Hello all, I have just written the fluff behind my new Guard/Sisters army. I have an army list posted up. It is just at 2000 and does not include the forces for the Aksum rangers, but when I get it up 2500 they will be included. I hope ya'll enjoy and I would love to hear comments and criticisms about my writing. Warning it is a bit long.
The link if you want to see the army list
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/272290.page
Thanks.
Task Force: Faithful Quest
Origins:
Sector: Ultima Segemntum (Near the Tau Empire and the Relam of Ultramar)
Planet: Tiam 6
Capital: Tiam Central Hive
Objetive: Capture or Death of Arch Heretic Junigian (Location, Tiam Central Hive)
Forces Involved:
Sisters of Battle: Order of the Divine Lotus
Imperial Guard: 6th Benland Forresters (with attached ratlings), the 28th Noir Nightwardens, 120th Żołnież of Polska, 66th Aksum Rangers.
Adeptus Mechanicus: Titian Legion “Corax” (Now retired from the field of battle). Armored forces remain to provide heavy support where the 110th Armored Regiment and 93rd Sentential Scout Regiment.
Background:
Heresy Begins:
The Arch Heretic Jungian made landfall on Tiam 6 in the late evening of M41. Taking the appearcne of a trader, he set up shop and began to influence the local hierarchy with a series of clubs, secret societies, and gangs. After the Black Crusade was over, he had complete control over the capital, Tiam Central Hive.. Tiam 6 is located in the far reaches of Ultima Segemntum. While near the realm of Ultramar, not much trade is done with the Empire. Instead Tiam 6 has traded more with its negiboors of Noir, Aksum, Polska, Guiyang and the Scotia System, with Benland and the Forge World Anvul. So when Jungian declared his rule over Tiam Central hive the Order of the Divine Lotus was ask by Ordo Hereticus to cleanse the Hive in the early dawn of M42. A small order of only 1200 sisters, the Order was a mechanized force. Cannoness Chyou took about 600 sisters of the Order from Guiyang. While Chyou did ask for several levies of Frateris Militia to raised from the surrounding systems and Guiyang itself to supplement her task force, the Essicharcy did not honor this request saying that the Order should be able to handle the operation with out help as the heresy was focused in the Captial Hive and not the entire planet. This would prove to be very costly for the Order and threaten the entire operation.
The Initial Battle for Tiam 6:
The initial progress was swift. As the heresy was focused in the capital, most if not all of the rest of the planet appeared to be still loyal to the Emperor. Using this to their advantage, Chyou organized the PDF to assist the Order. Moving on the Capital, the Order was then attacked by guerrilla forces. While no serious damage was done, it slowed the sisters and the PDF to a crawl. Seeing that things where not as they seemed, the request for Frateris Milita was sent again, as well as support from Ordo Hereticus. Neither where honored. When the Order and the PDF did reach the capital, the sisters where already tire from fighting and where barely in shape to take the large and fortified hive city. Taking the hive would be a challenge for the sisters under normal conditions. Unfortunately, normal conditions would not last, completing his spell and sacrifice in time, Junigian was able to bring a large force of lesser deamons into the world. Then the PDF which was loyal turned on the Sisiters. This was a one two punch that crippled the fighting ability of sisters as they where unable to stop both the deamons and Junigian's troops. Stoical the sisters fought on, taking severe causalities trying to protect the remaining loyal imperial citizens.
Servants of the Machine God come:
With the possibility of totally defeat and Chyuo prepared her sisters to make the ultimate sacrifice. Then when the night is at its darkness, light came, the Adeptus Mechanicus Titan Legion Corax of Anvul. The reason for this act of charity came from the fact that Tiam 6 and its surrounding asteroid field is an important source of
raw materials for the Forge World of Anvul in the nearby Scotian System. The Gods of War came and leveled Tiam Central, in a lighting raid destroying the portal that kept the deamons in material realm. With the portal gone, the deamons vanished from Tiam 6. Then they hailed the Imperial Guard and demanded that local regiments be sent to the world to retake it from the scattered, but not totally broken heretic forces. The Commissariat responded with four regiments from the local systems of Scotia, Noir, Aksum, and Polska. Once these regiments arrived the Titians left, but did leave a small force of Skitarii armored regiments to provide tank support as the four regiments that came where mainly infantry.
The Hammer of the Emperor Arrives:
Leading the charge for the Imperial Guard was Lord Commissar Author Hook.. A devout man, Hook jumped at the chance to help the Order. Following standard protocol, the surrounding systems of Scotia, Noir, Aksum, and Polska where all asked to give at least one regiment for the retaking of Tiam 6. With Scotia, the 6th Benland Forresters a light infantry regiment from the forest world of Benland, was back home for resupplying and recruitment. Up to its normal fighting force of 4,000 troops, the regiment was sent to Tiam 6. Of note, ratling snipers where apart of the regiment as a small ratling colony is located on Benland. Noir a system who's only inhabited planet was the night world of Noir. The 28th Nightwardens where raised from the local PDF and sent out at a fighting strength of 10,000 troops. While most of the regiment is platoon based, there are is an elite veteran core of mechanized troops who are experienced fighters of Noir's constant gang wars. Polska a world very much like Vostroyan and Valhalla, cold and brutal sent the 120th Żołnież, are an elite veteran force, fully mechanized and experienced in urban warfare. total strength, 5,000 troops. Aksum a quiet agricultural world raised 66th rangers, a small but well trained force who specialized in shock raids and used Valkyries and Vendettas. The rangers totaled around 3,000.
