- Location
- Back in Cali
what prophecies? it was just moved to the sector. it wasn't sitting there it was deliberately moved hidden and protected. and being near the eye doesn't mean anything for to us than all the other sectors in the area.
Glory or Death: Chapter Master Quest [42k]
- Location
- Dethklok
The Blackstone Fortress that Abaddon had captured at the start of the Gothic War (aka the 12th Black Crusade) were used by the Imperium as massive space stations, so they were highly visible. That one is hidden, we didn't even know at the start of the quest, if I remember right it's the chapter master of the Warhawks who told us.
The Curious Fan
Perpetually sleep deprived
1: I was speaking in general, not about any specific prophecies.
2: How do you know that other sectors aren't dealing with their own disasters?
And your point is?
- Location
- Back in Cali
The point is that no one knows anything about it. Prophecies don't come out of nowhere. In order to make them someone needs to be aware that they exist in the first place. And vague prophecies aren't real they are bullshit people say that cover such a broad range of things it doesn't count.
As for how we know because we have been keeping an eye and ear out to the happenings in the area. We know the general status of the area.
- Location
- Singapore
Why the Hiatus
So as you all well know, I'm in the army. This takes up a majority of my time and energy, which was previously committed to writing GoD and other stuff. And also memeing, gaming, etc etc. I've tried writing updates every so often, but my update speed has suffered for it, as you can tell. 2019 had, what, 2 updates? And then I stopped for a year, more or less unannounced. There are a few reasons for this.
First is, naturally, the Army. This one doesn't need much explanation.
Second is the update itself. The initial draft of the Chaos Crusade wasn't very inspired - wasn't meant to be, its just a speedbump - and I didn't feel like writing what felt like it would be another curbstomp. Having just (at the time) finished the Blood Drinker War, it felt samey, so I kept putting it off and then suddenly a year passed.
The third, and most important, reason is that of the next major plot arc. I don't want to leave it hanging partway. I wanna keep it up, go all in with regular updates like the War for Baal. And I can't commit to that kind of schedule right now.
But come May, when I'm released and civilian again, I will. And we'll have Glory or Death again.
- Location
- Philippines
Glory or Death!
- Location
- USA
What is GoD? I looked through your stories and could not find one that has acronym "GoD".
Derp moment here folks. I got confused.
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- Location
- Back in Cali
Literally the name of the quest "Glory or Death" also the warcry of the CC.
QuietlyObserving
The Railgun That Walks Like a Bear
- Location
- Here.
What you didn't realize is that if you cleverly rearrange the letters of GoD, it spells God, which is either a reference to the deities of Swordo's Nepnep Quest, or the God-Emperor of Mankind, or maybe just Swordo himself, considering the quality of writing he puts out.
- Location
- the Netherworld Dood
My money is on chaos bullshit revealing it being here.
Why aren't they currently parked in segmentum solar? Like behind the god damn phalanx?
- Location
- Dethklok
Perhaps it was easier to just move them a short distance (since it I was retrieved after the Black Crusade if I'm not mistaken), to minimize the risks during the transit
shepsquared
Erratic Aussie
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Rereading this now - damn, I forgot this quest had Omegon show up. So was he always in charge of the Minotaurs, or was that just a last second disguise for the crusade?
- Location
- the Netherworld Dood
Okay but why are they still here?
You'd fiqure that stuff like that would either be sitting on Terra to be used if shit goes tits up.
Drove into a star to keep it away from Chaos
Or crewed by the inquisition, Deatwatch, Greyknights Sisters or whomever the Inquisition trusted and used as a mobile ban hammer against whatever theart of the week they needed squished.
Storeing it out here doesn't really solve the issue of it. Nor does it really get a lot of use out of it.
Because at best it's acting like catnip for Chaos and dragging them into range of our chaonswords. Not a bad outcome but I'd appreciate them giving us more if that was the case.
- Location
- Singapore
Chaos doesn't know the Blackstone Fortress is here, and it's well deep in the heart of the Sector anyways so they won't find out.
- Location
- Dethklok
It seems it's being studied, so it's not just stored away. And using it as a mobile hammer might be risky when Abaddon can control them, since it's how he captured them during the 12th BC.
- Location
- We the North
@Swordomatic would it be possible to get an update to the character sheet of Martellus? Ever since he's gone on his crusade, he's gotten some fancy new legendary skills I think. And I think it's kind of funny how unlucky we got on the rolls of our chaplaincy, we don't even have a Reclusiarch and the only other one that would have qualified sacrificed himself to take out that traitor dreadnaught. We really need a way to assign all our relics, unless they're all being used right now?
