Battle At The Crossroads - Hadex

 

Points: 1250.

Mission: Tear Down Their Icons.

Secondary Objectives: Grind Them Down, Raise The Banners High, and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Carry Out Your Vows and Shock Tactics.

After two days of heavy weapon bombardment, battle began mid morning with a preliminary raid to capture a vital crossroads on the edge of Hadex Hive. The Battle Templars advanced commenced shortly afterwards. Tank fire on the location was overwhelming and the Templars rapidly advanced through the streets to occupy a position a half mile from the target site.

However, the main Black Templars force did not advance as far as they had hoped as the Rift Wardens were somewhat sheltered from the deadly bombardment/ Their final position was a series of bombed out habitation blocks, fortified with plasticrete slabs and rocks.

On the right flank of the advance, the battle did not go well for the Templars. These marines lacked tank support and were massacred by the Rift Warden's under a volley of heavy bolter fire. Despite the opposition, they were ordered to press the attack but made little to no progress. By the time the attack was halted, they had lost half their number. Some units were so depleted that they had to be merged into composite units. When Helbrecht arrived on site, he was shocked that the Rift Wardens were able to hold off such a force so easily.

Arthurus was very concerned about the Black Templar advances as they threatened to encircle the chapter's right flank. The cross roads objective of the Black Templars became a scene of vicious and bloody assaults as the Rift Wardens commenced a series of counter-attacks during the night. Many marines died or were severely injured on both sides but neither chapter gained much from these night time raids.

The Rift Wardens, with plentiful manpower but lacking any significant artillery, made incessant counter-attacks over the next few days but all were repulsed. Still, the cross roads were denied to the Black Templars by the Rift Wardens assault intercessors. The Rift Wardens suffered four times the casualties of the enemy but the cross roads held. 

Siege of Gate Proxima - Megaborealis

Points: 1000.

Mission: Cleanse The Land.

Secondary Objectives: Grind Them Down, Raise The Banners High and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Behind Enemy Lines, Despoilers of Reality and No Prisoners.

As more and more daemons massed around the walls of Megaborealis, the monstrous Skarbrand led a force of bloodletters and khornate flesh hounds against a small trade gate known as Gate Proxima. This gate was loosely defended by a small Rift Wardens force under the command of Lieutenant Kay. Although all battle-hardened warriors, they were a force no match for the daemonic legion charging towards them.

Upon reaching the gates, the daemons found themselves in a wide open expanse of wasteland and were soon pinned down by fierce bolter and plasma fire from the space marines atop the walls. With a bellowing roar from Skarbrand, the bloodletters surged forth but were once more cut down by the defenders. The assault lasted for two days with the daemons sustaining light casualties overall. When the gate finally fell, the Rift Wardens fell back as the Mechnicus closes off the entry points with massive blast gates. Kay's nearly lifeless body was recovered before his head could be claimed for the Blood God.

Surprise Assault - Pelucidon

Points: 1000.

Mission: Desperate Raid.

Secondary Objectives: Engage On All Fronts, Oaths Of Moment and Raise The Banners High.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Behind Enemy Lines, Codex Warfare and No Prisoners.

The cause for the conflict between the Rift Wardens and the White Scars, and several of their successors, has been expunged from chapter records. Only the Librarians and Chaplains of the chapter know the truth. All that is known is that the Rift Wardens had aided their fellow space marines in a sizeable crusade against a force of Thousand Sons on the world of Pelucidon.

The battle began at noon, when a force of Red Hunters launched a full heavy weapon assault on the Rift Wardens with grav weapons. There was a brief pause in the attack for the Red Hunters to pull back into defences, before they continued their barrage. The Rift Wardens decimated by the attack. The Rift Wardens, enraged by the betrayal, attempted to advance on the enemy positions but were almost wiped out in doing so, losing nearly an entire companies worth of battle brothers.

Chapter master Arthurus advanced along the side of the battlefield to strike back first hand, but lost contact with the other squads likewise trying to counter-attack. Elsewhere, squads were halted and contained by wave after wave of marine bikes. Caught by surprise, the Rift Wardens were forced onto the back foot.

