Real Space Raiders - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 2000.

Mission: Death And Zeal.

Secondary Objectives: Codex Warfare, No Prisoners and Warp Ritual.

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

Drukhari raiders began to pour out of the icy wastes of Kaelec's Bane, assaulting the various combatant's across Vigilus. When they descended upon a patrol of Rift Wardens battle quickly ensued.

The Rift Wardens reacted quickly and charged into the oncoming Drukhari, gaining some little ground. Recent sandstorms and the arrival of further Drukhari reinforcements made the situation very difficult for the space marines. The Rift Wardens were lacking any heavy weapons and their ability to handle the raiders and aircraft was severely lacking. Almost immediately the space marines took unexpectedly high losses.

For two days the enemy launched lighting fast attacks upon the space marines, seizing as many as they could and fading back into the desert. The chapter fought a running battle as they sought to reach Imperial lines before being picked off by the alien slavers. When they reached range of the hive city defences, the Drukhari peeled off and vanished back into the desert. Many space marines had been lost to injury or capture.

Operation Judgement - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 2000.

Mission: Secure Missing Artefacts.

Secondary Objectives: Well Prisoners, Raise The Banners High and Warp Ritual.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Pile The Skulls and The Blood God's Due.

Operation Judgement was an Imperial effort to halt the World Eater advance upon the Vigilus hive sprawls. Initially both sides were hampered by vast sand storms which raged across the wastelands, forcing even the servants of the Blood God to hunker down. As soon as the storms died down the Astra Militarum initiated a vast ten hour artillery bombardment upon the advancing enemy marines. The main concentration of fire was on the right flank. Daemon engines returned fire but the World Eaters had suffered severe casualties.  

The bombardment let up as the morning passed into afternoon. This was a ruse to tempt the berzerkers forward into an open kill zone in front of the Imperial lines. Imperial navy aircraft overflew the battlefield and reported the locations of the enemy lines. Guardsmen advanced ahead to cut down the World Eaters with flamers and heavy weapons. Although initially successful the berzerkers soon began to overrun them and continued their advance.

After two days of fighting, the Imperial defenders had moved forward and they captured several vital locations. Two companies of berzerkers which held those locations were defeated thanks to assaults by the Rift Wardens. By this time, the World Eaters had entered into a frenzy and any military cohesion faded. Even so, the enemy forces repulsed several space marine attacks but each effort was defeated by the Imperial forces.

Fighting continued until the Rift Wardens outflanked the World Eaters although they suffered many casualties. Although their attack was blunted, the World Eaters managed to hold onto their gains. Rift Wardens attacks continued for two days and the World Eaters were eventually pushed back into the wastelands. Arthurus arrived from orbit at this time and led his battle brothers forward. He had received orders from Marneus Calgar to ensure that the enemy didn't reach the hive cities to bolster those forces already within the city walls.

After five days the Astra Militarum regiments were ordered to advance from their defences and marched forward as a vast line of bodies. Due to the rough terrain some regiments advanced ahead without support on their flank. The guardsmen rushed the World Eater positions with support of various space marine chapters. The Imperium killed hundreds of the enemy and even outflanked a few of their defences. It was at this point that Kharn the Betrayer entered the fray with a large force of Eight-Bound. Some guardsmen took cover in a ravine only to find their location under friendly artillery fire. Some guardsmen were forced forward into the enemy lines to avoid being accidently killed by their own tanks.

The Rift Wardens marines tried to contact the Militarum artillery commanders to alert them but communications were disrupted. Enemy fire soon stopped as Kharn bellowed a charge and led his forces forward once more. The Imperial forces were brutally slaughtered and forced to fall back, leaving the space marines to blunt the charge. 

After five days of heavy fighting, Operation Judgement had been partially successful but at the great cost of hundreds of thousands of guardsmen lives. A pyrrhic victory at best.

Wrath of Be'lakor - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 2000.

Mission: Death And Zeal.

Secondary Objectives: Abhor The Witch, No Prisoners and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: No Prisoners, Psychic Interrogation and Raise The Banners High.