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- Location
- Lowton
They are really not being used right now there is a google doc with most of the chapter info up to date in the second to last thread mark.
Part of it contains a mostly completed list of our relics and there is something like 17 relics going unused.
Just as a possible reminder to @Swordomatic said relic and some other stuff I noticed was missing for when you get back into this.
These relics and
- Grimsvotn, Power Sword (AP 5, Strength +0, +1 Fellowship with Space Wolves)
Are not in the chapter status sheet anywhere though they are assigned.
There is the matter of notable aspirants and a possible notable scout from write-ins in august 2017?
The aspirants are being tracked in the sanguinary section but the scout never pops up again? Have you decided to not cannon him, did he die in one of our conflicts and was not mentioned?
Finally, the gene recovery tab in the sanguinary page is still saying difficult 6 rather than 5 from crawl's information.
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Codex - The Karanda Banner Regiments
- Location
- Singapore
Imperial Guard Census, circa. 275.M42
Dossier: Karanda Banner Regiments
'As requested, Lord Gerald, this report has been compiled for your perusal and further consultation by Segmentum Command. After the recent conflict that the world was embroiled in against that warband, its people and their regiments have been further emboldened, so aspects of this report have been updated to reflect the recent change. Do forgive any apparent haste on my part, but I endeavour to maintain accuracy beneath the eyes of the Adeptus Administratum when it deigns to sweep across me.'
'The Emperor Protects'
- Colonel Mattir Kursken, Tacticae Imperialis, Segmentum Obscurus, Sector Tarsus Command
+Thought of the Day: It is better to die for the Emperor than to live for yourself+
----
The First Founding
The world of Karanda was declared Tithe Grade Aptus-Non in the year 064.M42, owing to its reclassification as an Astartes Homeworld by the will of the High Lords of Terra, by the recommendation of Ordinator Primus Rogal von Dromus of Sector Tarsus. For the majority of Astartes Homeworlds, it would be the end of the matter, yet the Astartes that would become masters of Karanda, the now-infamous Crimson Crusaders, had other plans in mind.
Karanda is a world of mighty industry and valiant people. A stout and sturdy lot, who emerged from millennia of isolation behind a Warp Storm loyal and intact enough to accept Imperial Compliance without bloodshed, none could say that the Karandans were a cowardly lot. But few, if any, could expect how zealously they believed in serving the Emperor.
With the burden of the Imperial Tithe relieved through the auspices of the Astartes that ruled them, the Karandans would rebuild their world quickly, and acquire the designation of Hive World within the century. Indeed, the Crimson Crusaders themselves would aid in the world's development, and forged many contracts with both the Mechanicus of the local Forge World, Zeus, as well as the Lady Sector to do so.
Indeed, by all accounts the Crimson Crusaders ruled fairly and justly, with a great deal of care and - dare I say it - humanity for those they ruled. There is a lot to be said about Aurelius Asterion and his methods, and indeed despite the Chapter's many glories there are still many Regiments who resent the Lord in Crimson Clad for his role in the disaster at Acheron - but he, and his Regent, First Captain Quarto Astorum, ruled Karanda well, with a degree of integration with the population unseen in any Astartes Chapter besides perhaps the Salamanders, if the reports are to be believed. And so, the people of Karanda believed themselves blessed.
And there are two cultural touchstones in the Karandan psyche that must be considered. The first is that Karandans, to a fault, believe in the repayment of debts. To the people of that rocky world, a debt must be repaid swiftly and in equal measure, for the one who saved them did so at great cost to themselves. The second, linked inexorably to the first, is that the Karandans are selfless people, who believe in self-sacrifice for the sake of the greater whole. And combined with the indoctrination the Crimson Crusaders encourage in the graduates of the Grand Academy, similar to that which they encourage in themselves, it creates the sacrificial, nigh-suicidal mindset that the Karandans are famous for today - but I digress.
In the early years of 100.M42, the Crimson Crusaders promised ten Regiments of Karandans to the Imperial Guard in exchange for the Lady Sector's assistance in building up the industry of the world. The deal was struck, the order was given for an Imperial Guard Founding, and for most it would be the end of the matter.
