Pursued Through The Sand - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 2000.

Mission: Tear Down Their Icons.

Secondary Objectives: Behind Enemy Lines, Bring It Down and Grind Them Down.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Engage On All Fronts and Retrieve Nephilim Data.

The Rift Wardens had set up a new base of operations in the wastelands following the loss of Fortress Delta. Secretly they had spend several weeks making the new fortress defensible and resupplying the chapter with fresh battle brothers and munitions. As Arthurus was attempting to rebuild the chapter's strength on Vigilus, he gave orders only to send squads out for routine patrols and occasional convoy protection operations.

However, a chaplain by name of Kahedin decided to disobey those orders and led his patrol out into the wastelands in search of enemy forces. It was said he had become frustrated with the lack of action and the frequent loses for the chapter. Kahedin's force consisted of 100 battle brothers, two dreadnoughts and accompanied by Chief Apothecary Palomeides. During a night time patrol, Kahedin informed Palomeides that he was taking the fight to the enemy, to annihilate them with faith in the Emperor. Palomeides tried to convince the chaplain but was rebuffed.

Kahedin's patrol reached the Kanza salt flats as the sun rose above the horizon and found themselves on the path of a rampaging daemon horde led by three infamous daemons; Be'lakor, Skarbrand and Rotigus. Kahedin ordered his men forward and surprisingly was able to get the drop on the enemy force. The first that the daemons knew of the attack was when heavy weapon fire began exploding among their ranks. This was followed up by an Outrider charge which ran into the rear of the enemy horde but was soon halted as multiple daemons manifested from the Warp around them.

Despite the initial success, the Rift Wardens found themselves outnumbered and underpowered, especially against the might of the three legendary daemons. Reluctantly, Kahedin ordered his battle brothers to fall back. This regroup was initially hampered by attacks by daemonic troops who were beaten off but more and more began to manifest around the space marines. Soon it was estimated that a significant number of daemons, numbering in the thousands, had assembled at Be'lakor's command. The daemonic tactics were to harass the flanks and rear of the retreating space marines. The patrol found that they could not safely move without heavy covering fire from the dreadnoughts, who had fallen in combat with Rotigus and Skarbrand.

At this point Kahedin ordered Palomeides to take the wounded and make all haste to Arthurus and warn him of the daemon presence while he remained to atone in death for his hubris. Kahedin fought hard but continued a slow withdrawal but his forces were surrounded and suffered brutal deaths. The daemons assembled on the ridges surrounding the beleaguered space marines, who had formed a defensive ring, before launching attack with their full number, now measuring several thousand screaming horrors. This attack lasted just a few minutes, and after a desperate struggle, the defensive ring was broken. Kahedin and his remaining space marines were killed. No survivors.

Palomeides and his wounded charges struggled into the Rift Wardens base of operations around noon, thankfully outrunning the daemon horde. Arthurus was furious but there was nothing that could be done now other than to shore up the defences and hope that the daemons past them by. Word was psychically sent to Hyperia Hivesprawl however, to warn them about the new threat roaming the wastelands between the Hive Cities.

The Fall of Hive Imperialis - Corinthia

 

Points: 1000.

Mission: Ascension.

Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Grind Them Down and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Aerospace Targeting Relays, Assassination and Decisive Action.

The garrison of Hive Imperialis, under Captain Gwaine and Lieutenant Agrippa, consisting of 500 space marines plus numerous Astra Militarum. In order to prepare for the Tau attack, a number of outer districts were burned and large areas of trenchworks were constructed.

When the Tau Empire attacked they pillaged much after breaching the city walls. On the same day, they tried to enter the city proper but the Rift Wardens forced them to retreat. On the next day, the Tau commander ordered an artillery barrage which inflicted significant casualties on the space marines. The Tau commander himself led the assault, where his forces once again defeated the space marines. He then demanded surrender of the Imperial defenders. The Astra Militarumd defenders felt abandoned by the space marines and without hope of support. Nonetheless, they continued to fight.

As the assault progressed,  morale among the defenders began to sink lower and lower. Unwilling to loss their military forces, the Imperial fell back from Hive Imperials, handing the city to the Tau.

Fall of Hive Talos - Talos

Points: 1000.

Mission: Reconnaissance Mission.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Engage On All Fronts and Raise The Banners High.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Cranial Feasting, Engage On All Fronts and Grind Them Down.

