgun of the Regiment's Guardsmen x2,000 power packs x10,000 M35 Magna-Core Plasma Gun: Issued to all Special-Weapons troops x260 Flak Armour: Issued to all but officers, x2000 Carapace Issued to Platoon Commanders and Sergeants x100 Chimera [multi-laser refitted in favour of autocannon] x24 issued to platoon and company command squads. Kantrael Pattern Laspistol: x1000 issued to officers and other troops x1000 power packs (separate from lasguns) Hell Hammer Pattern Lascannon: Issued to every heavy weapons team, x60 Heavy Stubber: issued as a special weapon to each guardsman squad. x60 (2,000 bullets each) Duelling Blade: A Ceramite-Plasteel-Adamantium composite sword of moderate weight, used for outriders and other troops x1,000
Quartermaster's Logs
5,500 x Mars Pattern Lasgun w/ 8,000 Power Packs and 6,500 bayonets; standard issue armament.
Full sets of Griskan Warplate; standard issue armor.
Chain Halberds; issued to the rank of Sargent.
Accatran Pattern, Mark XI Combat Shotguns; issued to all NCOs
Mordian-styled Power Swords; issued to all COs
Accatran Pattern Mark II Laspistol; issued to all COs
An important thing to note is that while detail is appreciated and desired, you should not make it so much that you will be hurt or upset at the loss of them.
Name: Lourant of Ulgramor, "the Bernard" Age:58 (has had rejunivation treatments) Gender: Male
Physical Description:
What do they look like? Pictures may be linked but if it's just a picture so help me God. If it's an anime picture, so help you God.
Equipment:
What are they expert at?
Personality:
Lourant of Ulgramor is the product of an intricate network of noble marriages that span the subsector. He's had a fairly sheltered childhood and tends to see the world as much softer and lighter than it often is. Uncompromising on his morals and zealous in his beliefs unless massive evidence is used to disprove, Lourant's sense of honor has more than once overtaken his sense of reason. He famously once let a heretic mutant champion pick up his weapon in a duel as fighting a man who is unarmed is dishonorable and not sporting at all. Despite his idealism however, he is still tolerated and even appreciated by the men under him as his sense of heroics often causes him to stay at the front and try to mingle as best he can with the average trooper. His nickname is proof of it as "Bernard" is a derogatory term among most Griskan regiments describing incompetent noble commanders, but Lourant has actually encouraged his men to call him that.
Capabilities:
Inspiring Troops
Being Diplomatic with other Regiments
Failings:
What are they expert at?
Regimental History: Quite simple. I'd prefer you include at least one triumph and one catastrophe; unless they are a freshly raised regiment.
Regimental/Planetary Culture: Also quite simple. What's their home like? What do these people look like? What's their interpretation of the Imperial Cult? Do they speak High Gothic, a local tongue or both?
Regimental Culture
The 39th is considered one of the "Rusted Regiments" of Griskan, named so as they are so old that their founding monument on Griskan has began to rust. Every regiment raised on Griskan is granted a founding monument, a symbol casted to either represent them or their sacred task. Of the hundreds of regiments that have served the Emperor, only about a dozen have had the honor of being a Rusted Regiment. Of course, all of this is only really a half truth as like many of the Rusted, the 39th has been decimated, reformed, destroyed, reorganized and combined several times over its history.
The start of the day marks a every important ceremony which takes place among the 39th and can be split up into two parts: the First Shot and the Ringing of the Bell. The Ringing of the Bell is when all of the guardsmen walk up and ring a copy of the Bell of Lost Souls. This is done to signal the official start of the day as well as prayer and reminder of the vows taken by the regiment upon leaving their home world. The 39th takes this to a whole new level by equipping all of its officers with a smaller silver bell.
The First Shot ceremony which a specially carved shell with the name of the enemy or enemy commander engraved upon it is fired ahead of the day's main salvo. Carving the name of the enemy on to artillery shells and other ordinance is common among all Griskan regiments, likely due to the planetary tradition of carving oaths, vows or promises into stone and other hard materials. Its said doing so allows the shell to more accurately find important targets in the chaos of battle. On the note of carving names, the same practice is done to vehicles to show their age and experience. Any vehicle with less than a certain number of names and/or blast marks, holes or burnt marks is considered "unbaptized" and generally more unlucky. Unbaptized vehicles are also less likely to be given more prodigious assignments and are often placed further back in the firing line.
Religiously, the Griskans 39th are no less and no more devout than any other regiment but have a more polytheistic worship of the Emperor by including various saints in their prayers. While there are the common guard saints such as Ollanius Pious, there are a number of others such as Sister Amzerala the Orkbane, Redbarrow Sarge the Born-to-be-Leader and Helcalin the Forgefather. Strangest of them all however is a little known saint known as Saint Euclid, the Patron Saint of Geometry. While extremely strange to many at first glance, anyone who knows about the saint and the nature of artillery will immediately recognize the importance of his worship.
Planetary Culture
Recruitment
Recruitment is done by a lottery system on Griskan where every citizen from age 15 to 35 must enter at least one ticket into the system. Citizens may enter their name more than once for the ability to earn bonuses such as days off from work, additional pay, more rations and certain luxuries. There is no limit to the number of times one may put their name in, but the local administration tends to "forget" to give bonuses past five tickets.
Volunteers are also welcomed with open arms during recruitment and while they receive no bonus from the lottery system, they receive special bonuses for their patriotism and willingness to serve the God-Emperor. Such bonuses include additional rations and preferential treatment when it comes to promotion or assigning to important positions. Most NCOs are indeed volunteers which has created a strong tradition of competent lower-ranking officers that are sometimes even better than their noble commissioned counter parts.
The nobility of Griskan does not take part in the lottery system, finding it distasteful in addition to being exempt from it due to ancient decrees. However, instead they must enroll at least one child per generation into the Royal Arsenal Academy to be trained as commissioned officers. Their training is decidedly less physical and much more academic with trainees studying manners of logistics, leadership, formations and even linguistic diplomacy for interacting with other regiments. The fact that such officers aren't always competent or even willing means that Griskan regiments have an unfortunate tenancy of incompetent leadership, saved only by the skills of the lower ranking officers.
Regimental Specialty: The Tuskan Raiders are masters of raiding operations behind enemy lines. They prefer to strike fast and hard by burning and pillaging the enemy supplies. When they are part of a battle group their tactics are to advance deep into enemy lines to deprive the front line troops of the supplies and reinforcements needed to fight the Imperial Guard.
The Raider tactics are often to swarm a supply depot or convoy with their fast vehicles crushing any resistance before the defenders realize what is happening, in the ensuing havoc the company Chimeras will drop infantry to mop up and set demo charges to destroy supplies or capture anything that is needed.
The Regiment is also quite skilled in scouting actions, while the bikes are not especially quiet their speed is difficult to match and can evade those sent against them more often than not. With their speed the raiders are often a good source of intelligence beyond the front lines and can forewarn those locked in the thickest fighting of incoming reinforcements before battle is joined. Regimental Flaws: While the Raiders are fierce combatants capable of shattering tough resistance due to surprise and speed, they are not well equipped to deal with heavy armored divisions or well defended fortresses. The Raiders are also a prideful regiment stemming from their close ties to the Astartes. This manifests as a mild disrespect of regiments that are not considered their equals. They believe themselves similar to that of the honored Kasarkin though their reputation with the rest of the Imperial Guard is not nearly so bright. Finally the Raiders have received several reprimands from the Inquisition for use of Xenos supplies in war, though it has never come to a formal examination of the regiment. Number of Humans Souls: 1500 (not including rear echelon support)
Regimental Organization: For this section, I would rather you split things up, perhaps with smaller hiders within. As an Example, let us take the imaginary Cadian 253rd Cadian Infantry 1st Company: 2 Chimera APC carrying 2 squads of 12 infantry, 9 Tauros, 15 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 10 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 5 Salamander Scout tank, 4 Griffon Mortar tank, 25 Bike Outriders, 2 Leman Russ Exterminator variants
3rd Company 4 Chimera APC carrying 4 squads of 12 infantry, 12 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 3 Salamander Scout tank, 1 Griffon Mortar tank, 26 Bike Outriders
4th Company 4 Chimera APC carrying 4 squads of 12 infantry, 10 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 4 Salamander Scout tank, 30 Bike Outriders
5th Company 4 Chimera APC carrying 4 squads of 12 infantry, 10 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 4 Salamander Scout tank, 30 Bike Outriders
6th Company 3 Chimera APC carrying 3 squads of 12 infantry, 10 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 10 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 5 Salamander Scout tank, 5 Griffon Mortar tank, 16 Bike Outriders
7th Company 1 Gorgon carrying 5 squads of 10, 2 Gorgon refit to carry supplies and fuel, 6 Tauros, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 2 Salamander Scout tank, 12 Bike Outriders
8th Company 2 Gorgon carrying 10 squads of 10, 1 Gorgon refit to carry looted supplies and fuel, 6 Tauros, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 2 Salamander Scout tank, 12 Bike Outriders
9th Company 4 Chimera carrying 4 squads of 12, 10 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 10 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 10 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 2 Salamander Scout tank, 35 Bike Outriders
10th Company 2 Chimera carrying 2 squads of 12, 12 Tauros, 2 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 20 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 20 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 50 Bike Outrider
Regimental Armoury Allocation: Carapace Armor x1200 (for Infantry units, Outriders & command) Flak Armor x800 (for heavier vehicle units) Cadian-pattern Hellgun x700 (Infantry) Cadian-pattern Hellgun Power packs x2800 Cadian-pattern Hellpistol x400 (Outriders) Cadian-pattern Hellpistol Power packs x1600 Chainsword x400 (Outriders) Hunting Lance x1000 (Krak Tip) Hunting Lance x1000 (Inferno tip) Semi-Portable generator to recharge spent power packs Supply of replacement parts for vehicles Spare fuel & ammunition for vehicle weapons
Name: Commander Jarah Age: 56 Gender: Male Physical Description: What do they look like? Pictures may be linked but if it's just a picture so help me God. If it's an anime picture, so help you God. Equipment: Carapace Armor Power sword Plasma pistol Ancient Copy of the Lecto Divinitatus rumored to predate the Heresy (it doesnt) Personality: Jerah is a calculating commander, cool headed and calm in stark contrast to his captains and regiment of fury driven raiders. When he speaks it is with a calm and assured authority even beyond that of what most would call sane, even after a catastrophic failure or heroic victory he would punish or praise his officers with the same level tone. Part of this comes from his noble rank before being sent to the Astartes and it shows in his dismissive demeanor with everyone he has arbitrarily deemed beneath him.
