The Blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Imperium - Imperial Guard General Quest [WH40K]

When the people of the Nostrega System rebelled, the reigning nobility and Planetary Governors tried to cut these rebellions down using the local PDF. But a long history of corruption, bad leadership and neglect had hollowed out the institution, with many of their units only existing on paper. Even worse, many of the better-equipped PDF Regiments defected to the rebels, preferring their promises of just leadership and regular pay. In just a few years these rebels, calling themselves the Nostrega United Front, had scored multiple victories, threatening to oust the local leadership permanently.

While the Imperium usually does not concern itself with planetary politics, the demands of the rebels included a reduction in the imperial tithe. The reduction in resources coming from the system such a change would entail is unacceptable to the Adeptus Administratum, which is why the pleas of the local nobility were heard and a detachment of local Imperial Guard Regiments under the command of Major General Wankel was sent to the system in order to quell the unrest and return the Tithe to pre-revolution level.

You were part of that detachment, commanding the 250th Pfadian Infantry regiment as their Colonel. Together with the 249th Pfadian Infantry you had been split off to subjugate the civilized planet of Nostrega Primus while the majority of Imperial Guard forces secured the more important Nostrega I.

The start of this deployment was 20 years ago and though it took all of your skill and effort, you were proud to have successfully stabilized your planet. By unofficially taking command of the remaining loyalist PDF forces on the planet and outmaneuvering the untrained leaders of the rebel movement, you have defeated all conventional NUF forces on the planet.

But when you traveled to Major General Wankel's main Headquarters on Nostrega I to report the great news, you only found chaos and disorder. General Wankel and his General Staff have been blown up in a terrorist attack by the rebels and with no clear line of succession, multiple Colonels have attempted to claim the rank, but none of them were successful in establishing themselves as Wankel's successor.

With proof of your success on Nostrega Prime in your hands and the support of its establishment behind you no one could gainsay your competence, and your status as a political outsider positioned you as the perfect compromise candidate, allowing you to claim the empty spot and secure yourself as Major General of Army Group Nostrega.

Now is the time to bring glory to your name and do great deeds that go into the history books.

The Emperor protects.



With your promotion to Major General, the 250th is without leadership. Your last act as its direct commanding officer will be the promotion of your replacement.

Choose one officer to take your place as Colonel of the 250th Pfadian Infantry Regiment:

[][Replacement] Lieutenant Colonel Wachs is your natural successor. He has always been just one step behind you ready to enter the vacant position left by your rapid rise through the ranks and has proven to be a competent officer. Continuing this tradition would leave a loyal and known quantity in the unit you are most familiar with, but it will also breed the expectation that he will continue to rise with you, no matter his ability.
Competence: Good
Loyalty: Great

[][Replacement] Lieutenant Colonel Konopka has been your best point of contact with allied forces in the theater. Whenever you needed support from the Arbites, Ecclesiarchy, or the Mechanicum, he has always been there, dealing with their often petty needs and requirements to ensure smooth operations on the planet. He would continue your efforts to work with other units and institutions and turn the 250th into experts in coordinating with allied forces.
Competence: Good
Loyalty: Good

[][Replacement] Lieutenant Colonel de Arsen has desired your rank from the moment you got it. The daughter of a major noble house on Pfadia, she had gotten extensive training from a young age and was thought to be the clear favorite to be the Colonel of the regiment. But the pfadian military is ruthlessly meritocratic and your own skill had eclipsed her rising star, condemning her to be your subordinate. Under your leadership, she has made a point of imitating your style of leadership to great success,
Competence: Great
Loyalty: Good


Controlling the vast masses of the Imperial Guard is not a task that can be done alone. Your General Staff will be responsible both for bringing Problems to your attention and carrying out your will in fixing them.

Choose 2 members of your general staff in addition to Alfonix, who has to remain because of political considerations:

[X][General Staff] Colonel Alfonix is the only surviving member of Major General Wankel's General staff. He was away personally commanding his regiment, the 6th Angraxian Tank regiment, in the field when the bomb exploded. He refused to be promoted to General Wankel's position, citing his lack of experience in commanding the infantry making up most of your forces as his excuse. As the only surviving member of the last General Staff, you are required to keep him in his position to satisfy the conservative members of your subordinates.

[] [General Staff] Colonel Kalavkov has preserved the greatest amount of her forces in the fighting across Nostrega I. She argues it shows her military talents while others believe she just lets others take the fall for her.
As one of the candidates for the position of Major General, she will not be pleased should you favor the other candidates over her.