Arthurus' advance was, by Rift Warden standards, very successful, quickly reaching the first objective of the Red Hunter defences. The attack was made almost immediately but Arthurus and his forces were soon locked in position with the Red Hunters surrounding their position. A second advance led by captain Lamorak managed to reach and capture several enemy defences. However, when they attempted to continue the advance, they were caught in a crossfire of enemy grav weapons. Two squads of heavy intercessors was utterly annihilated. Further attempts to reach the second objective were successful, but the position became untenable, and within a couple hours the Rift Wardens were forced to pull back.

Skirmish In Helghast - Paragon Secundus

Points: 1000.

Mission: Rise Of The Machine Spirit.

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

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Codex Warfare, Oaths Of Moment, and Raise The Banners High.

This engagement was a small firefight during the war for Helghast. The attack was conducted by the Rift Wardens upon a small force of Ultramarine successors, the Sons of Icarus, who were defending one of the outer districts. Under Arthurus' skilful leadership, the chapter decimated their foes and secured a wide area against the Ultramarines.

Trench Warfare - 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 Warp Ritual.

The Rift Wardens were now in a precarious position, their defences still far from constructed as the Dark Angels upped their attacks. Ezekial led the force of Deathwing terminators to attack the Rift Wardens in three waves. The chapter was able to bring their bolters to bear and poured fire into the Dark Angels. The missile launchers caused devastation among the Rift Warden ranks before their charged into their lines. The Deathwing decimated the defenders and forced them to withdraw.

Teleport Assault - Grendal

Points: 1000.

Mission: Ascension.

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

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Behind Enemy Lines, Teleport Assault and Warp Ritual.

In an attempt to end the conflict swiftly, the Grey Knights teleported a company into the middle of the Rift Warden head quarters within Ascension Hive. The post was only defended by a handful of battle brothers and chapter master Arthurus, many of whom were killed as the attackers occupied the site and forced the Rift Wardens to retreat. The Grey Knights were now in a position to observe and bring down fire upon the Rift Wardens positions. However, Arthurus gathered some of his forces and launched a counter which drove out the attackers.

Further down in the hive, an outpost defended by a number of heavy intercessor squads came under attack at this time, as once again the enemy teleported in for a surprise assault. The resulting fire fight lasted for over an hour. As elsewhere, the Rift Wardens were stopped by the weight of psychic power cast into their lines. Three more outposts were captured in a similar fashion.

The Grey Knights then attacked the space marine reinforcements hastening to halt the attack. The Grey Knights opened fire and then assaulted their foes, cutting them down before they could reach the front lines. 

First Battle of Hell's Point - Pariah Nexus

Points: 1000.

Mission: Sacred Ground.

Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Grind Them Down, and Raise The Banners High.

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

The gates opened and a force of Necron warriors marched out to face the Imperial forces arrayed across Hell's Point. They advanced in two waves and many were blasted away by Imperial fire, and many many still reached into their lines. The warriors were making their way through the attacker's lines causing much devastation. The Astra Militarum, Rift Wardens and Blood Angels continued fighting until noon when it became obvious that the attack had failed. In the south of the battlefield, the Rift Wardens were attacked by a force led by the infamous Imotekh the Stormcaller himself although his form was destroyed by chapter master Arthurus. This affected the Necron cohesion, allowing the Imperial attackers to fall back and regroup.

Battle for the Harbour District - Hadex

Points: 2000.

Mission: Front-Line Warfare.

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

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Bathe Your Blade In The Blood Of Your Foe, Oaths of Moment and Vital Ground.

The first sign of the coming battle was shortly after a stand-off at the entrance to the Hadex harbour district, where the Black Templars reported seeing the Rift Warden squads moving on their position. The Tempars attacked with warning, calling battle oaths as they charged towards the Rift Wardens defensive position. Their fifth company followed closely behind, coming in from a diagonal approach and engaged the Rift Wardens in the flank. The Rift Wardens marines who survived that attack were either forced into derelict streets or back into their own lines. Reinforcements sent to bolster them were mowed down and by the following morning many had been killed.

To the immediate south, the chapter forces under Arthurus, had been fortifying a number of buildings and makeshift trenches. These were intended to provide a better firing position should the Black Templars risk assaulting them. It was during the construction that the Black Templars led by Helbrecht and Grimaldus attacked. Despite a lack of battle brothers, this assault and following waves were beaten back, although Helbrecht and Grimaldus did reach the Rift Wardens lines. Battle was joined in the trenchworks and the engagement lasted for several hours before the Rift Wardens were once more forced to retreat.