The daemonic assault began in the early hours with a surprise bombardment as soul grinders materialised from the Warp. However, this bombardment largely fell short of it's target or failed to inflict many casualties as the Rift Wardens were heavily entrenched awaiting an oncoming Black Legion attack. The failed bombardment alerted the Rift Wardens to the coming attack withut disrupting their ability to oppose it. Shortly their after, Be'lakor and his legions manifested from the Warp and attacked.

Arthurus deployed his forces with a number of veterans in gravis armour, holding the left and right flanks. They deployed in a lose skirmish formation. One flank succeed in smashing into the daemon lines but were stopped and then forced to withdraw after suffering casualties from the daemon prince himself, As they fell back to their lines, they were outflanked and attacked by more daemons bursting forth into reality. With their flanks collapsing, Arthurus ordered a fighting withdrawl although they were hounded all the way back to the main Imperial lines.

Battle of KastleHall - Antares

Points: 2000.

Mission: Conversion.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, No Prisoners and Raise The Banners High.

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

The battle of KastleHall was the besieging of the Rift Wardens garrison at a small fortress south of the immense Antares Majoris hive sprawl. Over 600 of the space marines were garrisoned there. When the Custodes attacked in force with knightly allies they managed to breach the walls with ease and laid waste to many battle brothers. In the records of the Rift Wardens it goes down as the worst defeat of the chapter to date. 

Strangely, at the behest of the Emissaries Imperatus, all captured Rift Wardens were returned to the chapter unharmed but bearing the message that this world was no longer theirs. Arthurus railed at this warning understanding where it had come from but his drive and ego prevented him from accepting those worlds. The fighting continued.

Battle of Promethium Refinery 426 - Hesperous Prime

Points: 1000.

Mission: Surge Of Faith.

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

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Engage On All Fronts, Grind Them Down and Raise The Banners High.

The battle of Promethium Refinery 426 was a small engagement fought by between the Rift Wardens and the Dark Angels. The Rift Warden force was made up mainly of intercessors, aggressors and dreadnoughts. They had had some success against the Dark Angels in earlier engagements which was why they were dispatched to capture the refinery. The Dark Angels force was primarily Deathwing led by Azrael himself.

The primary reason for this battle was to capture the refinery as both chapters needed promethium to fuel their tanks. The Rift Wardens got their first and bolstered the defences around the site. They then fought off a series of small Dark Angel patrols. Eventually after a string of losses, the Deathwing were deployed by teleport assault into the Rift Warden defences, where after a brief firefight, the Dark Angels seized control of the refinery.

Battle of Desolation Valley - Talos

Power Level: 1000.

Mission: Rise Of The Machine Spirit.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Grind Them Down and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: No Prisoners, Raise The Banners High and Warp Ritual.

The Tyranids had overrun an Imperial landing zone designated Desolation Valley. The organisms did not initially advance on towards the Imperial lines, instead focusing on feeding upon the dead. When they did finally launch an assault on the Imperial lines with the support of mighty biovores - living artillery pieces. Due to the thick spore fog, the Tyranids were able to surprise the defenders. During the conflict they Tyranids were forced back but they continued to launch multiple assaults. The Rift Wardens were able to hold off the attack by pouring massed bolter fire into the oncoming bio-organisms but ammunition supplies were beginning to run low. By that evening, during a powerful thunderstorm, a final attack was made. Tyranid warriors breached the lines and engaged the Rift Wardens at close quarters. Both sides sustained heavy casualties. Eventually the Imperial losses became too high and they fell back once again.

The Speedwaagh! - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 1000.

Mission: Ascension.

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

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Get Da Good Bitz, Psychic Interrogation and Stomp 'Em Good.

Out in the wastelands a force of speed freaks mounted a reconnaissance raid into the lines of the Imperial defenders near to Dontoria Hivesprawl. A Rift Wardens patrol of 400 battle brothers attacked the oncoming buggies and bikes from three different positions. The marines inflicted significant casualties and forced the Orks to retreat slightly. 

The Rift Wardens followed up their ambush and attacked the Orks again. All night long, the Orks fought hard and fast, using their bikes and buggies to great advantage against the footslogging space marines. With speed and ferocity on their side, the tide of battle turned in the greenskins favour. 