The Rift Wardens struck at the Tyranid horde as they approached the Talos hive city. The Tyranids advanced on the outer defences so as to attack the space marines. The Rift Wardens suffered significant casualties and were forced back behind the city walls. The hive mind directed it's forces to advance upon the hive city, with huge numbers of bio-organisms attacking the defences. Yet, the Rift Wardens were very much unaware of the sheer number of creatures attacking them. Over a couple days the Tyranids overran the Astra Militarum defences. The Rift Wardens were ordered to north to defend the gates and support the Astra Militarum defenders. It was these guardsmen who prevented the initial attack from breaching the gates. The Rift Wardens remained stationary, content to guard the approach into Talos Hive/

Captain Lorgraine's primary objective was saving his battle brothers and avoiding any further loss of life after recent defeats. He ordered the space marines under his command to abandon the proposed offensive against the Tyranids an and perform a simple holding action. Seven hundred battle brothers were now defending the north gate.

Ultimately the Tyranids were facing a numerically superior space marine force, with the intention of the Tyranids to attack the Rift Wardens defending the main gate. The Tyranids made little progress as the Rift Wardens continued to oppose their assault.

The Rift Wardens under command of captain Lorgraine fought hard against the alien aggressors an initially pushed the Tyranids back. The hive mind was forced to redirect it's assault against another gate of the hive city. Once they attacked the main gates, the Tyranids found their assault largely unopposed. The Rift Wardens relocated in an attempt to halt the alien attack. Lorgraine was ordered to hold the northern gate bur refused to do so and it led to the Rift Wardens under his command to be outnumbered as the Tyranids breached the gates.

The Tyranids suffered severe losses during their breach the hive city. The Rift Wardens who had led the defence, were forced to retreat however due to the sheer number of alien creatures arrayed against them. Even so, the space marines fought on throughout the night. The Rift Wardens fought back but by morning the Tyranids had spread throughout the city. The Rift Wardens fought the alien horde in close quarters combat/

Inconclusive fighting continued for several days when finally Arthurus ordered his battle brothers to withdraw. The hive city belonged to the Tyranids and there was little the space marines could do to hold the city. The Rift Wardens evacuated and left the Astra Militarum to their fate. Within a matter of days the capitol city of Talos had fallen to the alien attackers.

Capture The Spaceport - Hesperous Prime

Points: 1000.

Mission: Cleanse The Land.

Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Oaths of Moment and Raise The Banners High.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Oaths of Moment, Raise The Banners High and Stubborn Defiance.

With the war definitely in the hands of the Rift Wardens, Arthurus made the decision to cut off the Dark Angels from potential reinforcement and fresh supplies. The order was given to launch a landing from the Purity of Hate to capture the main space port of the city.

The initial landing was two hundred battle brothers with dreadnought support led by Captain Agamemnon. The Purity of Hate moved into low orbit and performed a series of orbital bombardments on the Dark Angel positions to make way for the incoming thunderhawks. When the Rift Wardens landed and launched the attack they faced little resistance/ The chapter captured the ill-prepared Dark Angel positions swiftly, seizing what undamaged supplies and ammunition remained after the bombardment. The space port was swiftly abandoned by the Dark Angels when their captain Lazarus was almost mortally wounded by Agamemnon.

Second Battle of Electros Hive - Mortwald

Points: 1500.

Mission: Tide of Conviction.

Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Retrieve Nephilim Data and Shock Assault.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Exalt The Dark Gods, Rise To Glory and Warp Ritual.

Chapter Master Arthurus ordered the streets of Electros Hive swept for enemy forces. During the sweeping, Lieutenant Agrippa, began the unopposed landing of fresh battle brothers in two groups. One at the ruptured gates of the Hive where the Astra Militarum fought to contain the enemy. And the other deep within the Hive close where they last engaged the Word Bearers. By evening of the next day, the Rift Wardens had deployed almost their entire chapter to the Hive, bar the scouts who were occupied fighting out in the wastelands. By noon on the third day, Arthurus ordered his chapter to march on the enemy positions. Well concealed defenders quickly broke up the advance. The fighting soon turned into skirmishing among the ruins and bitter street fighting. Agrippa, leading several squads of Eliminators, made good progress, capturing several vital locations. But by then, the advance had been stopped. The Word Bearers had scattered and isolated many Intercessor squads, and those marines were soon forced to fall back and regroup, giving up ground hard fought for.

A host of cultists loyal to the Word Bearers soon arrived and although not a major threat, their presence gave the traitor marines an increase in massed small arms fire. The Word Bearers commander attempted to envelop the Rift Warden squads, launching brutal assaults into the loyalists as they fell back. At least three hundred battle brothers were slain during this phase of the engagement.