Capabilities: Jerah is a masterful Logician and would have made an excellent supply commander. However he uses this mastery to deconstruct what Enemy supply lines would likely be and send his regiment to sever the most vital arteries. He is adaptable and will modify his plans with new information quickly rather than stubbornly keep a flawed plan.
Lastly Jerah is a duelist, in single combat he is unbeaten in his regiment and given Crimson Lancer Astartes a good fight even if he had never claimed a victory against them. Using speed and guile to bring down even far stronger foes however his skill has almost never been seen on the field of combat.
Failings: Jerah is a poor tactician and does not work on any tactical level planning he delegates such matters to his Major or the captains sent to the mission. Even then he rarely leads his regiment as the battle commander leaving such duties to the Major and will ignore the battle studying maps to find the next supply artery to sever.
Jerah is also arrogant as any noble born flouting his near passing of Astartes early trials believing himself above the rank and file soldier, even being dismissive of his fellow commanders until they earn his respect. However he will unfailingly follow the orders of his superiors and show utmost, if false, respect for them.
Regimental History: The Tuskan raiders are a fairly young regiment and have only recently been sent away from their parent Astartes legion, but they have had several years of battle having been considered trained and sufficient to fight without Legion tutelage. Their first deployment has a grave learning experience for the Raiders. Training near the Astartes gave them a false sense of superiority and immortality.
In a long war against the Ork hordes the raiders suffered a painful defeat. The Raiders launched a raid against a massive fortified stronghold where the Green Skins had been manufacturing tanks, bombers and more to throw against the Imperial Guard and Crimson Lancers. As the Raiders charged an armored company worth of looted tanks and ramshackle war machines came out to meet them. Though the Raiders had speed and tenacity on their side they lacked the experience of real warfare, and carried the curse of arrogance. They where slaughtered, hundreds died before they where rescued by the Crimson lancers. In one fell swoop the raiders where cut down to a half strength regiment. However the experience was educational and purged a great deal of their sense of immortality from them, though not all of their arrogance. In this battle their previous commander was killed moving Jerah into the rank.
They where relegated to small actions from then on, prodding Orkish defences and destorying supplies. Through out the rest of the war on with the tribe of Orks they where little more than over-equipped scouts and bandits. Since their crushing defeat the Raiders have always been much more careful in the targets of their attacks focusing on soft targets that will bleed the enemy than trying to root them out at their heart.
Once reinforced the Raiders fought cautiously using Jerah's logistic expertise to great effect which ultimately culminated in a shocking victory for the Regiment and the declaration that they where fit to fight on other campaigns and not shackled to their Astartes cousins. Their proving war was against an imperial world in revolt, the exact circumstances of the rebellion where never given over to the regiment but it had obviously succumbed to the taint of Chaos. Flesh cults and blood thirsty mobs roaming the planet made it obvious enough. The raiders never fought the Traitor Astartes, that was left to their parent legion, but they fought long and hard against the PDF forces that had sided with the traitors.
The battle that exemplified their victory was taking their forces between the two largest hive cities and choking off all movement between the cities, One of them was under siege by the Lancers and many Guard regiments. But the city was not fully surrounded and it would acquire new soldiers and arms as fast as the siege could kill them. The raides essentially conquered several hundred miles of industrial wasteland for the months it would take to capture the Hive. The territory was surrounded on all sides by Chaos forces but they ruled the streets of the wasteland with little more than bikes, sentinels and tenacity. Their actions throttled nearly all supply movement into the besieged city and allowed the Imperial forces to finally crush the defenders. The conquest of the Industrial wasteland was not without cost however, in their fighting with the chaos forces they grew to a new level of savagery, such as chaining a wounded foe to be dragged behind the bikes until they where a broken heap of gore. The long battle also granted them a firm reprimand for utilizing 'tainted' materials by capturing fuel or bullets from their traitor PDF enemies.
After their pacification of the Chaos held planet the regiment was formally acknowledged for their accomplishments and sent to a new planet to wage war but not with the Legions. in Truth the Crimson Lancers where displeased with the brutal shift that the Raiders underwent and sent them to a new front due to their savagery rather than their hold of enemy territory.
Regimental/Planetary Culture: The Tuskan raiders have grown away from the traditionally martial and professional soldiers of their sibling regiments and overall planetary culture. They have become more akin to a hive gang with internal conflict handled by a brawl or knife fight that formal complaints to superior officers. Externally they appear like a troop of rowdy trouble makers with the rank and file soldiers happily starting brawls in the bars and taverns they happen to come across.
Their appreciation of illegal activity has also risen greatly making a Tuskan raider the soldier to find if someone is looking for drugs, weapons, or a game to gamble at. This is also true because the raiders have taken it upon themselves to shut down the illegal activities within the other regiments when possible and have been slowly monopolizing illegal trade in the local forces.
When appropriate the raiders also act like a penal legion and will acquire materials whenever they see fit. Bribing the quartermaster for a few sets of Carapace armor or simply stealing it from another regiment, even looting the dead of either side of the battle has made the Raiders better equipped than they would otherwise have a right to be.
Recruitment Method: The Raiders recruitment is unorthodox compared to other regiments, with their home world also being the home of the Crimson Lancers legion. The Lancers are a small legion due to an even more exacting and inhuman training regimen than most other Astartes. Due to their impossibly high standards the legion is swamped with serfs who had failed the training and serve the legion. When the number of serfs become more of a burden than an aid to the Legion a large contingent are sent to the Guard to be of some use to the Emperor. The Raiders are one such Regiment called up to cull the number of Serfs.
The Serfs selected are generally those who where good, if not exceptional, Astartes candidates and are made into Storm troopers. Their brief stint as Astartes aspirants did instill in them a supreme level of stoic endurance though not enough to persevere through their previous training. These storm trooper regiments are trained on the same planet with their Legion, sometimes acting as an opposing force during war-games. Even training apart from the Legion the raiders always pick up habits and mannerisms from their parent Legion, and are often sent as an auxiliary force with the Crimson Lancers once training is completed
I'll also post up a WIP too then. A bit of a show that things are coming along if nothing else.
EDIT: Now completed.
Seventh Araheim Drop Troop Regiment "The Bastard Seventh"; "The Lapdog Seventh".
s p e c i a l i t y
Paratroopers: Generals and admirals are always eager to get a hold of a good drop regiment and with good reason: these all-volunteer elite and unconventional troops are few and far between, capable of fighting unpredictably and quickly with reduced supplies on short notice. Surprise attacks, raids on supply lines and vulnerable positions, ambushes, and guerrilla warfare, only barely covers off the tip of the iceberg of what a good drop regiment can do. Close Quarters Experts: The soldiers of the Araheim Seventh have a long history of fighting in close spaces, whether it's the dense streets of their hive world or the narrow corridors of a spaceship. Not only are they aware of this trend but they're proud of it, being certain to keep themselves up to scratch. This makes them a popular choice for navy captains as not only are they almost two thousand pairs of hands that are comfortable with void combat, they're also able to pass on a few tricks to the ratings. Kinslayers: The foe that the Araheim Seventh excel at destroying is, tragically, their fellow man. Many veterans of the regiment can recall uncompromising raids on renegades and traitors, something which is often admitted with some hesitation. Such is the cost of "peace" in the Imperium.
f l a w s
Indebted: If it weren't for the timely intervention of the Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Cloe Aemilius some time ago, the regiment would have many different faces. But as is expected, the assistance of the Inquisition rarely comes without a cost and Cloe in particular is quite pressing when it comes to reminding the regimental headquarters element exactly how many of their lives are owed - or in practice, owned - to him. When Cloe or another from the Hereticus pulls the leash, the seventh can only bow their head and scamper along behind them, hence the nickname "the Lapdog Seventh"; and should they refuse, the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers "assisting the regiment with training standards" will surely finish the work the Officio Prefectus was forced to leave unfinished. Untrustworthy: Many have not forgotten the broad and uncompromising purges executed by the seventh on behalf of the inquisitorial contingent at the Schism of Arcen-III, killing fellow man and traitor alike in hope of uprooting the genestealer cult. Many also have not forgotten the general retreat order executed by the seventh while other regiments stood and fought to the death against the Tyranid swarm; not least of the Officio Prefectus, who had every intention of executing the regimental headquarters element and assuming command until an inquisitorial rosette stood in their way. Furthermore, it's the worst kept secret within the regiment that the men are scarcely afraid of looting the majority of enemy weapons should their own limited supplies - which, in fairness, they do well to conserve - run too thin. While many soldiers in the regiment pass off the "Bastard Seventh" nickname as a jab at their guerrilla tactics, there is much more to it than that. Organic: While few dare talk about Arcen-III, those who recall it know too well: that forsaken swarm will one day be the end of the Imperium. Some among those even believe that they will be the end of the regiment too, once karma catches up with them and they're sent to cut off swarming supply lines that don't exist. Even on top of the difficulty that a drop regiment faces fighting the swarm, the seventh struggles even further again, struck with fear and recollection.
h u m a n _ s o u l s
2219, including attachments.
