The Tables Turned - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 1750.

Mission: Ambush.

Secondary Oaths of Moment, Psychic Ritual and Slay the Warlord.

The great rift pulsed with the arrival of Abbadon's forces, and hideous daemons of Chaos materialised across the wastelands of Vigilus. Chapter Master Arthurus of the Rift Wardens sought permission from Marneus Calgar to take the fight to these horrors. After all that was what the chapter had been created to do. Permission was given and Arthurus sought to entrap a marching force in an ambush of massed firepower and whirring chainswords. However, the chapter master of the Rift Wardens had not counted on the presence of the infamous Keiros Fateweaver being in the number, nor for the fact that the greater daemon of Tzeentch had forseen this very act.

Fateweaver's plan to turn the tables on the space marines began with a careful build up of amassed daemonic forces. Ultimately the daemon intended to push his forces forward towards the Imperial lines and cause as much devastation as possible while the Despoiler committed his forces to his own schemes. 

As Fateweaver had foreseen, the Rift Wardens maneuverered into set pincer positions ahead of the daemonic advance. He marched his forces into that line of fire before screeching into the dusty air. Immediately the daemons raced to the sides, assaulting the space marines who had been confident of their planned attack.

One flank of the Rift Wardens pincer was quickly decimated by waves of flamers and bloodletters. Many marines died but the rest proceeded to retreat into the desert drawing some of the daemons out with them, and away from the main space marine force. Taken by surprised an unprepared for such savagery, the Arthurus ordered a hasty retreat when even he could not fell the mighty Fateweaver. Their one victory was the defeat of the khornate hearld, Skulltaker, who was banished back into the Warp.

Fateweaver had won a tactical victory by defeating the space marines, but his forces had suffered such losses that they could do little more than be a nuisance to the Imperial forces scouring the deserts of Vigilus. A pyrrhic victory at best for both sides. 

Dirkden City Fight - Dirkden Hivesprawl

Points: 1500.

Mission: Abandoned City.

Secondary Objectives: Assassinate, Engage On All Fronts and Oaths of Moment.

The battle began in the early morning before sunrise when the Genestealer Cult detonated a series of explosives in the sewers and waste tunnels beneath the Imperial lines. This act of terrorism killed many thousands of guardsmen and dropped a number of tanks and artillery pieces into those fire filled tunnels. The Astra Militarum commanders sought permission to the withdraw but the Rift Wardens advised that retreat was cowardice and would only undermine the victories that the space marines had so far achieved in the Dirkeden Hivesprawl. Cultists began making probing attacks within a few hours of daybreak.

By mid-afternoon, the cult had suffered heavy casualties thanks to the Rift Wardens, and had only been successful in dislodging the Astra Militarum from some entrenched forward positions. Although outnumbered the Imperial forces had better weapons and a higher rate of fire. Both sides were committed to a tight city fight by early evening. By nightfall, the cult had suffered extreme losses while the Astra Militarum had not weathered their attacks surprisingly well. The failure of the xenos attacks bolstered the Imperial defenders morale.

The Genestealer Cult counter attack came during the midnight hour with the cult attacking the Astra Militarum left flank, quickly overrunning them and into the central lines. The cult captured territory that had been hard won by the space marines just days earlier. The cult moved it's heavy weapons forward but little return fire took place. The cult forces emerged from their hiding places and captured further territory from the Imperium. This final engagement saw the cult drive the Astra Militarum from their positions, forcing the Rift Wardens to perform a rear guard action to cover the retreat. The chapter was far from pleased and the company soon needed a new commander, one more agreeable to the chapter's efforts in the war.

The Battle of Mortem Pass - Kaelac's Bane

Points: 1500.

Mission: Vital Intelligence.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Engage On All Fronts and Oaths of Moment.

Chapter master Arthurus had assumed command of the Imperial forces fighting the Drukhari raiders in the frozen polar region. His force of marines and 250,000 soldiers of the Astra Militarum held a location known as Mortem Pass, which was an ice route between mining colonies and a local space port. The guardsmen fortified the pass and began trying to fill suspected weak points in the defences with as many bodies as possible. The Rift Wardens had lost a number of battle brothers in recent engagements, were forced to divide their remaining squads present between the two ends of the pass. 

The Drukhari forces, led by Drazhar, awaited reinforcements from the webway portals before launching his attack. Guarding the strategic Mortem Pass, the Rift Wardens had three companies with artillery in addition to their own companies. Three days after their fortified the pass, the Drukhari launched a two pronged attack, striking at both ends of the path simultaneously. This force was supported by raiders and ravagers, which swooped over the Imperial positions, dropping off kabalite warriors and incubi.

Several hours later as the sun began to rise over the distant horizon, the Drukhari attack faltered which allowed the Rift Wardens to organise a retreat towards the nearest Imperial firebase. Casualties were actually light on both sides effectively but the retreat allowed the Drukhari to consolidate more territory and cut supply lines.