Battle of the Badlands - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 3000.

Deployment and Mission: Crucible of Battle / Night Fighting.

Primary Objective: Scorched Earth.

Detachment: Gladius Task Force.

Opponents Detachment: War Horde.

After the Imperium lost their campaign against the Orks of the Scrap Cities, they fell back into the wastelands pursued by the greenskins. Arthurus gathered a company worth of battle brothers and dreadnoughts to hold off the wrath of Ghazkhull while the surviving forces retreated. Even so, the Orks had the numerical advantage.

Arthurus, decided to forestall their advance and ordered his brothers to hold the line. Initially the Rift Wardens were able to destroy the oncoming forces and were briefly able to push them back. The Ork hordes concentrated their war bands and rushed the space marine lines. Heavy fighting ensued and the battle lines became a deadlock.

Over the next two days, the Rift Wardens pushed the Orks back but then Ghazkhull arrived to bolster their numbers. Under his command, the Orks recaptured territory lost to them and inflicted heavy casualties on the space marines. With the main Imperial force now safely out of harm's way, Arthurus pulled his forces back to the hive cities and plotted a revenge against the Orks.

Asteroid M40 - The Core

Points: 2000.

Deployment and Mission: Tipping Point / Bloodlust.

Primary Objective: Take and Hold.

Detachment: Gladius Task Force.

Opponents Detachment: Needgaard Oathband.

The conflict for Asteroid M40 began shortly after the Imperial attack on the Votann mining colonies and the space dwarves would not cede control so easily. Thus far, the Leagues had successfully expelled most of the Imperial occupiers. The Leagues mining this asteroid formed a sizeable retaliation force with many of the miners volunteering to fight. Uther took command of the force, which consisted of some 4000 dwarves. The gathered what weapons they could and soon they marched out to confront the oncoming space marines.

The League forces fought like madmen and against the space marines, they lost many of their warriors. Further League reinforcements arrived to bolster their numbers but the fighting separated into numerous smaller engagements. Eventually the Leagues fell back and barricaded their defences against the Rift Wardens. On Asteroid M40, the fighting would continue for months.

The Fields of Corinth - Corinthia

Points: 2000.

Deployment and Mission: Tipping Point / Point Blank.

Primary Objective: Purge The Foe.

Detachment: Gladius Task Force.

Opponents Detachment: Retaliation Cadre.

This engagement took place over the course of a month between the Rift Wardens and the Tau defenders of Corinth and Sparta. The fighting was especially focused on the fields beyond the walls of Conrinth City. Despite a lengthy and non-stop battle, neither side managed to force a victory but the space marines suffered such heavy casualties that they were forced to fall back to the roadside defences.

Sweeping Engagement - Grendel

Points: 2000.

Deployment and Mission: Sweeping Engagement / High Octane.

Primary Objective: Burden Of Trust.

Detachment: Gladius Task Force

Opponents Detachment: Warpbane Task Force.

As day turned into evening, the Rift Wardens found themselves under assault once more. To counter this threat, chapter master Arthurus ordered a heavy force to charge the Grey Knight flanks. After a huge clash, the Grey Knights fell back towards Apothe Gate.

After a brief lull, the Grey Knights managed to finally break through the Rift Warden defensive line and pushed into the streets they were fighting. Numerous space marines were slain and Arthurus ordered a retreat. In doing so, they spotted a second Grey Knight force led by Castellan Crowe, emerging from the hab blocks of the north east.

The two Grey Knight companies united under Crowe and formed a strong line, but did not initiate an assault. Arthurus ordered all forces to launch an all out assault before the Grey KNights could start their attack. A host of dreadnoughts made a frontal charge, while chief librarian Uther was ordered to flank attack to the left of the Grey Knight lines. The counter attack was initially successful but within half an hour, the Grey Knights received reinforcements from their orbiting starship. Arthurus has no option but to once again call a retreat.

Battle for Bore-Hive Ultris - Megaborealis

Points: 3000.

Deployment: Opposing Forces.

Primary Objective: Duel.

Following the battle for the Blackstone mines, Arthurus led a small force north to protect Ultris from a force of Slaaneshi daemons. At the same time, that force of daemons had slaughtered through the bore hive and was headed south into the path of the Rift Wardens.

It was still an hour before dawn when the daemons overran an Astra Militarum firebase to the north of the Rift Warden position. When Arthurus learnt of this, he changed plans and turned his force to engage those daemons. In the initial minutes of battle, the daemons inflicted heavy casualties upon the space marines before being counter-attacked by Arthurus and his bladeguard. The daemons fell back away from the firebase and back into the outskirts of Ultris. There the Rift Warden advance was then stopped by a much larger force of Slaaneshi daemons. The Rift Wardens counter-attacked several times but to no effect.

Meanwhile, the firebase behind them, was retaken by daemonette reinforcements from the Warp. After a short fight, the daemons were forced to retreat into the streets, leaving a weakened marine force to hold the site and hold it against being captured.

By midday, as the sun shone down on the hive sprawl, the daemons tried again to dislodge Arthurus and his forces. The assault was repelled, with heavy casualties on both sides. The daemons were forced to retreat further into the bore-hive but by this time, the space marines had also been seriously depleted.

Clash At Emperor's Landing - Antares

 

Points: 3000.

Deployment: Behind Enemy Lines.

Primary Objective: Last Stand.

In the days since the failed battle of the space port known as Emperor's Landing, the Custodians fought several small engagements against Rift Warden patrols. A small force fought a series of successful delaying actions that allowed the defenders of the space port to ready a defence. Those patrols, however, fell to the blades and bullets of the Custodian brothers.

