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This is the backstory for my Imperial Guard army which is led by Lord Inquisitor Soulis (a counts-as Straken) and which makes use of Death Korps of Kreig models. This is a first draft, so I am happy to receive any any all comments and criticism as this is far from a finished product and I am not entirely happy with it yet. I think the fluff may bear some further discussion of the culture of Valka before the World Eater invasion and how things changed because of the long war. This will better explain the prevalence of Rough Riders. I'm also not crazy about how I've worked in the nuclear bit ... I do want a reason to explain the Kreig-like appearance, but maybe others have better ideas. Also, guerrilla warfare is perhaps a wrong way to put it as they still fight in a "normal" fashion (you can see my working army list here: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/346742.page)

Also wondering whether an Inquisitor would lead a crusade, or should I have them with him in some other capacity? The last bit of the fluff is mostly a way to get them off-world and out-and-about. As I say, it's a work in progress.

I picked Segmentum Tempestus because a friend who I play frequently plays Biel Tan Craftworld Eldar and I understand that is where said craft world is currently located. The World Eaters and Catachan aspects to the fluf harken back to my old days of gaming in 3rd edition where good friends who I played regularly used those armies.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the fluff ... fire away!

EDIT 26 FEB 11: changed the location of the world to make it a Sabbat World in the Newfound Trailing Group based on feedback received; also changed name back to Sorgrece, which was the original name and which I like better. Also removed all the stuff about Inquisitor Soulis which is better suited to a section focussing on the main personalities of my army which will come later. More changes still to come, more C&C most welcom.

Persequi Astro Ultio Crusade


I. Sorgrece

Cross ref. Sorgrece: Imperium Files 328-539
0398.137.18 ref, cross Xeno-Folders, ex. 511

Name: Sorgrece
Segmentum: Segmentum Pacificus
Sector: Sabbat Worlds
Subsector: Newfound Trailing Group
System: Valka
Population: 5,312,816,277 (as of 3921339/M.41 Census)
Class: ϒ, Civilised Cardinal World
Tithe Grade: Extremus - Exactus Tertius

When the Sabbat Worlds were annexed for Imperial colonization in M35, Sorgrece was a humble pastoral world that, while well outside the Civitas Imperialis, was loyal to the Emperor with an especially strong cult to his worship. This cult, combined with the martial spirit of the people, saw them through the dark centuries before the ascent of St. Sabbat. 

Cut-off from the Empire and beset by Chaos warbands and xenos pirates, the world was reduced nearly to the status of a feudal world, with a strong fighting aristocracy. When missionaries and Imperial troops arrived, minimal cleansing was required, and the Ecclesiarchy found fertile ground for its influence. Sorgrece soon became the Cardinal world for the sub-sector.

As with the other worlds of the Sabbat region, following 600.M41 Sorgrece was the target of sustained Chaos persecution. The worst and most significant of these was the large-scale attack by the Blood Pact and the “Blood Slaves of Khorne” World Eaters warband, all under the command of Lord Khargoth the Skull-taker. Despite valiant defence of the planet by the Imperial Guard regiments, P.D.F., and Sisters of Battle (guardians of the Sanctorium of St. Sabbat in the capital city), the Imperial forces were in constant retreat. After a decade of war, the Ecclesiarchy sanctorium and the Administratum palace remained the last strongholds fully in Imperial hands.

Seeing defeat was at hand, the planetary governor, Count Vladimir von Rovaczev, ordered nuclear bombardment of his own planet by the last orbital warships to deny the Blood Slaves their prize and to deny them the ability to launch another attack on a neighbouring world.

Thereafter followed decades of bloody and desperate warfare across the nuclear-ravaged world, with the loyalists desperately clinging to those zones that had not been bombed and keeping them from Chaos taint. The Blood Slaves' hold on the world had been weakened but not destroyed. In these bloody years, the Sorgrecians, who had a long history of martial pride and honour, further honed their combat skills against the bloodthirsty Khornate minions. Deeming it best to fight fire with fire, and desperately low on modern weaponry, they focussed on mastering hand-to-hand combat. Finally, a saviour came to the Sorgrecians, in the person of Lord Inquisitor Soulis of the Ordo Hereticus who landed with a strike force in 754.M41 as part of Operation Redrake. He rallied the scattered Imperial forces with the help of Kazimierz von Rovaczev, only surviving son of Count Vladimir. When finally the Chaos forces had been evicted, there came the hard decision: what to do with the people of Sorgrece who had for decades been exposed to the taint of Chaos?

Lord Inquisitor Soulis was a puritan by general disposition, and a hard man, but just. While the remnants of the Blood Pack and last pockets of World Eaters were hunted down, he undertook a massive inquisition to determine the extent of Chaos taint. Many of his brothers urged him to take the “prudent” rout and simply order Exterminatus on the planet, but Soulis persevered. Although many burned, most were spared as he deemed the nuclear bombardment and corresponding necessity to use respirators and fallout shelters in many parts of the world had protected the people. He was even touched by the piety and nobility of the Sorgrecians and deemed it foolhardy to waste such good stock.

Wouldn't this go into the fluff forum?

Hmm a few points:

1) The order of our Maryred Lady were a group of sisters who followed Saint Sabbat and i believe would never have left the Sabbat worlds as they dies out not long after Sabbats death I believe.

2) The Blood Pact as I'm sure your aware are the Sworn warriors of Archon Urlock Gaur fighting Against Warmaster Macaroth in his attempts to win back the Sabbat Worlds. so again dont think they would find themselves on a planet in Segmentum Obscuras.

