Chapter One:The Patrol

“ The Incident on Saint Isadore Caenum began at the port in Hennelsburg with a plan to infiltrate Warmaster Hollenlarm’s advanced agents onto the system ships and use them to take the orbital defense platform Sariah’s Eyes. Neutralizing the platform would allow for safe passage of the main forces of Hollenlarm onto Saint Isadore Caenum and would instigate the next phase of the operation.”

   The opening gambit for the forces of Chaos launched at the port in Hennelsburg known as Hennel’s Nest.  Haeruth The Seer, the self important leader of a local cult had made contact with a small advanced force from the soon to arrive fleet of Warmaster Hollenharm.  The ambush was in place and the space port was soon to be under attack.  Only the timely intervention by a lowly Astropath who had a sense something was afoot prevented the ambush from rolling over the lightly defended port.  The  Port Commander, trusting his Astropath called in a patrol of Sisters of Battle, Black Templars and Imperial Guard who were out practicing maneuvers. Haeruth had counted on the absence of these forces and had to pivot quickly to deal with the prematurely returning Imperial forces. 

Haeruth the Seer and some of his followers

NOTE-For the purposes of these blog posts, the narrative for each chapter will be included at the end of the post.  This is where you will find more of the story.

Game Notes: The first fight in the campaign takes place in one of the few technologically advanced areas of the planet.  Hennel’s Nest is one of two space ports on Saint Isadore Caenum.  Technologically advanced in this context is still not very advanced. 

Objectives- the goal of the Chaos forces is to take control of six objectives located within the port.  These represent access to space craft which they want to take.  Two of the objectives have secondary significance.  The Imperial goal is to stop this from happening.  The game is eight turns long with the possibility of extra turns.  Chaos wins if they secured three or more of the primary objectives.

The Set Up - The imperial side is made up of three distinct forces. Sisters of Battle, Black Templars and Imperial Guard.  Each force places one unit in the port, two units marching in and the rest in reserve. Reserves enter from the table edge farthest from the port. These are the tail end of the patrol rushing back to the port. The patrol’s route takes it through a town market that the opportunistic citizens have set up outside the port.

 The Chaos side is also made up of three distinct forces: Forces of Slaanesh, forces of Nurgle and an Alpha Legion detachment.   Three units of each are set up in the buildings that stand on both sides of the market.   This is the ambush launching site.   These units will get the first turn.  After this turn is taken, the remaining Chaos units will be placed in the remaining buildings.  The Imperial forces will then get their turn.

Slaanesh  Cultists prepare.

In addition, there are NPCs on both sides   Haeruth the Seer is one.  His Devoted followers are others 

End of Game Notes

The Port Building 

THE ATTACK IS LAUNCHED 

   Haeruth The Seer was not happy when he observed the head of the combined forces patrol march back into the port.  His planning and reconnaissance had been thorough.  The patrol was not supposed to return so soon after marching out.   Something had happened to bring them back and now he had to make a quick decision, call off the attack or press on.   He chose to fight.  

The line of Imperial troops marched through the market as confused as Haeruth.   The merchants stared on too.  They were familiar with the daily routine   March out in the early dawn, return as darkness came.  What was this about?

The answer came quickly and violently.  Shots crashed from the pre-Imperial buildings that lined both sides of the road.  Cultists with stubbers, autoguns and every other contrivance poured fire into the hapless patrol.  A squad of Adeptus Sororitas Novitiates at the head of the column were shot up within seconds. 

A bold attack by cultists was shocking enough.  Secretive cults were known to be active on the planet for as long as denizens inhabited the Feudal world.  Inhuman Warriors of the Alpha Legion was something else   Where did the Legionnaires of Chaos come from?  There have never been Marines of the dark gods on Saint Isadore Caenum.

There was no time to think about this now as the armored giants poured from the buildings flanking the hapless patrol.

The ambush was devastating.  The shining purple armor of Slaanesh glinted in the day’s light and bolter fire erupted .  More Novitiates fell and the first Imperial Space Marines to die in battle on the young planet was recorded when three Black Templar Inceptors fell to fire from all directions.

The inexperienced recruits of the Imperial Guard Thirteenth Sarnian regiment tried to fight back but were rudderless as their Commander was far back in the patrol and not able to provide orders.   They engaged cultists in a brief, fierce firefight.  They could do nothing when the crushing tide of the Alpha Legion swept down on them and destroyed them to the last man with chainswords, bolt pistols and crushing mailed fists  

Merchants screamed and ran for cover   The patrol was decimated.  Blood pooled in the road.   In the hangar, the defenders held on.  Imperial Snipers and Templar Intercessors shot down attackers who they could see.  The hangar remained defended but where was the rest of the patrol?