Battle of Fortress Heradon - Paragon Secundus

Points: 2000.

Mission: Open War deck.

A small task force of Rift Wardens led by Mordred, the chapter's Master of Sanctity, was dispatched to capture an outpost known as Fortress Heradon. As they approached through the morning fog what they thought was the abandoned outpost, the Rift Wardens found themselves caught in the crossfire of a strong Sons of Orar defensive position. The chapter fought well when they counterattacked, however, during the day the Rift Wardens made no headway, but suffered substantial causalities.

By mid-morning, a patrol of Sons of Orar led by their own chaplain ambushed a Rift Wardens resupply column. The ambush was successful and the Ultramarines successor claimed the ammunition and supplies for themselves. Mordred, with his forces now widely scattered around the ruined fortress and running low on munitions, waited until nightfall and determined that the situation was untenable. He ordered his battle brothers to fall back. Having accomplished nothing the defeat was seen as a stain on Mordred's honour. A disgrace he would have to overcome in the near future.

Jungle Warfare - Bellaraphon

Points: 1500.

Mission: Abandoned Sanctuaries.

Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Raise The Banners High and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: A Deadly Performance, Engage On All Fronts and Raise The Banners High.

After the Harlequin raiders reappeared in the forests of Bellaraphon, they attacked a Rift Wardens outpost forcing the outmatched space marines to fall back into the dense forest. One group withdrew along a game trail that headed north towards the main Mechanicus facility, while another was forced deeper into the woods. The largest group, led by Arthurus and lieutenant Agrippa, moved southeast along an open road constructed by the Mechanicum for transporting supplies between facilities. During this retreat, the Rift Wardens were hounded by Harlequin raiders but killed or destroyed much of what was sent against them. The Harlequin troupe leader feared that the space marines would continue to pose a significant threat , prompting further attacks.

During the retreat, the Rift Wardens continued to combat the aggressors as they moved. A small group entrenched themselves in an old supply depot with the intent to buy their battle brothers time to reach safety. Their occupation of this site was seen as a great danger as the Rift Wardens were too close to the webway portal used by the Ynnari to arrive. Two days later, the Harlequins attacked with even greater numbers, assaulting the space marine positions. They came under intense fire from the entrenched Rift Wardens but it did not stop their attack. After two hours of fighting, the space marines forced their way out and back into the jungle with the aliens pursuing them back to the Mechanicus compound, at which time the Harlequins faded away into the shadows.

The Defence of Hindelgeist - Dharrovar

Points: 1500.

Mission: Tide of Conviction.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Oaths of Moment and Retrieve Nephilim Data.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Engage On All Fronts, Grind Them Down and Renew The Oaths.

With the Imperial forces pulling back from the hive city of Hindelgeist, the defenders opened the gates and marched out into the surrounding battle zone. One battle group of Knights reached the territory occupied by the Rift Wardens and effectively reinforced the beleaguered traitorus gaurdsmen, while a second group smashed into the Astra Militarum lines further north. After five days of heavy fighting, the Imperial forces had lost an uncounted number of foot soldiers and tanks. Arthurus proposed his marines launch an offensive towards the largely unprotected city gates. Partly this was an attempt to gain access but also to draw a number of enemy Knights away from the Imperial lines. The attack was postponed as the Rift Wardens command base fell under enemy attack. The space marines retaliated and were able to slowly push the enemy Knights back towards the city. After a brief lull to rearm and regroup, the Rift Wardens resumed their attack on the enemy and the gates. For four full days the Rift Wardens fought hard and valiantly.

With the space marines drawing the wrath of the enemy defenders, the Astra Militarum surged forth once more towards the city gates but were repulsed by massed small-arms fire from the battlements. The northern gates eventually did fall and the soldiers of the Imperium charged into the city streets where they found themselves checked by enemy guardsmen and more enemy Knights. The defenders were forced back by the Imperial assault but further attacks were repulsed, confining the Imperium to the gates. On the next day, an unprecedented bombardment fell upon the defenders from artillery platforms still beyond the walls. The Rift Wardens attempted to lead the vanguard into the city streets but Astra Militarum support was not forthcoming and their advance was contained several blocks in from the city gates. By this time both sides were exhausted and brief lull in the fighting came into effect. The number of Knights on the enemy side had been slashed in half but nearly a million guardsmen had died to breach the gates of Hindelgeist.