The Hammer Pounds:
Hook was named the commander of the guard forces for several reasons. First as a Lord Commissar he could be objective and not be accused of favoritism with dealing assignments to the regiments. Second he had the most experience with commanding this number of troops compared to the regimental commanders. Third, he simply said he was in charge and no one wanted to argue with him over that. Arriving at Tiam, the guard took over from the Corax's Skirraii, security details and and took on a quick campaign to isolate the largest know area of heretic controlled territory in the northern continent. The fieldcraft of the Foresters and their ratling snipers proved to be invaluable in finding and exterminating heretic bases in the woods and fields of the southern continent. Meanwhile the numbers and urban experience of the Nightwardens and Zolniez would help to take several cities and towns cutting off supplies to northern bases. The Rangers meanwhile struck at bases too strong for the Forresters to take on, helped with raids in the cities and attacked heretic convoys running to the north.
Status of the Order:
With the heretics isolated in the north, the Sisters where able to get back in the fight. Losing half of their forces, reinforcements came from Guiyang allowing the Order to become a military relevant force again. However they could not conduct independent actions. The order had lost to many troops and vehicles. All of the blessed Exorcists where destroyed or damaged and would need years of repair work. Only four of the original ten Immolators where left and none had multi metlas or heavy bolters. The number of Rhinos was around twenty. The Order has always been fully mechanized, was able to reform sister squads with little difficulty but found that it did not have enough rhinos to give out. The Celestians where almost wiped out to a woman. New veterans from the line squads where promoted and new squads where reorganized. The Seraphim while hit hard, where still able to function. The Dominions however where completely wiped out and would require a new recruitment of women and vehicles to make them apart of the Order again. The Retributiors where also completely wiped out and would require new recruitment. When Chyou meet with Hook to talk about what the Order could, it was realized that the Order at best could be an armored reserve for the guard. Accepting this with sadness, the Order became an armored reserve, often working the Skitarii regiments and normally working more with the mechanized Nightwardens and Zolniez.
The Final Push:
With Frateris Militia and Order Heretics forces arriving to take over the rearguard theater and the heretics confined in the north and Jungian sighted by Benland scouts in the city of Fallhaven, Hook and Chyou began the final push. Magos Engel worked with the two and a plan was made to finish the heretics.
First the entire regiment of Forresters where sent to start their own guerrilla campaign in the northern continent. This was a campaign of killing small heretic controlled outposts, towns, isolated patrols, and making life miserable for the heretics, who found themselves outmatched by the Forresters. This was supplemented by a series of raids by Rangers, often deep into enemy territory. After three months of the phase one, an armored push was made to Fallhaven to capture Jungian. The Order led the charge with the Skitarii, Nightwardens and Zolniez in support. If possible, the honor for capturing or killing Jungian would fall to the Sisters. It was hoped that Jungian would be forced to ethier fight the guerrilla campaign, try to stop the armored push with his single remaining tank company, fight both, or hole up in Fallhaven. Choosing to hole up in Fallhaven, Jungian prepared for a bitter fight in the city. When the armored column reached the city it stopped. Artillery from the newly arrived 14th Anvul Artillery Regiment set up and began pounding the city. The Forresters and the Rangers where brought to the city.
The final battle for Fallhaven begain with a massive artillery barrage. The Rangers moved in to secure the starport to prevent Jungian from fleeing, while the Forresters, infiltrated into the city to prevent Jungian from fleeing by vehicle to the northern tundra. Then the combined forces of the Sisters, Skitarii, Nightwardens and Zolniez went into the city. While the fighting was fierce and Jungian tried once again to summon daeamons into the world, he would be denied and captured by Seraphim and presented to Chyou, who beheaded the heretic with her Eviacerator, ending his rein of terror.
Aftermath:
With Tiam 6 secure, the various regiments where sent to other battlezones in Ultima Segemntum. Hook achieved new glory and political power in commissariat and gained a new ally with the Order. The Nightwardens and Rangers new regiments at the start campaign where now battle hardened veteran units. The Forresters and Zolniez meanwhile gained more glories for their battle honors and. The order meanwhile when back home and licked its wounds. Still no official reason has been given as to why the Frateris Militia was not raised to assist the Order in first place. While still recovering from its losses, especially concerning the vehicles, the Order has just able to become be an effective fighting force once again. Then one year later Chyou decided to invite all the regiments and Legion Corax to Guiyang to celebrate their victory and honor the war dead. Representatives from all four regiments and from Legion Corax came. Even Lord Commissar Hook. From this meeting bonds of friendship where renewed and oaths remade. It is said that these six forces would fight and die for each other with out hesitation and follow Lord Commissar Hook and Cannoness Chyou into the Eye of Terror or the Tau Empire itself.
At this meeting, it was decided that small group of soldiers from each regiment, the Skitarii, the Order and a Commissar of Hook's choice should come together to create an elite force that combined their various skills. Hook was able to use his clout to create this task force, with assistance from Engel, who supplied support from the Mechaincus. The battle group would be know as the Faithful Quest. Combiming the faith and fighting prowness of the Order of the Divine Lotus, the fieldcraft of the Benland Forresters, the speed of the Aksum Rangers, the experience of the Zolniez, the fierceness of the Nightwardens, the machines and skill of the Skitarii, and the leadership of the Commissariat, the Faithful Quest has become an unique and powerful fighting force in the Ultima Segemntum gaining many battle honors and respect from all who encountered them.