The following day, the Custodians continued their advance back to the space port, but found the Rift Wardens mobile defence difficult to breach. The garrison of the space port was composed of three companies, led by Arthurus himself. Among them, fresh reinforcements that had arrived from orbit during the lull in fighting and a lone Vindicare Assassin. Unable to breach the defences, the Custodes took to taking and holding three outer defence towers away from the main port.

The Custodes commander was left with three choices; she could assault the heavily defended space port, try to breach and capture the outer defences, or try a risky teleport assault. Despite having little knowledge of what forces actually awaited them within the Rift Warden perimeter, she did not expect a truly significant opposition and ordered her troops to prepared a full ground assault on the space port.

Battle of the Enclaves - Mortwald

Points: 2000.

Deployment and Mission: Dawn of War / Lords of War.

Primary Objective: Linchpin.

Detachment: Gladius Task Force.

Opponents Detachment: Packbound Zealots.

As part of the efforts to recapture Mortwald, the Rift Wardens launched a surprise attack on the Enclaves district, liberating it and the surviving nobility from the clutches of Chaos. In response, the Black Legion turned their attentions to the Enclaves, launching a full offensive on the Imperial positions. The Black Legion rolled up with assault vehicles and began demolishing the Enclave gates and defensive walls, in preparation for the upcoming assault. These defences fell over two days of bombardment.

The Black Legion reinforcements arrived with fresh troops. Land Raiders and Predator tanks rolled into the streets. A massive firestorm assault was unleashed, decimating many of the space marine defenders and civilian casualties were high.

The Enclaves burned in the days ahead. Civilians fled east to what little Imperial held territory remained, and the Rift Wardens remained to cover their escape. The loyalist marines entrenched themselves in makeshift trenches, within ruined buildings and what few defence positions remained. The Black Legion bombarded their positions and followed up with heavy infantry assault and the Rift Wardens were slaughtered to man.

Ground War - Tyraxis

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Ground War.

Primary Objective: Seize Ground.

This engagement known to some as the battle of Saragos Creek, was an important though minor engagement in the Imperial attack on Tyraxis. The battle lasted consistently for 22 days, through the jungles along the Saragos River, near the site of the archaeotech ziggurat already being fought over.

In the end, the Rift Wardens emerged victorious over the Saurians and their Slann masters, but the loss of life for the chapter was exceptionally high. Further engagements had to be specifically chosen to prevent further casualties, leaving the Astra Militarum and Inquisitional forces to bear the brunt for some time after.

Retribution of the Ancients - Xenoteris

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Opposing Forces.

Primary Objective: Breakthrough.

With the reemergence of the Slann back into the galactic stage, it was not unexpected that they might awaken to find old worlds now in the hands of the younger species. In the case of the world the Saurians call Xenoteris, it was now a Tau mining and industrial colony.

The Saurian assault came as a complete surprise to the Tau. Alien ships burst forth from the Immaterium in the upper atmosphere over the main industrial complex in the early hours of night. The complex was defended by a large detachment of fire warriors and battle suits, with little other military forces to safeguard them from attack. Despite being deep within the Third Sphere, the defenders were taken by surprise as the Saurian drop ships smashed into the center of the installation.

By the time the sun arose over the horizon, much of the colony was in Saurian hands. Thousands of Tau, military and civilians, were dead at the hands of the new enemy. The Saurians were not interested in taking prisoners. However, the Saurian victory was short lived as reinforcements finally approached from the west as morning took hold. The Tau reinforcements advanced into the complex without regard for the losses they sustained, which forced the Saurians to pull back and regroup. This situation had become precarious, but the Slann mage priests ordered a counter attack with their mighty dinosaurs. With these giant primeval beasts, the Tau soon panicked and retreated.

By early afternoon, the Tau attacked again, seizing vital locations. They captured equipment and weapon vaults. Enjoying superiority, the Saurians seized those sites most desired by the Tau for landing their transports. The two forces engaged in bloody street fighting which lasted the rest of the day, with various districts changing hands repeatedly. No one side was yet able to deliver a solid victory.

Operation: Judgement - Corinthia

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Front Line.

Primary Objective: Duel.

Operation: Judgement took place on the approach to two fallen hive cities: Corinth and Spartra, during the war to liberate Corinthia from the Tau. Here, elements of the Rift Wardens under Uther clashed with forces of the Tau Empire.

After the victory of Operation: Hellstorm, squads from the Rift Wardens began their assault towards the hive cities. The Tau forces present, which at this time occupied positions along the road leading towards them found themselves in a difficult position. The ethereal comanding these forces ordered his troops to concentrate in the vicinity of Corinth. The capitol of the planet was of strategic importance to the Tau, as it's position on the great plains, enabled them to look over the surrounding countryside and offered a safe route to withdraw their ground forces eastwards.

Chief Librarian Uther ordered his battle brothers to capture the capitol and cut off the enemy evacuation route towards Spartra. The initial battle allowed the space marines to capture the roadside positions with ease but this was short lived as Tau reinforcements from the city arrived before fortifications could be set up.

That evening, reinforcements were brought down from the Litany of Hate to retake the roads. With these fresh battle brothers, Uther led a charge into their lines. Despite stiff Tau resistance, the roadside defences were in Imperial hands by nightfall, but the assault on the capitol city had been blunted for now. Even so, the presence of a chapter of space marines beyond their walls complicated the position of the Tau Empire.