Operation Scimitar - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 2000.

Mission: Recover The Relics.

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

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Adorn The Canvas Eclectic, Engage On All Fronts and Retrieve Battlefield Data.

Operation Scimitar was a long range pre-emptive operation by the Rift Wardens against a force of Emperor's Children who had occupied a vital water source in the depths of the wastelands.

The water source was located in the deserts south of Mortwald Hivesprawl along a well used supply route. The raid was carried out by a company of Rift Wardens led by Captain Lorgraine, supported by small outrider squads and a single repulsor executioner. Although the Rift Wardens had fought on Vigilus for a couple of years at this point, this would be one of the most significant victories the chapter had managed to this point.

The raid was a complete success for the Rift Wardens. For the cost of only a handful of battle brothers and the outriders, the chapter slew the chaos marines to a man and returned the water source to Imperial control.

Battle In The Dunes - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 2000.

Mission: Secure Missing Artefacts.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Engage On All Fronts and No Prisoners. 

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Engage On All Fronts, Get Da Good Bitz and Grind Them Down.

After the Rift Wardens recent engagement with the Orkish speed waaagh outside the walls of Dontoria Hivesprawl, Captain Oberon was tasked with reorganising the defences north of the city in the anticipation of another assault. A number of squads were drawn from other positions, abandoning those and moved to bolster the new defence works. The new position was a series of tightly packed dunes covered with hardy brush, which became thicker the further in the marines went. The surrounding plains provided no cover, meaning the attacking ork force would be subjected to murderous fire from the Rift Wardens.

Oberon ordered his battle brothers into a frontal assault as the orks advanced towards their position. It was impossible for any flanking actions due to the openness of the terrain. Intercessor squads were sent into the attack - holding the left and right flanks - with hellblasters held in reserve. The force was supported by a repulsor executioner which blasted the ork positions from a far distance. Before they could reach the Rift Warden positions, the orks were forced back by bolter rifle, heavy bolter and some artillery fire. However, this did not stop the greenskins from continuing the attack and they soon swiftly advanced upon the space marine positions.

By late afternoon, more and more orks supported by battle wagons and giant walkers arrived from the wastelands. With the arrival of such weapons of war, the orks let out a battle cry and charged. The orks failed again to reach the space marine lines, suffering heavy casualties. A few isolated squads of boyz reached the dunes as night fell but were forced to retreat by Rift Warden counter-attacks. Despite further reinforcements, the orks were once more forced to withdraw. The greenskins then waited until night had fallen and sneakily attempted to use it to their advantage.

The third and final wave occurred once the sun had set and the desert wastes were lit only by the hellish light of the great rift, and straight away the orks suffered the same problems as earlier, only this time compounded by the lack of light. Eventually, with numbers on their side, the orks were able to force their way into the dunes and into the space marine positions. It was here that the advance stopped. In the darkness many orks had become lost and some fell back into the deserts to regroup. At the same time the ork heavy vehicles and walkers, who had become bogged down in the sands, rejoined the attack. Oberon and his forces held on to the dunes until dawn, when the events of battle and fearing heavy casualties, forced him to order a withdrawal back to Dontoria. 

Battle of Hindelgeist Docks - Dharrovar

Points: 1000.

Mission: Surge Of Faith.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Engage On All Fronts and No Prisoners. 

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: By Lasgun And Bayonet, Boots On The Ground and Inflexible Command.

The battle of Hindelgeist Docks was fought during the Imperial campaign on Dharrovar, specifically the conquest of the hivesprawl of Hindelgeist. It was the last action between the Rift Wardens and the planetary defence forces before the PDF retreated from the docks district. The Rift Wardens and loyal Astra Militarum forces surrounded the enemy positions. The space marines inflicted heavy casualties and captured the docks with comparably little casualties. The PDF retreated from the docks into the interior of the hive sprawl.

Battle of Dendelgheist - Hesperous

Points: 1000.

Mission: Desperate Raid.

Secondary Objectives: Behind Enemy Lines, Codex Warfare and Raise The Banners High.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Behind Enemy Lines, Grind Them Down and Raise The Banners High.

The battle of Dendelgheist opened with the Rift Wardens launching a heavy missile barrage into the Dark Angel lines, devastating their forces. The chapter then attacked en mass although the Dark Angels stood their ground. The center of the line fell, and the Rift Wardens broke through, threatening to reach the enemy command bunker. The offensive overwhelmed the outnumbered Dark Angels.