[] [General Staff] Colonel Bach and her Regiment were instrumental in storming the last NUF strongholds. This has earned her great personal glory, but earned her no favour among her troops.
As one of the candidates for the position of Major General, she will not be pleased should you favor the other candidates over her.

[] [General Staff] Colonel Musil is widely loved by the troops and the Ecclesiarchy for his pious nature.
As one of the candidates for the position of Major General, he will not be pleased should you favor the other candidates over him.

[] [General Staff] Lieutenant Colonel Wachs has been your loyal second for decades, and he is ready to take that position once again. The presence of such a known quantity and supporter may be more valuable than the expertise some other choices may bring. He is educated and experienced as an officer of the pfadian Imperial Guard, which are famous for their great knowledge when it comes to military tactics and using this knowledge to analyze new situations with the wisdom of the past.
Loyalty: Great
Expertise: Good Military command, Bad Politics
Actions: Military
- great personal loyality
Each Senior officer transferred from the 250th will reduce its combat capability. Additionally, you cannot appoint the same person to be its Colonel and part of your General Staff at the same time.

[] [General Staff] Lieutenant Colonel Konopka has been your best point of contact with allied forces in the theater. Whenever you needed support from the Arbites, Ecclesiarchy, or the Mechanicum, he has always been there, dealing with their often petty needs and requirements to ensure smooth operations on the planet. His expertise would be invaluable during the aftermath of the rebellion, where every branch needs to work together in order to ensure lasting peace.
Loyalty: Good
Expertise: Good military command, Great Diplomacy, Great Politic
Actions: Military, Diplomacy
Each Senior officer transferred from the 250th will reduce its combat capability. Additionally, you cannot appoint the same person to be its Colonel and part of your General Staff at the same time.

[] [General Staff] Lieutenant Colonel Troufal is the second in command of the 249th Pfadian Infantry, the second regiment assigned to Nostrega Primus and an essential ally in your efforts to pacify the planet. When you are wrangling the many eccentric personalities of imperial governance, a simple, professional soldier like her can be a godsend. Drawing a single veteran officer from the 249th will not weaken their cohesion a significant amount, which makes her a politically and militarily cheap choice to get an experienced Imperial Guard officer into your staff.
Loyalty: Good
Expertise: Good Military Command

[] [General Staff] Cardinal Palmiotto rules the diocese of Nostrega. He has offered his support in order to bring normality back to the sector and calm the worries of his flock.
Political Figures from Nostrega will leave your employ once you leave the system, prompting a choice for a replacement appointment.

[] [General Staff] Countess Passero was an essential ally in your pacification of Nostrega Primus. She is the daughter of the former Planetary Governor and is slated to be his replacement once you lift Martial law. She is nominally the Commander in Chief of its PDF but has allowed you to use them as you see fit, fighting as commander of your newly raised 1st Nostregan Infantry instead. Appointing her as part of your General Staff will prevent you from installing her as Military Governor of the planet until you can lift martial law in the system. She will not turn her back to you while you continue to support her in her claim to governorship.
Loyalty: Loyal
Expertise: Good at Politics, Good at Diplomacy, Great at working on Nostrega Primus
Actions: Political, Nostrega Primus
Political Figures from Nostrega will leave your employ once you leave the system, prompting a choice for a replacement appointment.

[] [General Staff] Count Fallaci is an old hand at navigating the labyrinthine politics of nostregan Nobility. He has offered to support your efforts with his expertise and resources.
- offered additional Funds for your personal accounts should he be chosen as part of the General Staff
Political Figures from Nostrega will leave your employ once you leave the system, prompting a choice for a replacement appointment.

[] [General Staff] Representative of the Adeptus Administratum Iago Saag will be essential in all of your efforts, for without his supplies all efforts will grind to a halt. Granting him a position on your General Staff is not required to interface with him, but it will make it significantly easier.
- offered additional supplies for your army should he be chosen as part of the General Staff

[] [General Staff] Commodore Quorr commands all Imperial Navy forces in the region, including most importantly your air support in the Aeronautica Imperialis. Granting him a position on your General Staff is not required to interface with him, but it will make it significantly easier.