"I remember it, clear as day: our position was collapsing, the heretics were overwhelming us. I was staring down the barrel of a stub gun. Then, as I made my last prayers to the emperor, it vanished - it vanished under a boot, because one of them landed on him. It was like the emperor heard me pray but ran out of angels, so he sent men brave enough to step up to the job instead."
— A retired Arbite Arbitrator on his deathbed, recollecting the Seventh landing at the Araheim Heresy.
c o m p o s i t i o n
Regimental Headquarters Colonel Domitilla Agrippa, Commanding Officer. Major Nerva Severinus, Executive Officer. Captain Tatiana Paula, Adjutant. Captain Liviana Florianus, Operations Officer. Captain Laurentinus Septima, Regimental Quartermaster. Sergeant Major Lucretius Paulina, Regimental Sergeant Major. Four Araheim Drop Grenadiers. Two Araheim Drop Grenadier Medics.
Regimental advisers Iulius Laurentinus, Astropath. One naval officer for liaison with the navy and her aircraft assets, at the discretion of the local naval authority.
Inquisitorial attachment One squad of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers (10), commanded by Sergeant Iunia Valerius.
Officio Prefectus attachment 8 commissars and 2 junior commissars.
Adeptus Mechanicus attachment 5 enginseers.
Per Battalion Headquarters One Battalion Commander. One Battalion Executive Officer. One Operations Officer. One Regimental Quartermaster. One Regimental Sergeant Major. Four Araheim Drop Grenadiers. Two Araheim Drop Grenadier Medics.
Drop Infantry Companies Nine drop infantry companies, designed Alpha through India, accounting for 1632 of the regiments total number. There are three companies assigned sequentially to each battalion, designed 71st Araheim Drop Forces Battalion through 73rd. Each company contains: - A company command element, including a company commander (captain) and company sergeant major (gunnery sergeant). - Four platoons of drop infantry, counting at 32 per platoon. This includes the platoon command element of a platoon commander (lieutenant), platoon sergeant (staff sergeant), and 30 drop infantry. The soldiers within this are organised into three squads of ten, which include a squad commander (sergeant) and squad second-in-commander (corporal). Without operational requirements outstanding, two soldiers per squad will carry special weapons. - One platoon of heavy weapons teams, counting at 10 per platoon. This includes the platoon command element and 8 crewmen. These platoons normally operate two heavy bolters, one missile launcher, and one mortar.
Drop Grenadier Companies Three Drop Grenadier Companies, designed Alpha through Charlie, accounting for 486 of the regiments total number. There is one company assigned sequentially to each battalion. Each company includes: - A company command element, including a company commander and company sergeant major. - Four platoons of drop grenadiers, counting at 32 per platoon. This includes the platoon command element of a platoon commander, platoon sergeant, and 30 drop infantry. The soldiers within this are organised into three squads of ten, which include a squad commander and squad second-in-commander. Without operational requirements outstanding, two soldiers per squad will carry special weapons. - One platoon of heavy weapons teams, counting at 10 per platoon. This includes the platoon command element and 8 crewmen. These platoons normally operate two heavy bolters, one missile launcher, and one mortar.
Drop Light Armour Squadron Three Drop Light Armour Squadrons, designed Alpha through Charlie, accounting for 12 of the regiments total number. There is one squadron assigned sequentially to each battalion. Each crewman in the squadron crews a drop sentinel. Each squadron includes: - A squadron command element, including a squadron commander and a squadron sergeant major. - Three light armour platoons, counting at 4 per platoon. This includes a platoon commander, platoon sergeant, and 2 crewmen. One of these platoons is commanded by the squadron command element.
Drop Cavalry Squadron Three Drop Cavalry Squadrons, designed Alpha through Charlie, accounting for 24 of the regiments total number. There is one squadron assigned sequentially to each battalion. The crewmen are organised in pairs, each pair crewing a Tauros or Tauros Venator. Each squadron includes: - A squadron command element, including a squadron commander and a squadron sergeant major. - Two cavalry platoons of Tauros light vehicles, counting at 8 per platoon. This includes a platoon commander, platoon sergeant, and 6 crewmen. The two commanders crew different vehicles and one of these platoons is commanded by the squadron command element. - One cavalry platoon of Tauros Venators, set up identically to the above.
a r m o u r y
PT-38 jump suit: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. It is issued in administratum grey. Webbing and pouches, Elysian 68 pattern: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. It is issued in black. Combat boots, Ieva pattern: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. It is issued in black. Jump gloves, Ieva pattern: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. It is issued in black. Synth-plast flak armour: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This includes the cuirass, spaulders, elbow pads, and knee pads. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. It is issued in thunderhawk blue. Regimental insignia is displayed on the chest, campaign insignia is displayed on the left knee, and company designation is displayed on the right spaulder. Rank indicators for non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers are also painted onto the back of the helmet. Veterans of 8 or more drops display a red stripe on their left spaulder. Carapace armour: 632, at 3.5 men per unit. This includes the mentioned above plus complete arm and leg harness. This item is issued to grenadiers. It is issued in thunderhawk blue. Type 5 pressure helmet: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. It is issued in thunderhawk blue. Atmospheric-rated respirator mask: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. It is issued in thunderhawk blue. Gravity chute: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. It is issued in thunderhawk blue. Lasgun, Accatran pattern mark IV: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to drop infantry. It is issued in the stock runefang steel. Lasgun, Accatran pattern mark IVe: 375, at 5.9 men per unit. This item is the standard issue special weapon. It is issued in the stock runefang steel. Laspistol, Accatran pattern mark II: 760, at 2.9 men per unit. This item is standard issue to sergeants and above, as well as special weapons operators and vehicle crew. Meltagun, Accatran pattern: 300, at 7.4 men per unit. This item is may be issued to a special weapons operator with operational requirements outstanding. Flamer, Accatran pattern mark Ic: 300, at 7.4 men per unit. This item is may be issued to a special weapons operator with operational requirements outstanding. Shotgun, Accatran pattern model 34: 300, at 7.4 men per unit. This item is may be issued to a special weapons operator with operational requirements outstanding. Grenade launcher, Voss pattern: 300, at 7.4 men per unit. This item is may be issued to a special weapons operator with operational requirements outstanding. Missle launcher, Accatran pattern: 30, at 73.9 men per unit. This item is standard issue to heavy weapons platoons in the place of a lascannon, as to allow it to be air mobile. Hellgun, Ieva pattern: 631, at 3.5 men per unit. This item is standard issue to grenadiers. Hellpistol, Ieva pattern: 99, at 22.4 men per unit. This item is standard issue to grenadier sergeants and above. Heavy bolter, Accatran pattern: 60, at 36.9 men per unit. This item is standard issue to heavy weapons platoons. Mortar, Ieva pattern: 30, at 73.9 men per unit. This item is standard issue to heavy weapons platoons in the place of a lascannon, as to allow it to be air mobile. Long-las, Ieva pattern: 170, at 13 men per unit. This item may be issued to a special weapons operator or to a grenadier with operational requirements outstanding. Lasgun power pack: 14423, at 6.5 units per man. Five of these are issued to every man with a laser weapon. Hellgun power backpack: 631, at 3.5 units per man. One of these is issued to every man with a hellgun weapon. Missile, shoulder operated: 390, at 5.6 men per unit. Ten of these are issued to each heavy weapons platoon. Promethium canister: 2993, at 1.3 units per man. Five of these are issued to each man with a flamer and three to each man with a chainsword. Ten are issued to each Tauros vehicle armed with a heavy flamer. Meltagun canisters: 2184, at 1.01 men per unit. Five of these are issued to each man with a meltagun. Drop sentinels armed with meltaguns carry ten. Laser packs: 192, at 11.5 men per unit. Ten of these are carried by Tauros Venators. Shotgun ammunition, shell: 14976, at 6.7 units per man. Forty of these are issued to each man with a shotgun. Shotgun ammunition, slug: 5990, at 2.7 units per man. Sixteen of these are issued to each man with a shotgun. Shotgun ammunition, stun: 1500, at 1.5 men per unit. These may be issued to men with shotguns with operational requirements outstanding. .75 caliber bolt magazines: 338, at 6.6 men per unit. While bolt pistols are not issued by the regiment, some attaches and officers within acquire one through their own means. Their ammunition is supplied by the regiment. .998 caliber bolt boxes: 483, at 4.6 men per unit. Ten of these are issued to each heavy weapons platoon. Six are issued to each drop sentinel armed with a heavy bolter. Mortar shells: 780, at 2.8 men per unit. Fifty of these are issued to each heavy weapons platoon. Fragmentation grenades, handheld: 5769, at 2.6 units per man. Two of these are standard issue to all drop troopers. Fragmentation grenades, ballistic: 2750, at 1.2 men per unit. Eighteen are issued to special weapon operators with a Voss pattern grenade launcher. Twenty-four are issued to venator crews with a Voss pattern grenade launcher. Krak grenades, handheld: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. One of these is standard issue to all drop troopers. Krak grenades, ballistic: 4000, at 1.8 men per unit. Six of these are standard issue to special weapon operators with the Accatran pattern mark IVe lasgun. Six are issued to special weapon operators with a Voss pattern grenade launcher. Twenty-four are issued to venator crews with a Voss pattern grenade launcher. Melta bombs: 748, at 2.9 men per unit. Two of these may be issued to special weapon operators or grenadiers in place of the standard grenade issue with operational requirements outstanding. Snare mines: 748, at 2.9 men per unit. Two of these may be issued to special weapon operators or grenadiers in place of the standard grenade issue with operational requirements outstanding. Demolition charges: 748, at 2.9 men per unit. Two of these may be issued to special weapon operators or grenadiers in place of the standard grenade issue with operational requirements outstanding. Combat knife, Ieva pattern: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. Chainsword, Ieva pattern: 425, at 5.2 men per unit. This item is standard issue to sergeants and above. Vox-caster: 83, at 26.7 men per unit. This item is issued to command elements from platoon level to regimental level. Camouflage cloaks: 170, at 13 men per unit. This item may be issued in tandem with the long-las. 9-70 entrenching tool: 2885, at 1.3 units per man. This item is standard issue to all drop troopers. Long range ground scanner: 425, at 5.2 men per unit. This item is standard issue to sergeants and above. Lascutter: 374, at 5.9 men per unit. This item is standard issue to special weapon operators. Drop sentinels: 54, at 41 men per unit. These vehicles are crewed by the drop light armor squadrons. They are armed with either heavy bolters or melta guns, depending on operational requirements. Tauros light vehicles: 36, at 61.6 men per unit. These vehicles are crewed by the drop cavalry squadrons. They are armed with either a heavy flamer or a grenade launcher, depending on operational requirements. Tauros venators: 18, 123.3 men per unit. These vehicles are crewed by the drop cavalry squadrons. They are armed with either a lascannon or a multilaser, depending on operational requirements.