The Ork warboss led a counter-attack as the sun rose. The Orks charged as fast as they could, blasting everything in front of them. The speedwaagh split into three points, slamming into the Rift Wardens. The space marines suffered many casualties and were forced to fall back to the Imperial lines with many cut down as they did so. The Orks hit the Imperial lines, punching a hole in the lines. Many stayed to fight the defending Astra Militarum, but more surged forth to reach the good fighting within the city walls.

Second Battle of Missionary Point - Dontoria Hivesprawl

 

Points: 1000.

Mission: Surge of Faith.

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

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

Due to extensive artillery barrages, the Rift Wardens were able to retake some of the territory lost to Death Guard control, and even attempt to outflank the main enemy force. The main thoroughfare through the sector was the scene of heavy attacks and counter-attacks by the Rift Wardens. During this conflict both sides suffered heavy casualties.

Due to their disgusting resilience, the Death Guard were able to hold their positions despite heavy casualties, which was dwarfed by those suffered by the Rift Wardens. This battle proved Typhus' tactical brilliance despite the limited scope of the conflict.

The Rift Wardens made some progress before they were eventually forced back by the Death Guard, although they did occupy the center of the battle zone for a brief period of time. The flanking force did reach their destination but were met with blightlord terminators and heavy plague mortar fire. Under such heavy fire the chapter was forced to once again fall back to their defences while Typhus' troops continued to hold the battle field.

First Battle For Typhonus City - Typhonus

 

Points: 1500

With reports of renegade space marines raiding from what used to be called the Maelstrom, the Rift Wardens have been diverted from their patrols to investigate. Arriving at the world of Typhonus the chapter finds it under attack by several small renegade war bands. Arthurus deploys his battle brothers to the planet's capital city and fights to defeat the smaller threats while the chapter launches strategic strikes across the planet.

Upon making planetfall the renegade marines approached the Rift Wardens positions. Their planetfall had been noticed and the forces of Chaos were eager to fight a real opponent over the pathetic planetary defence forces. When they arrived they found the Rift Wardens had heavily fortified their landing zone. Arthurus had laid a plan in motion and phobos units had arrived ahead of the main force and now moved to envelop the oncoming renegades.

Arthurus split his forces into three elements. Two were to march through the side streets and attack the renegades from the rear. Detachmnt A was given the task of clearing out any enemy fortifications near to the Rift Warden landing site. Detachment B was assigned to strike the advancing enemy forces from the rear while Detachment C was to assault from the front with chainsword and power weapons, fixing the enemy in position. Outriders would then circle and flank set up to block any anticipated lines of retreat. However, this would all hinge on how well each detachment performed.

Unfortunately the plan failed almost immediately. It seemed that the renegades were expecting such attack plans and modified their strategy to counter the Rift Wardens assault.

Starting out, detachments A and B advanced, trying to reach their targets in time. Detachment A became disorientated in the ruined streets and were pinned down by enemy fire in the ruins. Detachment B likewise ran into unexpected resistance and were forced to fall back and regroup.

Three hours into the battle, the Rift Wardens were no closer to achieving their aim. Rather than wait for his forces too consolidate, Arthurus ordered his entire force to surge forth and attack the renegade positions. However, without the initial attack's success, the chapter faced more enemy forces than had been expected. The Rift Wardens suffered heavy casualties, leaving the battlefield largely in enemy control. The space marines were now becoming more and more outnumbered. Regretfully, Arthurus pulled his forces back to the landing site and conducted a defensive war. Arthurus hoped that elsewhere across the planet, that his captains were achieving better successes.

Xenos Retaliation - Talos

 Points: 1500

This battle took place shortly after the third battle for the Krithian Peninsula. The Rift Wardens and Tyranids fought to determine control of the borderlands that linked the peninsula to the main continent. Arthurus considered this a test of the strength of the remaining Tyranids and whether it was possible to advance and drive them back once and for all. 

The engagement took place north of the previous battles along the banks of a wide fast flowing river. During a night attack, the Tyranids defeated the Rift Warden forces, driving them back from the defensive positions along the river. This allowed the hive mind to bring up even more reinforcements.