The Walls Fell - Mortwald

Points: 1250.

Mission: Homebrew.

The Astra Militarum commander assigned to Mortwald followed a strategy of stalling the Chaos advance in a desperate attempt to hold out until reinforcements could arrive. He knew that Mortwald had been all but abandoned by the Imperial command but his devote and faith held out. After six months of fighting off wave after wave of heretic astartes, help finally came in the form of the Rift Wardens chapter. Within days of the space marine reinforcements arriving, Mortwald's trenchworks are besieged by a huge force of World Eaters led by the infamous Kharn the Betrayer. 

The World Eaters attack came in the early hours. Before dawn they had slaughtered their way through the outer trenchworks and were advancing into the Imperial defences. Wave after wave of Raptors assaulted the lines ahead of the main force, exposing holes for the main Berzerker squads to breach with ease/ As the sun rose, the World Eaters smashed through those defences and the Rift Wardens redeployed to stem the advance. 

Kharn's forces took it's position at the head of the assault, crossing the shattered walls into the habitat districts. There they slaughtered guardsmen and civilians alike. By midday the Imperial forces were in full retreat and the World Eaters pursued them, cutting them down and coating the streets red with blood. 

The Rift Wardens were able to halt the advance initially, even inflicting enough injury to Kharn that he was taken out of the fight. However, despite this, the number of World Eaters was too strong to fully stop with out significant help. The loyalist marines fell back, providing a rear guard for the fleeing guardsmen. 

The battle was ultimately a massive defeat for the Imperium. Mortwald was falling to the Chaos hordes and it would appear that there was little that the defenders could do to stop it.

Battle of the Taraca Ice Flats - Kaelac's Bane

Points: 2000.

Mission: Vital Intelligence.

Secondary Objectives: Data Intercept, Engage On All Fronts and Thin Their Ranks.

The battle of the Taraca Ice Flats was a skirmish between the Rift Wardens and a raiding party of Drukhari in the snow flats of Northern Vigilus. The Rift Wardens had ventured out to secure a series of vital monitoring stations by request of the Adeptus Mechanicus when they came under fire from a realspace raiding party who appeared suddenly undercover of a snowstorm. 

The Drukhari surrounded the space marines and slowly whittled down their numbers with accurate firepower before the gladiatorial combatants charged into their lines. Although the Rift Wardens slaughtered many of the foul xenos in heroic hand to hand combat, they were hopelessly outnumbered. The Drukhari killed many marines and dragged several back to their dark city in esoteric chains.

Uprising On Greyhaven - Pariah Nexus

 

Points: 1750.

Mission: Overrun.

Secondary Objectives: Engage On All Fronts, Overrun, and Thin Their Ranks.

The Imperial forces positioned on the edge of the Pariah warzone had claimed several worlds as staging areas. Greyhaven was one such world. Assisting the Astra Militarum forces here, were elements of the Rift Wardens under captain Galadhus.

Greyhaven was a unstable mountainous world sparsely covered in dense forest and jungle. The Imperials are most unfamiliar with this world and were forced to bunker up tightly in case of Necron attack. Greyhaven however, was the location of a small Necron tomb complex and within a week of the Imperial forces making planetfall, they found themselves under a sudden and frightful assault.

Captain Galadhus led the defence of the staging ground that his company were located at. They fought bravely but it soon became apparent they were greatly unnumbered and outmatched. Galadhus ordered a retreat and boarded their thunderhawks. Retreating to their battle barge in orbit, they bombarded the site with everything they had.

The Rift Wardens lost a number of battle brothers, vehicles and support elements. Galadhus himself suffered a life threatening injury but was swiftly healed by the apothecaries. Greyhaven would be liberated, he declared and began forming up a new strategy to deal with the Necron menace.

Victory to the Necrons.

Return to Armageddon - Armageddon

Points: 1750.

Mission: Battle Lines.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Thin Their Ranks and Vital Ground.

Following the appearance of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the world of Armageddon, still recovering from it's third war, was suddenly swamped with hordes of chaos daemons. The world was devastated as the Imperial defenders fought orks and daemons alike. With the aid of various space marine chapters, including the Rift Wardens, the Imperium has begun to turn the tide of battle.