c o m m a n d e r
Name: Colonel Domitilla Agrippa. Age: 41. Gender: Male. Physical Description: Domitilla is a sturdy man with a dark and sparsely scarred complexion, adorned with salt-and-pepper cropped hair and faded brown eyes. His hairline is starting to recede, which he often conceals with a helmet or field cap. The entirety of his left arm and his left leg below the knee are placed with bionic alternatives. A lho-stick is often found hanging out of his mouth. Equipment: While the kit that Domitilla carries varies depending on the situation, he is seldom found without his hellpistol at his hip and the standard lho-stick assortment in his coat. In the field he wears the standard flak armor and carapace and carries a power sword, although how much use they see is debatable. Within his personal assortments away from the field, he is fond of his cogitator, which he uses to stay in touch with his family back home. Personality: Domitilla is a weary man with a quiet and perceptive demeanor in his day-to-day routine. It's not that his sparsity of voice should be mistaken for a lack of presence: some comical exaggerations detail how he could stare a hole through a sheet of metal if he thought the enemy could be hiding on the other side; it's much more saving his voice for when it is needed as an old injury makes his voice coarse and painful to use. He has a tick where he runs his knuckles over the tip of his nose when he's irritated and is distrustful of most authority figures, as is trademark of the "Bastard Seventh". Capabilities: On top of the standard skills of a veteran drop trooper, Domitilla has a mind capable of running at a million miles per hour, able to comfortably process several sources of stressful information and make something from it in a fraction of the time of his peers. Combined with his thorough understanding of unconventional warfare and his own regiment, he's capable of running an elusive, almost spectral force should he successfully get into the head of the enemy commander, which is definitely not unheard of. Failings: In addition to his mortal shortcomings, such as his bionic replacements and failing voice, he is a man of ill renown among his peers. He stood among the command staff responsible for the purges and the retreat at Arcen-III, and some would even suggest that the handover to command to him wasn't entirely over the table. Much more quietly, few may even question his own mental state - or rather, the purity of his mental state.
h i s t o r y
The Seventh Araheim Drop Troops Regiment was raised with the blessing of the planetary governor of the time in 433.M40, shortly after Krieg declared their independence. Retired officers from drop troop regiments both local and slightly more afar were commissioned to establish and executive the training regimen while veterans from other regiments were drafted to fill the command structure. It took approximately of 2 years and 1 month in local time to completely train and outfit the regiment to the high standard that drop troops are held to, where the regiment was then provided to the Imperial Guard as a part of Araheim's tithe to the Imperium.
The Seventh went on to find relative success in the efforts to come. Battles were far between in the relatively peaceful sect of Imperial space but were dense where they were found. Supporting local Adeptus Arbites elements with insurrections and raids came to become their bread and butter, where the regiments mobility and shock-and-awe capabilities made a reliable hammer to beat against the arbitrators' anvil. This grew to the point that local planetary governors and marshalls made a note of requesting any drop troop regiments if any were in the area on the off chance they were able to assist, to the chagrin of local PDF forces who typically lacked such elite forces.
The Seventh came to fame in mid-601.M40, where they were hastily recalled home by an Ordo Hereticus contingent, alongside the rest of their battle group. A prominent chaos cult swelled and boiled over into open rebellion which chained into several others on the planet joining on the spontaneity. Convenient timing played a part in the inflation of their image: while the PDF and arbitrators continued to struggle to contain violence in the streets of the hive world after months of fighting, a small armada ripped its way into atmosphere from the warp and loomed over the insurrectionists. The Seventh were naturally the first on the ground, reinforcing collapsing sectors and containing sects of the insurrection with risky orbital deep strikes. While the brunt of the work came later with the imperial reinforcements that landed with the beachheads, the Hereticus contingent made a show of the Seventh to humiliate the insurrectionists, being killed by their own people. This reputable image combined with high praise from the forces on the ground formed a proud reputation for the Seventh, as well as some degree of fear from their talent at arms with their fellow man. They grew in favor by the Ordo Hereticus which often had a line of work ready for them.
The Seventh's newfound reputation flickered and jumped through the centuries until very recently, at the Schism of Arcen-III in 996.M41. An Ordo Hereticus investigation at the request of the local Adeptus Arbite precinct forced a deep-rooted genestealer cult to show its hand a few months before the arrival of the hive fleet. The Seventh, which happened to be patrolling through the area, moved to assist with their battle group, expecting a short battle in their confidence before drawing a line in the sand to meet the hive fleet with; tragically, it was nothing but. What followed was a messy, complicated, and under-resourced operation where the Inquisition contingent, which had since been joined by the Ordo Xenos, used the Seventh to conduct raids and purges on several groups of "suspected cultists" - very few of which were.
After months of failing purges, the Seventh joined the battle against the hive fleet once it arrived, where they found the swarm had little in the way of supply lines and much to fill the gaps with. At the height of the battle, where regiments of guardsmen fought and died attempting to reclaim the planet, the commander of the Seventh ordered a general retreat and abandoned their positions behind the lines and reinforcing positions. Records detail the commander of the time citing that "the swarm will end the Imperium, but it will not end us, not after all we've given for this fucked planet." Naturally, the Officio Prefectus moved to execute the commanders and seize command, but Inquisitor Cole of the Ordo Hereticus forbade it; the Inquisition was nearly done signing the five rites of Exterminatus and an atmospheric incinerator torpedo had already been prepared. Not all of the imperial forces on the planet were able to evacuate, but allowing an elite regiment to begin evacuating a little earlier was a small cost for being able to put them into your back pocket. So the disgraced "Bastard Seventh" abandoned their fellow man to the swarm, where many of them remained after the planet was turned to glass. A small cost to deny such vast resource to the hive fleet, one that allowed the Imperium to even push them back, but a cost that left the Seventh now infamous.
Now, eager to move past their now polar repute, the "Lapdog Seventh" continues on in their reluctant and even unwilling service to the Imperium.
"Boss was real scared, he was. He said that other gangs were being whacked off every day by these army boys sent to fight some aliens that are coming. He said that these army boys'll come out of nowhere n' shoot at anything. He said the aliens were never coming, that it was just some big excuse to shoot up the undercity... We just found him dead in his room. He was so scared that he shot himself. The rest of us are getting off-world; aliens or not, this place is fucked, it is."
— A recording found on the corpse of an undercity gangster who attempted to breach the quarantine zone at the Schsim of Arcen-III.
c u l t u r e
Araheim is a dense, smog-covered hive world that acts as the de facto capital of its sector of the same name. The labyrinthine floors of industry and ports make the planet a popular spot for travelling traders and imperial retinues travelling through mid-Segmentum Pacificus and often tempt local off-worlders to immigrate for a "new life of opportunity", as hilarious as that might sound. This has created a hotpot of several ethnic groups and cultures, which is reflected in the rank-and-file of the Araheim Seventh.
Most of the regiment speaks low gothic, but other local languages from the sector and even high gothic can sometimes be found among the ranks. Individual interpretations of the imperial cult are varied and diverse, but there are certainly more loosely practicing soldiers than there is fanatics.
r e c r u i t m e n t
The Araheim Seventh is an all-volunteer unit with soldiers sourced from other Araheim tithe regiments as well as the Araheim Planetary Defense Force.
In order to qualify for drop force candidacy, a soldier must have completed their basic training as well as their initial employment training for their profession within the Imperial Guard or PDF. At this stage, any Araheim soldier can apply to undertake Drop Forces Candidate Selection, which is managed by Araheim Drop Forces Command and typically run either per locale at select venues or delegated to other formations for more far-flung regiments. Candidate selection involves physical evaluation, psychological evaluation, and soldiering skills evaluation across a three day exercise.