HERE THEY COME

Responding to the gunfire and explosions, the tail end of the patrol rushed to the fight.   Assault marines of the Black Templars crashed into the Alpha Legionnaires and struck them down in vicious hand to hand.  Chainswords cut through loyalist and traitor alike until the Templars emerged victorious, wiping out the foe.  The Alpha Legion Lord was brought down under the swings of the Emperor’s Champion. 

More Templars stepped into the market and unleashed melta blasts into a plague dreadnought. The lumbering golem crashed to a lifeless pile of rust.

Another Dreadnought, honored by the lord of pleasure dueled with several Sword Brothers in front of the hangar.  The Templars consisted of the last remains of the initial patrol.   They traded blows with the foul machine but deadly claws cleaved their shields and they died to the last.

The elimination of the patrol left the defenders in a bad position. Plague bearers and cultists breached the outer hangar while Noise Marines pushed in as well accompanied by their hideous cacophony.   Very little stood in the way. 

Desperately, the Astropath, sensing what was happening focused on calling out the Orbital Platform that glowed as a beacon and protector in the skies above. 

Game Note: One of the secondary objectives of the Imperial side was for the Astropath to use his psychic power to warn the crew of an orbital defense platform above the planet that an attack was occurring.  In order to do this the Astropath had to reach 25 points by rolling a d6 each turn that he did nothing else but concentrate on relaying the signal. End of Game Note

A squad of Raptors of the Alpha Legion sensing an opportunity leapt to the skies and hunted the Astropath who stood defenseless on top of the hangar.  The Raptors crashed down onto the top of the giant building and blasted the Astropath with melta guns and bolt pistols.  Miraculously all shots missed or were stopped by the Astropath’s Conversion Field.   The Emperor Protects.   Belatedly, nearby Templars and an Imperial  marksman squad arrived and finished off the Raptors, who had also (very) temporarily secured one of the precious objectives.  They couldn’t hold it. 

 

The Imperial Reinforcements continued to arrive.  One of the Sarnian Thirteenth’s very old Sentinels arrived-the 13th was notoriously plagued with obsolete and broken equipment- side by side with a Seraphim squad.

Rough Riders galloped forth.

Joining the Imperial Guard, a squad of Squats marched in.

Game Note-One of the Irregular(s) is painting a Squat army and is introducing one unit at a time as supports for the Imperial Guard.   This includes new rules for the old army.  The first unit created is the Brotherhood Combat Squad-the backbone of the Squat force.-End of Game Note

The tide was turning.  Where was Haeruth the Seer?   The leader of the insurrection was nowhere to be found.  He participated little and hid out behind one of the small abandoned houses.   Why didn’t he lead from the front?   Haeruth the Seer thought himself too valuable. 

THE END

Time was running out.  The Imperial forces hung on but the forces of Chaos secured two objectives.  If they secured a third and held it, they would capture the precious ships that were so vital to their future plans. 

This brings us back to Haeruth.  More specifically this brings us to the entity known as “Haeruth’s Object.”  This strange little man was somehow important to Haeruth but nobody knew why.   Haeruth counted him as part of the plan to take the port.   Unfortunately, Haeruth’s Object was captured a few days before for unspecified heretical acts and was locked up in a small cell near the port that was used for holding less dangerous criminals.    

Haeruth insisted that freeing this man was crucial.   So it was that during the attack a squad of Plague Marines located the release mechanism and freed Haeruth’s Object.   The cage door unceremoniously popped open and the decrepit man walked out..and immediately collapsed.   While the fight raged around him Haeruth’s Object began to change.   A warp energy consumed him and he mutated.  When the transformation finished, it was clear why Haeruth found usefulness in this “little” man. 

The freeing of Haeruth’s Object was the last success the attackers would experience.   Time had run out.  The Astropath called to the Orbital Station in the sky and on the ground Imperial forces secured the ships 

 Haeruth withdrew to come up with a new plan and his forces pulled back.  The Imperials retained control…for now.  

CONCLUSION

Imperial Victory

-Secondary Scoring

Imperial 7- contacted the Orbital Statiom (5 points) Slayed an enemy Warlord (2 points)

Chaos 5- freed Haeruth’s Object 

What Happened?

It was a Chaos Victory on a platter and they nearly pulled it off.  They started with their full armies on the board in an advantageous position while 1/3 of the Imperial forces started on the board set up like carnival ducks.  The remaining Imperial forces had to enter from the opposite side of the board.  

So why did it end the way it did?  Chaos had a case of the slow and cautious…and a bit of bad luck.  The Astropath should have evaporated under Raptor fire. Chaos came at the hangar slowly and piecemeal.  Three units and a Chimera tank stood against more than fifteen attackers.   The imperials held out for nine turns.