The Rift Wardens had been operating under the command of a High Inquisitor of the Ordos Malleus, an infamous and heartless man named Butlerian. Before departing the system, Butlerian instructed captain Lorgraine to deal with a particular Cadian force lead by tank commander Pask. The inquisitor felt that this force had seen too much of the daemonic incursion and had most likely become corrupted. Better to see them burn than fall from the Emperor's Light. Vulkan He'Stan of the Salamanders chapter refused to follow this order, seeing the truth of the situation and warned that following Butlerian's orders would bring brother against brother. Lorgraine warned He'Stan that the Rift Wardens would do whatever was necessary, and if the Salamanders stood against them, they would suffer for it.

Vulkan and his battle brothers sided with the Cadians, lending their bolters to the defence of Pask's men. The Rift Wardens battled in the ruins of a fallen hive city for ten hours, fighting valiantly to achieve their aim but were unprepared for the sheer number of tanks and mortar teams deployed against them. Pask's command tank was destroyed but he himself was dragged unconscious but alive from the burning wreck. Lorgraine and Vulkan duelled in the ruins before both commanders were felled, and pulled from the conflict. With Lorgraine temporarily out of action, lieutenant Gaheris, a man of calmer mind, sued for peace and parley. With his council, Vulkan and Lorgraine both agreed to halt the conflict. Vulkan eventually convincing the Rift Wardens captain of the ill conceived nature of Butlerian's orders.

Battle of Mortem Abbey - Hyperia Hivesprawl

 

Points: 1500.

Mission: Forward Push.

Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Mental Interrogation and Thin Their Ranks.

The Battle of Mortem Abbey was a major engagement in the conflict for Hyperia Hivesprawl. It took place in the abbey of Saint Mortem between the Rift Wardens and the Order of the Bloody Rose.

A few days after the Rift Wardens were attacked by the Grey Knights, the Adepta Sororitas attempted to draw the space marines into a preselected kill zone with a campaign of selected misinformation. When the plan succeeded with the chapter lured into the ruined abbey, the Sisters deployed a force of a thousand battle sisters to entrap them within. The space marines suffered many casualties and injuries before they were able to force a point through the Sororitas lines and retreat.

Victory to the Sisters of Battle.

Into The Fire - Pariah Nexus

 

Points: 1500.

Mission: Scorched Earth.

Secondary Objectives: Engage on All Fronts, Raise the Banners High and Thin Their Ranks.

Warzone Pariah has become the current defining crusade of the 42nd Millennium as the Imperium struggles to defeat the evil machinations of the Silent King and his Necron armies. The Rift Wardens have come to offer their blades and their lives in defeating the soulness machines.

Within days of their arrival in the Pariah war zone, the Rift Wardens became the target of a sizeable Necron assault. The Necron leadership sought to encircle and crush the space marines between two advancing forces. One flank was delayed due to encountering an Astra Militarum battalion. The main force however relentlessly advanced into the Rift Wardens position. The space marines had prepared a defensive position having expected an enemy assault.

Captain Lorgraine was unaware of the Necron numbers in the area and believed the area to be lightly held. When his scouts failed to report in or return after a few hours, he realised that the enemy might be more numerous than expected. Lorgraine decided that a swift assault into the Necron lines might destabilize their forces initially.

In the early morning, the Rift Wardens charged the advancing Necron lines. Many necron warriors were slain but with their reanimation protocols, they did not stay down for long. The necrons outnumbered the Rift Wardens, but the overlord was aware of their strengths and expertly turned the tide of battle. Conjouring an aspect of the Nightbringer most certainly gave them the edge in the battle.

The Rift Wardens charge was stopped by the arrival of the Nightbringer and a squadron of tomb blades. Gauss fire strafed the marine lines. Many marines were killed and more wounded. Lieutenant Tristan sold his life, bravely engaging the C'tan in melee so that his brothers could retreat. His name was recorded in the chapter's hall of heroes.

Ultimately the chapter was forces to fall back and request thunderhawk evacuation.

Victory to the Necrons.

The Tide Turns - Dontoria Hivesprawl

Points: 500.