Those who pass candidate selection are invited to undertake drop forces initial employment training at Fort Arcen. The task-intensive course runs for 6 standard months and covers everything from non-linear gravity chute operations and void combat to unconventional warfare and operational spin control. The pass rate of the course is approximately 63.5 percent. Those who pass are entitled to wear the Araheim drop forces "wings", join the pool of candidates organised in order of course results for drop forces replenishment and are returned to their home units. When a drop regiment requests replenishment, the requested number is drawn from the pool of candidates from the top of the list down and are reassigned to the drop regiment in question. Occasionally, where replenishment requests are outstanding, successful candidates are sent directly to the regiment from Fort Arcen.
The First Ngāpokere [Nar-poke-eray] (Native) Regiment
“What are they doing now? Dancing! What a ridiculous waste of time.” - Infamous last words of Lieutenant Jos Darien, 18th Foscov Dragoons.
Regimental Speciality: The First are named after the largest tribal grouping on the Oceanic world of – according to the Imperium – Jospearus (named Pukepotoao by the Ngāpokere), although there are members of other island-dwelling peoples contained within, the Ngāpokere are the most warlike and formidable.
Their skills in bush-craft, fortification building, formidable ambuscade work, ability to adapt swiftly to new situations and technologies without much in the way of resistance or hassle, and their consummate skill in close-quarters combat mean that any commander would be lucky to have them as long as they can put up with them.
In short, close-in fighting, scouting and stealth-work are their forte, but they should not be overlooked or underestimated in other arenas of war.
Regimental Flaws: A lack of discipline, a near-fanatical obsession with ones honour and notions of righteous vengeance (utu) against those they see themselves offended by, and potential cannibalism of enemies and prisoners are constant problems when dealing with the Ngāpokere.
Outside of their own chiefs, and potentially a very strong outside leader who understands their customs, the tribesmen of Jospearus as a whole do not take kindly to outside influence; for this reason the Commissariat are conspicuously absent from the regiment, the tattooed warriors needing no encouragement to kill for the 'Great War-god', and frankly quite ungovernable if a battle goes against them. As such the black-clad figures keep an eye on them from a good distance away, and prefer to keep it that way.
Really, their own culture and customs are their primary flaws, their oddness to outsiders and rough-and-ready rules. This is not helped by their language being most of what they speak (although a good number can speak Low Gothic to a decent level), or the whole 'regiment' (or taua) being essentially a government unto itself.
Number of Humans Souls: Approximately 2,500, give or take a few.
The regiment is split roughly into warbands ( taua) of 600 or so warriors, each of these is commanded by a lesser but proven chief, the regiment commanded overall by an elected and tested warleader – this being something of utter importance to the tribes-folk, for should their leaders be craven or weak then it is highly unlikely they will follow them anywhere, let alone into space.
In general and en masse, the First are armed with an assortment of their traditional weapons – various forms of short spears, clubs and axes, metal-bladed tomahawks being a more recent introduction – one of the advantages of being in contract with the Imperium being that these, originally wooden or bone, weapons are now crafted from more durable materials and metal is more plentiful for those that want it.
A full half of the regiment are armed with older patterns of lasgun, either traded from the Imperium or taken one way or another from someone else. While not the most proficient marksmen this side of the galaxy, they are fully capable of laying down a rather hotchpotch rate of fire, far more likely to cause serious damage if used in their favoured environments and from a position of surprise.
As for uniforms, this is a particularly colourful affair for Ngāpokere warriors, some retaining their customary kilts of woven flax and dog-skin cloaks adorned with feathers, others mixing and matching flak vests with them, some wrapping Guard-issue blankets about their waists and ornamenting themselves with spoils from the field of battle - bone trinkets, jade necklaces and other such items are particularly rife.
Name: Te Kohe Tiwha
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Everything else: Te Kohe is pretty much the prime example of his people and their homeworld – a planet walking the line between a Feral and Frontier- class world, although pretty much a fusion of both – he is the mixed produce of an interracial relationship between his native mother and his Imperial father, a man who enjoyed adoption by the people and could truly have claimed to be somewhat of an expert on them where others had failed.
So the bodily aspects of his son do mirror this, the dark skinned man with piercing blue eyes and a stature and bearing not at all alike to those of his kindred. Where they are mostly squat he is tall, where they are needlessly aggressive and ill at ease with 'modern' technology, he stands with firm legs and his back erect, a student rather than a dismisser of clearly more productive machinery and methods.
Tall, broad of shoulder, and well-built, there is no mistaking him if one were to see him upon the field or off of it.
On the other hand he is as barbarous as the rest - his hair is kept well-groomed and long and tied in a feathered topknot, his body clad in the same flaxen kilt and marked with the same whorls and flesh-carven tattoos as his fellows; he can be differentiated though by the flak vest he wears, the laspistol he carries in a holster at his hip, and by the Aquila medallion he wears about his neck.
When it comes to the personality of this singular 'chief' (Rangatira) he can correctly be said to be much the same as in body, being familiar with Imperial tactics and strategies (which has served him well in the past), able to use firearms and machinery with as much deftness as most Imperial commanders thanks to his keen mind, and having an unspoken (and quite outward) authority that allows him to keep his people in line.
Outside of this, he is again as brutal as any of his tribes-folk, perfectly capable of torturing someone for the fun of it, of seeing slights given from those that are not familiar with Ngāpokere culture and customs, and (very rarely) of ignoring his superiors if it would benefit him and his own.
Overall he is a competent and sturdy leader with an uncivilised twist, a speaker of Low Gothic and a willing convert to the Imperial Cult. Among his people the God-Emperor is seen as the Sky Father or the War God – the warrior ever to grace the universe – but to Te Kohe he is exactly as the Imperial missionaries proclaimed him to be. It speaks volumes for the man that he has never been idiotic enough to attempt to 'convert' his people to his way of thinking...it would not go down well.
Regimental History: Unless you wish to count victories against Imperial settlers and PDF formations, which many understandably do not, then they are a regiment without history at this point. Having been founded only recently from willing volunteers - those that wish to find the ultimate fight among the stars - they are in one way or another set to carve a path in the annals of Imperial history.
Regimental/Planetary Culture: Also quite simple. What's their home like? What do these people look like? What's their interpretation of the Imperial Cult? Do they speak High Gothic, a local tongue or both?
Recruitment Method: How are they recruited? Are they the firstborn son of couples? Orphans that didn't make it to the Schola Progenium? People who drew a bad number at a lottery?
Regimental Specialty: Here you shall go into a very brief analysis at what they are good at Regimental Flaws: Here you shall go into a very brief analysis of what they are bad at Number of Humans Souls: List the total amount of men in the Regiment
Regimental Organization: For this section, I would rather you split things up, perhaps with smaller hiders within. As an Example, let us take the imaginary Cadian 253rd Cadian Infantry
Company 8 Armoured Fist Company (94 souls) Commander: Lt-Colonel Isaac Hatch (Power fist, Master crafted boltgun, Refractor field) Sub Commander: 2nd Lt Sir Terrance Croft (Power sword, boltgun, Refractor field) Commissar: Power Sword, Boltpistol Armoured Fist Command Squad (Plasma gun x3, Vox Operator w/ shotgun, Master of ordinance) w/ Sententia patt Chimera (Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed, hunter killer missile) Pioneer Squad (Plasma pistol, chain sword, Shotguns w/ tox shells, Siesmic cannon, Plasma gun, demo charge, hazard carapace, tox grenades, krak grenades) w/Ministorum priest (eviserator) Sententia patt Chimera (w/ assault mortars x6, Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed) Heavy Weapons Squad (Lascannons x3) w/ Sententia patt Chimera (Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed, hunter killer missile) Heavy Weapons Squad (Lascannons x3) w/ Sententia patt Chimera (Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed, hunter killer missile) Heavy Weapons Squad (Lascannons x3) w/ Sententia patt Chimera (Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed, hunter killer missile) Armoured Fist Squad (fury laspistol, chain sword, shotguns, plasma gun x2, Vox) w/ Sententia patt Chimera (Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed, hunter killer missile) Armoured Fist Squad (fury laspistol, chain sword, shotguns, plasma gun x2, Vox) w/ Sententia patt Chimera (Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed, hunter killer missile) Armoured Fist Squad (fury laspistol, chain sword, shotguns, plasma gun x2, Vox) w/ Sententia patt Chimera (Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed, hunter killer missile) Armageddon pattern Griffon Heavy Mortar Carrier (Front heavy flamer, Pintle Heavy stubber, extra armour, camo netting)
Personally Trained Unit: Hellhound (w/ hull multi melta & heavy stubber)
Company 9 Logistics Company (100 Souls) Commander: 2nd Lt Lisa Bowie (Power sword, Boltgun, Refractor field) Platoon Command Squad w/ Master of the fleet w/ scanner operator, Vox operator, Veterans (Plasma gun x2, Frag & Krak Grenades) Trojan Support Vehicle (heavy bolter, heavy stubber) Pioneer Squad (Plasma pistol, chain sword, Shotguns w/ tox shells, Siesmic cannon, Plasma gun, demo charge, hazard carapace, tox grenades, krak grenades) w/Ministorum priest (eviserator) Sententia patt Chimera (w/ assault mortars x6, Twin Heavy Bolter turret, front Heavy Flamer, pintle Heavy Stubber, extra armour & enviro-sealed) Infantry Squad (fury laspistol, chain sword, flamer, heavy bolter, Vox, Frag Grenades) Infantry Squad (fury laspistol, chain sword, flamer, heavy bolter, Vox, Frag Grenades)
Devildog (w/ hull heavy flamer & heavy stubber) Devildog (w/ hull heavy flamer & heavy stubber) Devildog (w/ hull heavy flamer & heavy stubber) Atlas Recovery Tank (heavy bolter, heavy stubber) Indentured Tech priest Enginseer x5 servitors (Heavy Flamer, Multi Melta) w/ Trojan Support Vehicle (heavy bolter, heavy stubber) Indentured Tech priest Enginseer x4 servitors (Heavy Flamer, Plasma cannon) w/ Trojan Support Vehicle (heavy bolter, heavy stubber) Arvus Lighter (w/ autocannon) Arvus Lighter (w/ autocannon) Hydra flak tank Hydra flak tank Hydra flak tank
Regimental Armoury Allocation: Here we describe what armaments your regiment brings to bear, and [how it brings it to bear As an example (doesn't need the same level of detail) for the above regiment: Kantrael Short Pattern Lasgun: Standard Lasgun of the Regiment's Guardsmen x2,000 power packs x10,000 M35 Magna-Core Plasma Gun: Issued to all Special-Weapons troops x260 Flak Armour: Issued to all but officers, x2000 Carapace Issued to Platoon Commanders and Sergeants x100 Chimera [multi-laser refitted in favour of autocannon] x24 issued to platoon and company command squads. Kantrael Pattern Laspistol: x1000 issued to officers and other troops x1000 power packs (separate from lasguns) Hell Hammer Pattern Lascannon: Issued to every heavy weapons team, x60 Heavy Stubber: issued as a special weapon to each guardsman squad. x60 (2,000 bullets each) Duelling Blade: A Ceramite-Plasteel-Adamantium composite sword of moderate weight, used for outriders and other troops x1,000
(Note, you should bring more of each piece of equipment that you're using than you need for repairs, replacements and similar things in the field of battle for you cannot be reinforced and rearmed instantly. However, if you bring too much spare equipment the administratum might be lazy to reinforce and rearm your particular regiment).