- Welcome to my quest! You will play as a newly promoted General of the Imperial Guard. As the highest source of imperial authority in the system, you will not have any immediate oversight. But this doesn't mean that there are no consequences for your actions. Your superiors expect you to use your wide powers to bring forth success and should they find you to be misusing their resources they will not hesitate on punishing you. Should they be disappointed with your results they will not hesitate to relieve you of the position you illegally assumed.
- Information transfer in the Imperial Guard is nearly nonexistant. As a general, you have the clearest picture of the general situation in the entire system, but even your information is spotty. Lies, corruption, enemy sabotage, or plain incompetence can severely distort the reports you get. Use the information you have and choose the best decisions you can with it.
- I will answer all questions from your IC perspective. This means that my answers to your questions may be wrong or incomplete if you do not have the required knowledge in Character. But that does not mean that you should not ask questions, because unreliable information is still better than no information!
- Inspiration for this quest comes from Divided Loyalities specificially for asking wether quest advisors are always truthful with their reports and suggestions and playing as one of them, leading to this quest that turns the concept around again and asks how you as Questers deal with these unreliable advisors.
- Please vote in Plans, there is no Moratorium

Welcome to your first council turn! Your military council meets every year to report information, deliberate policies, and to allow you to issue orders.

Each member of your general staff will propose some actions to the Council. These actions are often related to their specialities or inclinations - for example Alfonix only suggested actions related to his regiment because he focuses completly on being a tank commander.

The other members of the council will note their opinion under it. This may be a useful way to gauge the quality of a suggestion or just who benefits from an action.

As the Major general, you can assign your officers to suggested actions as you see fit, whether they have suggested that action or not. You can see the amount of actions each officer may do under their introduction.

The representatives of the Mechanics and the Commissariat will take part in military council sessions but are not under your command.



Your current Task is the stabilisation of the Nostrega system, including both Nostrega Primus and Nostrega I. This includes rooting out any remeaning entrenched rebel holdouts and training the local PDF to be able to handle future rebellions and invasions.




Major General Dohnany: Picking up the Pieces of Wankel's shattered command has proven to be more difficult than even your worst expectations. Entire Regiments of your nominal subordinates still haven't reported back to swear their new oaths of loyalty and your efforts to restore the chain of command have been stymied by the fact that you cannot even find where it has been interrupted.

(You may choose to carry out 2 1 action suggested by your General Staff. The burden of directly administering 2 different planets reduces your ability to act directly. Appointing a Brigadier General does not consume an action)

[ ] Appoint a Brigadier General to manage Nostrega Primus(Free Action)
Controlling two separate planets directly is a significant strain on your capabilities. The situation on Nostrega Primus is stable and delegating the routine work to keep it that way to a subordinate will free up your attention to focus on important projects. (You will get a vote on who to appoint)
{Supported by Musil}
Expected Time: 1 Turn

[ ] Reestablish the chain of command
After the disintegration of the previous General Staff, information about the situation on the ground is sparse. It is of utmost importance to ensure the loyalty and coordination of all Imperial Guard forces on the planet.
{Supported by Alfonix, Konopka, Musil, Hark, Volun}
Expected Time: 1 Turn

[ ] Calm the raised tempers
Colonel Kalavkov and Colonel Bach did not take your decision to favour Col. Musil well. Calming their raised tempers and assuring them that their traditional privileges will be respected will hopefully prevent any serious rift from forming.
{Supported by Konopka}
Expected Time: 1 Turn

[ ] Raise additional Nostrega Primus PDF
With the cessation of open warfare on Primus, we can focus on training up the local PDF and expanding their capabilities. This will allow us to free up forces from garrison duty and is an important step in our task to stabilise the system.
Time: Multi-Stage Project; this action requires multiple turns to complete but there are no setbacks should it be interrupted

[ ] Investigate General Wankels Death
A Major General does not usually die to some unknown rebels. An investigation into General Wankel's death will allow us to discern whether it really was a simple rebel terrorist cell or if more sinister forces were responsible for his death.
{Supported by Hark}
Time: 1 Turn



Col. Alfonix has remained the commanding officer of the 6th Angraxian Tank regiment and spends most of his time with his troops. While he has joined your military council, his participation in the discussion was minimal. Neither of his suggested courses of actions are liked by the other members of the council and the third one is blatantly impossible.
(You may order Col. Alfonix to carry out 1 suggested action from your General Staff)

[ ] Send additional supplies to the 6th Angraxian Tank Regiment
The 6th Angraxian Tank regiment is our most important asset. As our only armoured unit it can rapidly deploy to fight any uprisings and crush them with exceptional force. Sending them additional supplies will ensure it can be battle ready at all times.
Expected Time: 1 Turn
{Opposed by Konopka, Musil}