I believe you could remedy this by moving the world into segmentum pacificus (sabbat worlds are on the rimward edge of pacificus) this would bring the blood pact and the order of our martyred lady a little closer to where they should be, My only other gripe is that im not sure the order was still arround when the pact was formed as I believe they are relatively recent ie not formed long before Balhaut.

I wasn't sure which forum was the appropriate one for this, since the "Background" forum seemed to be focussed on discussing the existant background not players' creations, plus I saw some army fluff posts here in general. If I've posted to the wrong forum, I ask the moderators to move it. Thanks.

Trog: thanks for the input. I actually wasn't sure whether the Blood Pact only fought in the Sabbat Worlds campaign; I haven't read enough of the Black Library books but I am currently reading His Last Command and I decided to include them in my fluff simply because they're worshippers of Khorne.

It seems to me that I could simply make Valka a Sabbat world.

Speaking of the planet name, what do you think of Valka? I originally had it as Sorgrece V (or simply Sorgrece), but noticed that planets are rarely named after their suns in the 40K universe.

As for the Sisters of Our Martyred Lady, I wasn't aware that their order died out. Were they not present in the Armageddon campaign? Lexicanum has a fair bit about their involement there. Although I can easily remove them -- I included them just because that was the order I used when I played a Sisters of Battle army back in the day.

II. SORGRECIAN IMPERIAL GUARD REGIMENTS

History

See the history of Sorgrece for more detail. After Sorgrece was returned to Imperial control, as part of Operation Redrake in 756.M41, the Sorgrecians worked feverishly to repair their damaged infrastructure and start providing Imperial Guard regiments. By 760 they were sending their regular tithe to the Imperium, plus an additional tithe to the Ordo Hereticus under the auspices of Lord Inquisitor Soulis who sought their troops especially for his operations, so impressed was he by the fighting spirit and the willingness to engage in hand-to-hand combat with even Khornate Berzerkers.

Recruitment & Training

Recruitment for members of the Death Korps of Krieg is similar to many other Imperial worlds throughout the Imperium and conscription depends on varying circumstances. Most who join generally do so out of a sense of duty. Among the nobility of Sorgrece, service in the Imperial Guard is mandatory in order to inherit family title or authority.

In Sorgrecian regiments one must be of noble stock to be an officer, however, the basic infantry officer training is even more brutal than that endured by recruits to the ranks, yeilding excellent officers who are especially adept at hand-to-hand combat given that swordsmanship is practised daily among the nobility from childhood. These recruitment methods result in significant attrition of the artistocracy of Sorgrece, and this is replenished by a generous system of promotion where common soldiers who prove themselves in the Imperial Guard can be granted the titles of noble families that have perished due to all male heirs being killed in service to the Emperor.

Training for the common soldiers is similar to that of other Imperial Guard regiments with added emphasis on close-combat drill. Devotion to duty, honour, faith, and the Emperor are instilled in new recruits to make certain that they will not only stand their ground, but charge to the attack in the face of even the most horrific of the Empire’s enemies. Extra emphasis on religious indoctrination is included in their training, in keeping with Sorgrecian society’s deep religiosity and the holy crusade against Chaos.

Battle Style

The Sorgrecian regiments are most out of the ordinary, among Guard regiments, in their emphasis on close combat. Artillery and armour support is used as a means of providing cover to the infantry and rough riders until they can get to grips with the enemy, bathing them in prometheum then charging in. The charge is led by rough riders and specialised grenadier units who are armed with shotguns and wear carapace armour and are mechanised (whereas the bulk of Sorgrecian troops are either foot or hoof-borne).

Appearance & Uniform

Guardsmen of the Sorgrecian regiments wear a uniform of green-grey greatcoat, heavy boots and gloves, gas-masks and rounded-bowl helmets over green-grey fatigues, although it is most common to see blue-grey trouser since off-world the distinctive green-grey is difficult to reproduce and trousers are the most oft-replaced part of the uniform.

Sorgrecian grenadier units paint their carapace armour plates and helmets with a dot-pattern camouflage, with bone-white deaths head gas masks.

Officers wear more ornate uniforms than the rank-and-file, with plolished silver and/or gold cuirasses and helmet visors, as well as dark red uniform cuffs. Higher ranks wear sashes, as do their honour guard. Medals are worn openly.

Weapons & Equipment

The standard issue lasgun in service with regiments of Sorgrece is the no. 52 Lucius Pattern Lasgun. Included with this is an overlong bayonet that can be used for both slashing and stabbing attacks, which are called “swords” by Sorgrecian soldiers. Their ability to be used for slashing makes the rifles somewhat like halberds in combat and has led to one of the famous battle cries used by Sorgrecians: “Hack on!”; their entrenching tools are also sharpened and can be used as close-combat weapons as well.

Given their emphasis on close combat, Sorgrecian regiments greatly prefer the use of flamers and meltaguns, with a large number of power and chain weapons. The standard 10-man platoon infantry squad is issue with a flamer and a chainsword (power sword) for the sergeant. All officers and commissars carry a power sword or power fist as they are expected to lead their men into the heart of combat. Sorgrecian regiments do have access to heavy weapons, mostly autocannons and lascannons, but these are normally concentrated in heavy weapons squads, leaving the line squads free to adopt the most aggressive posture circumstances allow.

Plasma weaponry is especially rare in Sorgrecian regiments, and normally only seen in the hands of officers from especially wealthy noble families.