Mission: Incisive Attack.

Secondary Objectives: Assassinate, Domination and Thin Their Ranks.

In an attempt to entrap Imperial forces in the Gethesmane district of Dontoria Hivesprawl, Typhus - warlord of the Death Guard, attempted to lay a number of ambushes for guard forces in various fortifications. When this failed, Typhus raged in frustration, and ordered this his forces to instead march forth to assault Imperial forces directly.

At first, the Death Guard performed well and slaughtered many Imperial warriors. However, their luck soon ran out when they themselves were ambushed in return by the Rift Wardens. The space marines sought vengeance for their recent defeat and they poured all their hate into the servants of the plague god. Their vengeance was great and a good many plague marines fell to their assault, or were forced to flee. Typhus himself was sorely wounded and had to teleport back up to the Terminus Est high in orbit.

Victory to the Rift Wardens.

Dig Site Alpha 12 - Kaelac's Bane

Points: 1700.

Missions: Ascension.

Secondary Objectives: Ascend, Bring It Down and Thin Their Ranks.

The battle of Dig Site Alpha 12 was a minor battle in which the Rift Wardens took part. Aeldari raiders had assaulted a Mechanicus ice mining station. They picked this target as it was lightly defended and they wanted to perpetrate an aggressive show of force against the Imperium. The major Craftworlds were engaged elsewhere so this was left to a minor craftworld.

The battle was short and the Aeldari successfully assaulted the dig site. They killed many and forced the majority of the counter attacking Rift Wardens to fall back to the nearest Mechanicus facility. The Aeldari planted their banners on the site atop bodies of the fallen as a message to the Imperium.

Victory to the Aeldari.

The Tau Advance Continues - Corinthia

Points: 1700.

Missions: Four Pillars

Secondary Objectives: Engage On All Fronts, Investigate Sites and Thin Their Ranks.

Less than a week into the invasion, the Tau high command found itself occupying an abandoned settlement several miles from the frontline of the war. A council had been called to discuss the Tau battle plans since the war was going better than initially expected.

The Rift Wardens 4th company has fortified a series of bastions and defence lines across the anticipated path of the Tau advance. This site was chosen to restrict movement of the Tau fire warriors so that they could locked down and destroyed by more mobile Astra Militarum mechanised detachments. To protect this defensive line, the company was divided into four with each occupying a quarter of the total length.

The Tau forces carefully scouted and observed the space marine positions for three days. It was determined by the war council that the space marines had positioned themselves to hold off a dedicated attack force coming from the front. A weakness was detected in the right flank that the Tau could use to their advantage.

In the early hours and under cover of night, Tau fire warriors and stealth teams approached a steep slope to the east of the Rift Wardens right flank. From here the surprise attack was nearly total. Barely challenged on their way in, they were into the Rift Wardens' position with but a few stray shots. The Tau began to fire down into the space marine positions inflicting many casualties before advancing down into the lines.

The fighting lasted until just after sunrise when the Rift Wardens present recieved communications to fall back to a secondary fire base. The Tau, accepting a victorious fight against the Imperium, harried the retreating space marines while simultaneously claiming the fortified network for themselves and creeping ever closer to the main target, the capitol hive city of Corinthia.

Down With The Sickness - Dontoria Hivesprawl

Points: 1500.

Missions: Front Line Warfare.

Secondary Objectives: Engage On All Fronts, Thin Their Ranks and Vital Ground.

At Dontoria Hivesprawl, the Rift Wardens had deployed primarily to combat the Death Guard threat which had arrived in the early days of the war. The first battle for the Rift Wardens came when one of their companies came under attack from a vanguard force of Death Guard led by a foul daemon prince. Taken by surprise the battle brothers were eventually cornered and forced into a corner of a warehouse district.

Despite having overwhelming numbers, the Death Guard still suffered heavy losses. The Rift Wardens lost many good brothers, some to combat and some to an unnatural malady that swept through their numbers. After two weeks of heavy fighting, reinforcements from other chapters were able to breach the area and rescue the survivors. Following this, the Death Guard fell back into the waste tunnels beneath the hive to regroup.

Victory to the Death Guard.