An important thing to note is that while detail is appreciated and desired, you should not make it so much that you will be hurt or upset at the loss of them.
Name: Col. Gregory Hollis Age: 91 years but due to juvinant chemicals appears 60. Gender: M Physical Description:
Greggory wears a long tailored military double breasted coat in the regimental colours which are black fatigues with emerald green armour. An emerald green peaked officers cap with black band and gold regimental crest. His armour is the standard hazard flak with additional refractor field ornamental gorget. He is about 6 foot tall. He wares tall dark leather boots wach with an imperial crest on it and flak gaiters. Around his waist under his leather belt he wears a white silk sash.
Personality: Greggory Hollis is a master of administrating a force on paper. However there is much more to warfare than paperwork. He is somewhat guilty of treating his regiment and the men under his command more as personnel dossiers than real troops. In combat he believes in the noble art of swordsmanship and dueling and as such has become a master of bladed weapons; able to turn parries into attacks. It is perhaps an elaborate performance to behave with such abandon and panache in the face of the horrors of the Galaxy and the dangers of his profession. It could also be a mild form of insanity, designed to allow him to cope with the assorted nightmares of war. Nevertheless he has a deep love for the disciplined life of the Imperial Guard and is good tempered and humble, some would say too good tempered. He is a stickler for the rules and Discipline and does everything by the book. He is of course, of noble birth and came from a family of officer class from them he picked up many techniques to efficiently wield an army and it was no surprise when he was promoted to Colonel, as this is just the beginning of his distinguished career.
Capabilities: Expert at adiministration and a blade master with a sword. Failings: Greggory is a good tempered old gentleman. Some would say his good temprement boarders on softness.
Regimental History: Victor of the Defence of Telemark Hive. Destroying legions of zombies and their chaos mutant necromancer masters. Not through any great act of valour but through quiet competence led to a handy defeat of the necromancer coven. He was pivotal in the defence of the Reliquary Armoury the true target of the necromancers, and not, to simply cause more dead bodies to add to their hoard and to take the capital, as was previously thought. He did this by reading the movements of the enemy on the battlefield. Due to this he was permitted to take one relic with him from the armoury, as he clearly displayed the skill needed to bring it back.
The 441st also faced off against the forces of the Eldar. Raiding the world for an unknown cause the regiment came up against many of their Eldar Warlock led, guardian squads. The Warlocks could forsee and counter any strategies used, they could also plague the men with terrifying visions whole squads at a time. Losses were severe and the Eldar were able to complete their objective of recovering an archeotech relic hidden deep in the cold-jungles. This led to Colonel Hollis to make changes to the force organisation structure, including more psykers who detect and counter those used by the enemy. It is at this time he met the Primaris Psyker Shae Callidon, who claimed that he had had a vision, and that he was needed with the regiment.
Regimental/Planetary Culture:
The Planet of Sententia is a Hive World, featuring mostly marshes and tundra and a few large but sparsely separated cold-jungles and mountain ranges. The locals living in one of the 3 main Hive structures, their construction; like vast crenulated and castellated towers. Many tens of thousands of years ago the Hives were discovered as relics from the golden age of technology, abandoned due to some great cataclysm to which no one can attribute a name. Since the initial colonisation efforts the hives have been gradually rebuilt to house the rapidly growing population and feature many ad-hoc add-ons of more recent manufacture. While great efforts to preserve the technology within the hive have been made, that which keeps its environment stable and water un-irradiated, it is still visited by piratical entities seeking out any archeotech fables. At some unknown time due to an unknown threat nuclear landmines were deployed outside of the hive, their eventual triggering led to a radiation miasma which pervades the outside of the hive and makes it almost unliveable, for many years, almost as long as anyone can remember the radiation marsh lakes and tundra have been used for burial of the dead, however for several generations the dead have not kept to their peat pits, the hives exterior is now pervaded by zombies. The Spire Government looked to the Guard to solve the problem who decided to flood the area with Toxic Gas, which was initially met with success, felling the legions of shambling peat-zombies, however just as they fell, they rose again, and again, it is now not known how effective the gas is but it is nonetheless deployed every month as a matter of hive policy. The Planet would have continued this way, had it not been for an admech teams discovery of the marvelled Adamantium Crystals Vaults. Over tens of thousands of years the underground lakes have crystallized metals into huge stalactites and stalagmites of crystaline shards, these metals are highly valuable for their use in engines as heat-exchangers by the mechanicus, and are mined veraciously; able to collect in one days mining what would have taken a hundred years to construct manually. As such the planet of Sententia is of great interest to them and the Forgeworld of Raytheon is rapidly trying to gain control over the planet. The people, however, are still loyal to the Emperor, a fact used to the benefit of the nobility when they want to take advantage of the relationship with the Mechanucus. It is unknown why the stalactites grow, or how many such underground lakes exist, but year on year more of these are mined and exported by miner servitors, never to be renewed. A large portion goes to the Nobility of Sententia which is then traded with passing traders. Some of it inevitably is earmarked for use by the guard. It has the unusual ability to be able to capture energy very quickly and is used as a heat exchanger. When Most commonly it is used as an upgrade to the standard Hazard Flak employed it is capable of storing a high amount of energy from the first initial hits from a Hazard such as a lasweapon lance or an overloading plasma weapon, however once it reaches its max it can store no more before it starts to take damage from the incoming hits. (On the first hit from a weapon it will absorb 5 damage, however in the next hit i will absorb no more until given sufficient time to cool in the ambient air.)
Holidays: Sanguinela, All saints day.
Recruitment Method:
The Guard from this planet are Caste-born: Raised from birth in the warrior caste of their society. Each warrior is raised under the tutorship of their family elders which are themselves old warriors; returning from fighting in a tithe regiment. These families are themselves organised under lodges which follow the knightly structure. Owing to the secrets of the arcane machines which power and sustain their hive, maintenance through rote is widely taught and it is said that a Guardsman from Sententia is an excellent technomat and a safe pair of hands for any machine spirit. This is reflected in the pride of the regiment; the Pioneers, who are trained to fix and maintain a variety of weapons systems aswell as how to erect strong fortifications and destroy those of the enemies. Being used to toxic and radioactive environments of their home world the Guard have further specialised into Hazardous Environment operations, dawning the equipment to allow them to survive and make use of movement the enemy lacks. They have become specialists in determining the risks of the battlefield and how best to counter each, one by one, until they can reach the objective. This has led to the wide use of Tox gas and Tox weaponry by the regiment as they are all but impervious to its effects while the enemy isnt. It is even possible that with enough time and foresight to evaluate a hazard these troops can reduce the damage dealt by it. Naturally such troops are ripe for recruitment into the Skitarii, however they remain staunchly loyal to their Class structure and the Castes within it. They will continue to serve the Emperor in this way until the Noble Caste sees fit. The hated enemy of the Sententia Hazardous Environment Infantry is the zombies that exist outside their hives, and the mutant cults of decay that spring up suddenly to try and reap more bodies from the faithful population.
Thin Black Line - A sense of duty and bravery is instilled into every Korlann soldier with drills modeled after the famed Mordian and Praetorian regiments. While no where near as strict and brutal, the 99th is without a doubt a stalward and steadfast regiment; a reliable unit with a proud history of service, honor and almost no desertions.