[ ] Hold a Tank parade in Hive Nostrega Alpha, capital of Nostrega I
Nothing instills fear and loyalty into the hearths of imperial citizens like the sight of the great imperial tanks and the glory of their drivers. A parade of our tank forces will ensure the compliance of any citizenry who hold thoughts of rising up against their betters.
Expected Time: 2 Turns
{Opposed by Musil, Volun}

[-] Combine the 247th Pfadian Infantry and the 6th Angraxian Tank regiment
Our armoured forces can punch through the lines of any enemy they encounter, but the infantry is often slow in exploiting the weaknesses this creates. By uniting an armoured regiment and an infantry regiment under one commander we will ensure a faster flow of information and coordinated attacks.
Lady Commissar Hart will not allow removing the interdependency of Imperial Guard Divisions laid down by Lord Commander Gulliman
{Opposed by Konopka, Musil, Volun} {Refused by Hart}


Lt. Col. Konopka has continued has continued to advocate for cooperation with the other branches of imperial government. His calm and diplomatic demeanour may have been the only thing preserving your sanity in the chaos of the last few months.
(You may order Lt. Col. Konopka to carry out 2 suggested action from your General Staff)

[ ] Open up contact with the Nostrega I nobility
The nobility of Nostrega I will be essential in our efforts to stabilise the planet. Their resources and political support can create opportunities the Imperial Guard could not shoulder alone.
Time: 1 Turn

[ ] Open up contact with Nostrega I PDF
General Wankel's contacts with the local PDF on Nostrega I have been destroyed along with him. We need to urgently restore full cooperation with the organisation and learn about their current status.
Time: 1-2 turns
{Supported by Musil}

[ ] Open up contact with the Adeptus Arbites
The Precinct Fortress of the Imperial Arbiters was the greatest bulwark against rebellious activities on the planet. When the local PDF proved themselves unreliable and corrupt the local Arbiter-Marshal chose to lock down the Precinct, only sending out surgical strikes against rebel weaknesses. Such tactical acumen, foresight and loyalty will be a great asset in our quest to subjugate the planet.



Col. Musil has been ecstatic about your choice to elevate him into your high command, promising to carry out your will without fail.
(You may order Col. Musil to carry out 1 suggested action from your General Staff)

[ ] Ecclisiarchal House cleaning
Many of the lower rank priesthood have supported the rebels, citing their compassion for the common man or a belief that the Emperor has abandoned the ruling families for their evil ways. With the deployment of some strong and brave imperial troops, the true clergy can cleanse these heretics.
{Supported by Hark} {Opposed by Volun}
Time: 2 Turns

[ ] Secure the perimeter of St. Macharius Cathedral
The Cathedral of our Lord Macharius has been offered by the Ecclisiarchy as your new base of operation. While this great building is perfect for the purpose of serving as your headquarters, its security is currently lacking. The assassination of General Wankel has shown that more effort needs to be spent in order to secure the essential imperial High Command. The Hab-Blocks surrounding the cathedral will be evacuated and turned into great fortifications against both obvious enemy assaults or more subtle infiltrations.
Time: 2 Turns

[ ] Open up contact with the Ecclisiarchy (Exclusive to Col. Musil)
Col. Musil has worked closely together with Cardinal Palmiotto and offers to use these contacts for the benefit of your General Staff. The priesthood has both great political power and significant sway among the common workers and soldiers. A commander that enjoys the support of the Ecclisiarchy is blessed twice - once by the spiritual power of the Emperor and once by the physical support of his worshippers.
Time: 1 Turn



Commissariat

Lady Commissar Hark has repeatedly mentioned her power to execute all members of the Imperial Guard she declares to be traitors or heretics, whether that is a lowly Guardsman or a member of the High Command. She nearly put these threats into action when Alfonix suggested merging his regiment and the 247th Pfadian, but was luckily calmed down with some quick thinking from Lt. Col. Konopka.

She requests a swift completion of your task to stabilise the system.

Adeptus Mechanicus

Magos Volun has stayed reserved during the entire meeting, keeping his contributions brief and factual. They have been able to confirm that none of your forces have openly mutinied, but it seems like not even the Mechanicus have managed to keep their organisation and information flows intact.

They have refrained from making any requests.



- I am always happy to answer any questions you have, wether they are mechanic or lore related. Just be aware that I will only answer from an IC perspective.
- Please report any mistakes I may have made and I will correct them
- Votes will always stay open for at least 1 day to ensure all timezones can weigh in
- Please vote with plans. I have created an example plan to make creating them easier, just fill in the empty brackets and select your actions