Azrael hastily sent terminator reinforcements, and deployed the fifth company to engage the Rift Wardens in case they succeeded in pushing past the Dark Angel lines. The situation was critical, but the commitment of reserves and the the arrival of Azrael himself gradually improved the situation.

The Rift Wardens advanced further into Dendelgheist and the district fell to them within days. However, by this time the Rift Wardens were low on numbers and munitions, and had intermittent supply lines. The new Dark Angel defensive lines held and they repeatedly repelled the Rift Wardens. Soon they started a counter-offensive and slowly regained ground.

The War Of Nightmares part 1 - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 1000.

Mission: Reconnaissance Mission.

Secondary Objectives: No Prisoners, Psychic Interrogation and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Despoil Dominions, Engage On All Fronts and No Prisoners.

With Abaddon finally taking to the battle field, the Imperial forces swiftly mobilized to halt his attacks. The various space marine chapters available split into three detachments under the command of Marneus Calgar. The Rift Wardens, under Arthurus, crossed the wastelands to the Halos Redoubt. In the wastelands, things started to go wrong. Sandstorms swept up across the deserts and the various chapters became separated and many vehicles became bogged down in the sand.

The Rift Wardens reached their position before dawn. After consolidating their position, the chapter pushed forward to engage the lead Black Legion vanguard. It was reported back to Calgar that surprise had been achieved. However, despite achieving surprise, Arthurus ordered his chapter to wait until other chapters were position before launching a full assault. He even ordered his stormtalons to fall back and await the order.

By the time Arthurus allowed the attack to continue, all hope of surprise was lost. As his tanks began their preparatory assault, Arthurus ordered his forces to attack the Black Legion along the left flank, although these were  now fully alert to the Imperial positions and manning a series of makeshift defences. By the time the main battle had started, over eight chapters had entered the engagement at this time.

Despite their missed opportunities, the fresh reinforcements, and entrenched Black Legions, by late in the day, the Rift Wardens were on the verge of a breakthrough. The chapter captured two lines of trenches but with no reinforcements to exploit this success they could do nothing but hold their gains. The Black Legion forces counter-attacked led by Abaddon himself, forcing the Rift Wardens to fall back in the evening. 

By the end of the first day the chapter had sustained a great number of casualties. The Rift Wardens were forced to fall back to a rendezvous position several miles back. 

Void War - The Core

Points: 1000.

Mission: Display Of Spiritual Might.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Oaths Of Moment and Warp Ritual.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Lay Claim, No Prisoners and Retrieve Battlefield Data..

A week after the Rift Wardens first attacked the Leagues asteroid defenses they finally reached their initial objectives. The Leagues heavy weapons were still very operational and inflicted many casualties among the advancing space marines. Any tanks and incoming aircraft were subjected to continued artillery fire from the League forces, which left the Rift Wardens to bolster around their recent gains. The Rift Wardens' attacks changed from large operations on broad fronts, to narrow focused attacks with more limited objectives.

The Rift Wardens did succeed in capturing a single forward fire base from the Leagues. After a bombardment from the fleet, the chapter attacked another two fire bases and these too fell to the Imperial forces. Arthurus ordered a pause in the attack, to consolidate the captured ground and await a further bombardment from the fleet. Two days later, the Rift Wardens attacked the next fortress line of the enemy but were met by mass artillery fire from the League land crawlers, which effectively ended the space marine advance.

Wrath of the Aeldari - Kaelac's Bane

Points: 3000.

Mission: Field of Glory.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, No Prisoners and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: No Prisoners, Raise The Banners High and Scry Futures.

Before the latest offensive, Arthurus had expected the Iyanden artillery tanks would be suppressed by counter-battery fire but this failed. The chapter master of the Rift Wardens set up specialist artillery forces to counter the prism cannons arrayed against them. This failed due to swiftly mounting space marine casualties. Arthurus' captains requested more units to contain the enemy arriving from the webway but Arthurus refused, because those forces were needed elsewhere across Vigilus. A pause in the Rift Warden attack led to the Aeldari receiving more and more wraithguard reinforcements.

The forces of Iyanden marched forward into the Rift Warden lines, led by wraithguard and supported by a powerful wraithknight. The space marines present put up a heroic defence and although they did inflict many casualties and destroyed a number of wraith units, they were unable to halt the Aeldari advance out of the icy wastes into the deserts of Vigilus. Arthurus ordered his battle brothers back and communicated to the Imperial command that Kaelac's Bane was most assuridly lost to the Imperium at this time.