Stiff Upper Lip - While not specially adapted to any singular enviroment to the degree a Catachan or a Valhallan regiment may be, the Korlann 99th has served across dozens of worlds and hundreds of terrains, landscapes and ecosystems. They are an adaptable lot and will stoically endure nearly any environment (with more than the occasional grumbling) barring a few extreme examples.
Regimental Weaknesses
Baggage Train - A slow moving, foot-based regiment to begin with, all Korlann regiments are accompanied by a herd of camp followers and the 99th is no exception. With few vehicles outside of a few chimeras, civilian trucks and ambulances, the 99th marches everywhere it goes with its attendants. Although some of these followers are as hearty as the soldiers themselves and provide certain luxuries while allowing the soldiers to focus on their own duties, it does little to increase the speed of their movements making them vulnerable to raids and lighting attacks.
Indolent Nobles - An unfortunate trait exhibited by many noble commanders across the Imperium, the noble-born officers of the 99th are either unsuited for their positions as they are either cowardly or simply incompetent. Its said that only a combination of the actions of the lower ranking NCOs and skills of Lord Marshal Cain that the regiment has averted compete and utter disaster.
Psyker Commander - An abrasive and ambitious man, Lord Marshal Cain was long thought to have extraordinary luck and foresight which when combined with several family connections, propelled him through the ranks. A latent pysker, he was only properly registered and later trained when he a pysker from another regiment identified him as one. Although he has since been properly trained and his powered honed, rumors and omens spread about both internally and externally despite the great benefit his powers of Divination and slight powers in Telekinesis. His cold and often apathetic attitude does him few favors either.
"The March of the Imperium can't afford to pause for the likes of you." - Lord Marshal Cain to Warboss Grazwakka.
Daily Morning Muster
3,000 troops + 700 camp followers
The most basic unit of command of the regiments of Korlann is the 20 man platoon consisting of a sergeant, a banner bearer, a heavy weapons team and 16 soldiers of the line. The most common of these heavy weapons is either a Heavy Bolter or a Lascannon. The traditional firing line has the heavy weapon placed in the center right in front of the sergeant and the banner bearer with eight men on either side of the heavy weapon formed into two rows of four. The banner bearer is also the platoon vox caster.
Above the platoon is the company, formed of 4 platoons and a command platoon and an artillery attachment. Platoon command is identical to the regular platoon except consist of 11 men with specialized communications equipment instead of a heavy weapon but are granted command of a Griffon or a Basilisk artillery piece.
A battalion is formed from 6 companies totaling 600 men and the entire regiment holds five battalions under its banner. Battalion command consists entirely of special members and lacks any guardsmen. Such members include: 2 quartermaster, 4 master surgeons, 1 enginseer, 3 vox casters, 5 commissars, 2 junior commissars, a Major, a banner bearer and assistant.
Each battalion also has a single company of horse to accompany them. These Horse Guards are always of noble blood and are not divided up into smaller subsections. Unlike many Imperial cavalry units, Korlann companies of horse do not carry hunting lances and instead use cut down carbines and chain sabers. Typically used for scouting, these noble riders are the only non-command troops allowed to wear capes or animal skins. Indeed many companies of horse have their riders wear the pelt of a beast the wearer has personally slain during their initial recruitment ritual.
Beyond the simple soldiers, camp followers are also a common sight. These are typically women either related to or a solder indentured servants as well as other persons whose skills are valuable to the regiment. Camp followers include; cooks, servants, cleaners, tailors, confessors, priests, nurses, squires, logisticians, translators, wenches, and engineers.
Quartermaster's Inventory
Mars Pattern Lasrifles x 3,100; Standard issue
Laspistols x 1,200; Standard issue side arm for officers of all rank
Hotshot Powerpacks x 7,000; 99th prefers well aimed, powerful shots over rapid spraying
Korlann-pattern Bayonet x 3,200; Long and sleek, perfect to pierce the hide of heretics
Black Korlann Uniforms x 3,200; War is no excuse to fight in unsightly uniforms
Flak Armor x 3,100; Standard issue, include shoulder guards, styled to look like metal
Blessed Chain Sabres x 550; For Horse Guard companies, blessed in exchanges for knightly vows
Power Swords x 100; For high ranking officers only
Carapace Armor x 650; For Horse Guard and high ranking Officers only
Frag Grenades x 8,000; Each man gets a pair
Krak Grenades x 8,000; Each man gets a pair
Heavy Bolters x 50; For Heavy Weapon Squads
Lascannons x 40, For Heavy Weapon Squads
Autocannons x 30; For Heavy Weapon Squads
Motor Pool Registry
Griffon Heavy Mortar Carrier x 60; Company Support
Basilisk Heavy Artillery x 40; Company Support
Chimera APC x 18; For officer use mostly
Goliath x 6; Unarmed, used for transport and construction
Assorted civilian trucks and ambulances
"Is al'ight sir, all in a day's work eh?" - Last words of Pvt. T. Atkins.
Enlistment Standards
Recruitment is done by a lottery system on Korlann where every citizen from age 15 to 35 must enter at least one ticket into the system. Citizens may enter their name more than once for the ability to earn bonuses such as days off from work, additional pay, more rations and certain luxuries. There is no limit to the number of times one may put their name in, but the local administration tends to "forget" to give bonuses past five tickets.
Volunteers are also welcomed with open arms during recruitment and while they receive no bonus from the lottery system, they receive special bonuses for their patriotism and willingness to serve the God-Emperor. Such bonuses include additional rations and preferential treatment when it comes to promotion or assigning to important positions. Most NCOs are indeed volunteers which has created a strong tradition of competent lower-ranking officers that are sometimes even better than their noble commissioned counter parts.
The nobility of Korlann does not take part in the lottery system, finding it distasteful in addition to being exempt from it due to ancient decrees. However, instead they must enroll at least one child per generation into the Royal Arsenal Academy to be trained as commissioned officers. Their training is decidedly less physical and much more academic with trainees studying manners of logistics, leadership, formations and even linguistic diplomacy for interacting with other regiments. The fact that such officers aren't always competent or even willing means that Korlann regiments have an unfortunate tenancy of incompetent leadership, saved only by the skills of the lower ranking officers.
Commander Dossier
Traditions
Korlann is a rather unique plant as once it was a primitive world best comparable to Terra in its late Iron Age. Upon being discovered by the van Korhold Rogue Trader dynasty in M37, the planet was named "Korlann" after them and what followed was one of the most successful technological and societal upliftings to date. Since then, the planet has slowly become what is a "proto-hive world" with the beginnings of hives appearing across the surface. Although not exceedingly blessed with natural resources, it lays on a critical calm zone in the Warp making it an extremely common stop for anyone heading into the Hadran Sector in Segmentum Pacificus. Due to this key location, it has made a great fortune for being a center of trade and communications. Decades of politicing and religious negotiation has also let a few Ministorum holy sites to be built and sanctioned on the planet, bringing in handfuls of pilgrims regularly.
Korlannders have since become accustom to the myriad of cultures and persons that often stop by their world to refuel ships and pick up supplies. From the eccentric crews of Rogue Traders to highly esteemed Administrum officials, from the secretive Inquisitorial agents to the innumerable Imperial Guard regiments, the star ports and space stations are constantly abuzz with activity. Even in the more rural villages, people often see glimpses of such colorful people. This constant barrage of foreign cultures has made the people of Korlann more receptive to those hailing from other worlds although will still see themselves as superior; such is the famous Korlann "soft arrogance".
Another bonus of its strategic position is that it has a great deal of local power and can even call in favors from surrounding worlds. Many once petty nobles have married into highly esteemed Imperial families and dynasties, creating an intricate network of marriages, alliances and loyalties that crisscross the surrounding sectors and beyond. The guard regiments also take full advantage of this and often recruit veteran guardsmen from disbanded companies to train their own soldiers. Some regiments take heavily off of their trainers, going as far as to modify their uniforms to emulate that of more famous regiments (the 99th is one of the regiments who are not subscribed to this practice).
At one point in time, the van Korhold Dynasty held personal dominion over the planet and surrounding systems, but relinquished control of them to the Administratum over something known as the "Ravens Incident". No one on Korlann really knows what happened in this incident but neither the van Korholds who have since moved on or the Administratum is speaking.
"Seems we are doomed to die on this rock; face forward and ready your rifles. Wouldn't want to give the Emperor a poor first impression would we now?" - Last words of Col. Wensley to his troops on Jorvug 4.
Regimental Specialty: The Tuskan Raiders are masters of raiding operations behind enemy lines. They prefer to strike fast and hard by burning and pillaging the enemy supplies. When they are part of a battle group their tactics are to advance deep into enemy lines to deprive the front line troops of the supplies and reinforcements needed to fight the Imperial Guard.
The Raider tactics are often to swarm a supply depot or convoy with their fast vehicles crushing any resistance before the defenders realize what is happening, in the ensuing havoc the company Chimeras will drop infantry to mop up and set demo charges to destroy supplies or capture anything that is needed.
The Regiment is also quite skilled in scouting actions, while the bikes are not especially quiet their speed is difficult to match and can evade those sent against them more often than not. With their speed the raiders are often a good source of intelligence beyond the front lines and can forewarn those locked in the thickest fighting of incoming reinforcements before battle is joined. Regimental Flaws: While the Raiders are fierce combatants capable of shattering tough resistance due to surprise and speed, they are not well equipped to deal with heavy armored divisions or well defended fortresses. The Raiders are also a prideful regiment stemming from their close ties to the Astartes. This manifests as a mild disrespect of regiments that are not considered their equals. They believe themselves similar to that of the honored Kasarkin though their reputation with the rest of the Imperial Guard is not nearly so bright. Finally the Raiders have received several reprimands from the Inquisition for use of Xenos supplies in war, though it has never come to a formal examination of the regiment. Number of Humans Souls: 1500 (not including rear echelon support)
Regimental Organization: For this section, I would rather you split things up, perhaps with smaller hiders within. As an Example, let us take the imaginary Cadian 253rd Cadian Infantry 1st Company: 2 Chimera APC carrying 2 squads of 12 infantry, 9 Tauros, 15 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 10 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 5 Salamander Scout tank, 4 Griffon Mortar tank, 25 Bike Outriders, 2 Leman Russ Exterminator variants
3rd Company 4 Chimera APC carrying 4 squads of 12 infantry, 12 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 3 Salamander Scout tank, 1 Griffon Mortar tank, 26 Bike Outriders
4th Company 4 Chimera APC carrying 4 squads of 12 infantry, 10 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 4 Salamander Scout tank, 30 Bike Outriders
5th Company 4 Chimera APC carrying 4 squads of 12 infantry, 10 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 4 Salamander Scout tank, 30 Bike Outriders
6th Company 3 Chimera APC carrying 3 squads of 12 infantry, 10 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 10 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 5 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 5 Salamander Scout tank, 5 Griffon Mortar tank, 16 Bike Outriders
7th Company 1 Gorgon carrying 5 squads of 10, 2 Gorgon refit to carry supplies and fuel, 6 Tauros, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 2 Salamander Scout tank, 12 Bike Outriders
8th Company 2 Gorgon carrying 10 squads of 10, 1 Gorgon refit to carry looted supplies and fuel, 6 Tauros, 5 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 2 Salamander Scout tank, 12 Bike Outriders
9th Company 4 Chimera carrying 4 squads of 12, 10 Tauros, 10 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 10 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 10 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 2 Salamander Scout tank, 35 Bike Outriders
10th Company 2 Chimera carrying 2 squads of 12, 12 Tauros, 2 Sentinel Heavy bolter variant, 20 Sentinel Auto-cannon variant, 20 Sentinel Las-cannon, 1 Salamander Command Vehicle, 50 Bike Outrider
Regimental Armoury Allocation: Carapace Armor x1200 (for Infantry units, Outriders & command) Flak Armor x800 (for heavier vehicle units) Cadian-pattern Hellgun x700 (Infantry) Cadian-pattern Hellgun Power packs x2800 Cadian-pattern Hellpistol x400 (Outriders) Cadian-pattern Hellpistol Power packs x1600 Chainsword x400 (Outriders) Hunting Lance x1000 (Krak Tip) Hunting Lance x1000 (Inferno tip) Semi-Portable generator to recharge spent power packs Supply of replacement parts for vehicles Spare fuel & ammunition for vehicle weapons
Name: Commander Jarah Age: 56 Gender: Male Physical Description: What do they look like? Pictures may be linked but if it's just a picture so help me God. If it's an anime picture, so help you God. Equipment: Carapace Armor Power sword Plasma pistol Ancient Copy of the Lecto Divinitatus rumored to predate the Heresy (it doesnt) Personality: Jerah is a calculating commander, cool headed and calm in stark contrast to his captains and regiment of fury driven raiders. When he speaks it is with a calm and assured authority even beyond that of what most would call sane, even after a catastrophic failure or heroic victory he would punish or praise his officers with the same level tone. Part of this comes from his noble rank before being sent to the Astartes and it shows in his dismissive demeanor with everyone he has arbitrarily deemed beneath him.
Capabilities: Jerah is a masterful Logician and would have made an excellent supply commander. However he uses this mastery to deconstruct what Enemy supply lines would likely be and send his regiment to sever the most vital arteries. He is adaptable and will modify his plans with new information quickly rather than stubbornly keep a flawed plan.
Lastly Jerah is a duelist, in single combat he is unbeaten in his regiment and given Crimson Lancer Astartes a good fight even if he had never claimed a victory against them. Using speed and guile to bring down even far stronger foes however his skill has almost never been seen on the field of combat.
Failings: Jerah is a poor tactician and does not work on any tactical level planning he delegates such matters to his Major or the captains sent to the mission. Even then he rarely leads his regiment as the battle commander leaving such duties to the Major and will ignore the battle studying maps to find the next supply artery to sever.
Jerah is also arrogant as any noble born flouting his near passing of Astartes early trials believing himself above the rank and file soldier, even being dismissive of his fellow commanders until they earn his respect. However he will unfailingly follow the orders of his superiors and show utmost, if false, respect for them.
Regimental History: The Tuskan raiders are a fairly young regiment and have only recently been sent away from their parent Astartes legion, but they have had several years of battle having been considered trained and sufficient to fight without Legion tutelage. Their first deployment has a grave learning experience for the Raiders. Training near the Astartes gave them a false sense of superiority and immortality.
In a long war against the Ork hordes the raiders suffered a painful defeat. The Raiders launched a raid against a massive fortified stronghold where the Green Skins had been manufacturing tanks, bombers and more to throw against the Imperial Guard and Crimson Lancers. As the Raiders charged an armored company worth of looted tanks and ramshackle war machines came out to meet them. Though the Raiders had speed and tenacity on their side they lacked the experience of real warfare, and carried the curse of arrogance. They where slaughtered, hundreds died before they where rescued by the Crimson lancers. In one fell swoop the raiders where cut down to a half strength regiment. However the experience was educational and purged a great deal of their sense of immortality from them, though not all of their arrogance. In this battle their previous commander was killed moving Jerah into the rank.
They where relegated to small actions from then on, prodding Orkish defences and destorying supplies. Through out the rest of the war on with the tribe of Orks they where little more than over-equipped scouts and bandits. Since their crushing defeat the Raiders have always been much more careful in the targets of their attacks focusing on soft targets that will bleed the enemy than trying to root them out at their heart.
Once reinforced the Raiders fought cautiously using Jerah's logistic expertise to great effect which ultimately culminated in a shocking victory for the Regiment and the declaration that they where fit to fight on other campaigns and not shackled to their Astartes cousins. Their proving war was against an imperial world in revolt, the exact circumstances of the rebellion where never given over to the regiment but it had obviously succumbed to the taint of Chaos. Flesh cults and blood thirsty mobs roaming the planet made it obvious enough. The raiders never fought the Traitor Astartes, that was left to their parent legion, but they fought long and hard against the PDF forces that had sided with the traitors.
The battle that exemplified their victory was taking their forces between the two largest hive cities and choking off all movement between the cities, One of them was under siege by the Lancers and many Guard regiments. But the city was not fully surrounded and it would acquire new soldiers and arms as fast as the siege could kill them. The raides essentially conquered several hundred miles of industrial wasteland for the months it would take to capture the Hive. The territory was surrounded on all sides by Chaos forces but they ruled the streets of the wasteland with little more than bikes, sentinels and tenacity. Their actions throttled nearly all supply movement into the besieged city and allowed the Imperial forces to finally crush the defenders. The conquest of the Industrial wasteland was not without cost however, in their fighting with the chaos forces they grew to a new level of savagery, such as chaining a wounded foe to be dragged behind the bikes until they where a broken heap of gore. The long battle also granted them a firm reprimand for utilizing 'tainted' materials by capturing fuel or bullets from their traitor PDF enemies.
After their pacification of the Chaos held planet the regiment was formally acknowledged for their accomplishments and sent to a new planet to wage war but not with the Legions. in Truth the Crimson Lancers where displeased with the brutal shift that the Raiders underwent and sent them to a new front due to their savagery rather than their hold of enemy territory.
Regimental/Planetary Culture: The Tuskan raiders have grown away from the traditionally martial and professional soldiers of their sibling regiments and overall planetary culture. They have become more akin to a hive gang with internal conflict handled by a brawl or knife fight that formal complaints to superior officers. Externally they appear like a troop of rowdy trouble makers with the rank and file soldiers happily starting brawls in the bars and taverns they happen to come across.
Their appreciation of illegal activity has also risen greatly making a Tuskan raider the soldier to find if someone is looking for drugs, weapons, or a game to gamble at. This is also true because the raiders have taken it upon themselves to shut down the illegal activities within the other regiments when possible and have been slowly monopolizing illegal trade in the local forces.
When appropriate the raiders also act like a penal legion and will acquire materials whenever they see fit. Bribing the quartermaster for a few sets of Carapace armor or simply stealing it from another regiment, even looting the dead of either side of the battle has made the Raiders better equipped than they would otherwise have a right to be.
Recruitment Method: The Raiders recruitment is unorthodox compared to other regiments, with their home world also being the home of the Crimson Lancers legion. The Lancers are a small legion due to an even more exacting and inhuman training regimen than most other Astartes. Due to their impossibly high standards the legion is swamped with serfs who had failed the training and serve the legion. When the number of serfs become more of a burden than an aid to the Legion a large contingent are sent to the Guard to be of some use to the Emperor. The Raiders are one such Regiment called up to cull the number of Serfs.
The Serfs selected are generally those who where good, if not exceptional, Astartes candidates and are made into Storm troopers. Their brief stint as Astartes aspirants did instill in them a supreme level of stoic endurance though not enough to persevere through their previous training. These storm trooper regiments are trained on the same planet with their Legion, sometimes acting as an opposing force during war-games. Even training apart from the Legion the raiders always pick up habits and mannerisms from their parent Legion, and are often sent as an auxiliary force with the Crimson Lancers once training is completed