But then Captain Astorum, who loathed the attrition that Imperial Guardsmen suffered, took charge of their training. The First Company of the Crimson Crusaders, who remained on the homeworld often those years, would be the ones to instruct the first generation of Karandan Guardsmen, and in doing so set the foundations of their Regimental Traditions - first and famously, the boast that all Karandans are trained by Space Marines.
These Regiments would be mustered and deployed within Sector Tarsus, almost treated with care by the Munitorum for fear of what their mighty benefactor might do were they misused. But they served well. And so, the deal was honoured between Chapter and Sector.
But then the Karandans continued to volunteer.
----
The Karanda Banner Regiments
The Karandans considered themselves to be a blessed people; ruled by superhuman Angels of Death, ones of the line of Sanguinius, beloved by all, who ruled with His compassion and with a humanity many thought impossible for the Adeptus Astartes. Their world was wealthy, and above all safe. Though the Crusaders were often away as was their remit, there would always be Space Marines on Karanda, and they trained their PDF to a standard little seen even amongst the Imperial Guard.
And so, when the call was sent out for those willing to serve in the Imperial Guard, Karanda answered as best it could. More than ten Regiments worth. Far more.
Recognising this, Regent Astorum would commission the construction of the Grand Academy of Karanda, a school of war that would teach the future leaders of the Karanda Banner Regiments the importance of valour, resolve, and above all sacrifice on the battlefield. Perhaps the most important lesson, and the one drilled best into each of those graduates, was the burden of command. Amongst the Karanda Banner Regiments, over 80% report greater satisfaction with their officer cadre than most Regiments of the Imperial Guard, who believe that their officers are of a calibre unmatched throughout the Galaxy. Perhaps a wild accusation - many Regiments boast superior rolls of honour, the Cadians most notably of all - but a fair one to make, if you believed your commanders were taught by Space Marines.
Though a decision made out of convenience in its early years, it has since become a tradition for members of the Crimson Crusaders to serve as guest lecturers and consulting instructors as part of any given cohort's education in the Grand Academy. Over eight gruelling years of harsh training and instruction, only rarely broken up by months-long recesses for trainees to remember their origins, Crimson Crusaders who have remained on Karanda for whatever reason often take the time to appear at the Grand Academy, often giving valuable lessons on the enemies that these young men and women - and yes, the Karanda Banner Regiments are often composed of both men and women - will face in the future. Though much attention is given to Orks, the bulk of focus by the Crusaders is to the Ruinous Powers, and the multitudinous forces of the Lost and the Damned in particular.
Rumor also has it that Space Marines involve themselves in numerous field exercises with the officer cadets, more often than not serving as OpFor which the cadets must survive and, if possible, prevail against, but the logistics of time must indicate that such occurrences, if they are even true, are at the very least uncommon.
Nevertheless, it does mean that any graduate of the Grand Academy quickly proves themselves to be more than worthy of command; each newly commissioned officer on Karanda has been tested by perhaps the finest the Imperium has to offer, and is trusted to lead their platoon to glory. But in order to alloy the Regiment into a greater whole, each Regiment participates in a regimental field exercise before embarking upon their transports and leaving their homeworld forever.
Sometimes, these regimental field exercises involve Astartes.
The Crimson Crusaders often have one of their Companies compete against Regiments about to depart on field exercises, nominally to test their abilities but more likely to test their nerve. It is common knowledge that the Space Marine, and more often their fallen brethren, are perhaps the worst foes for the Imperial Guardsmen to face. Though hulking in size and in possession of divine strength, all too many forget that the Adeptus Astartes also possess great speed and the grace to use it, as well as a mighty analytical mind capable of calculations that boggle the minds of all but the most dedicated Mechanicus Lexmechanics. It is often said that a single Space Marine can conquer a world, given time. While typically accepted to be hyperbole, a rumor only spread to aggrandize the myth of the Angels of Death, the terror that spreads like wildfire through entire army groups at the mention of even a squad of traitor Astartes at a given front cannot be understated. These are men, nay, demigods who move like lightning, who strike with unerring accuracy, whose blows shatter mountains and whose voices can flay flesh from bone with but a shout.
Historically, the appearance of Astartes often leads to the collapse of a front, or at the very least incredible casualties in the process of holding that front. The archives indicate that only veteran Guard Regiments, such as the finest of the Mordian Iron Guard or the legendary Cadian Shock Troopers, have the nerve and resolve to resist the terror they inspire, the so-called 'Transhuman Terror' that beings like the Adeptus Astartes can inflict. But perhaps the most notable trait of the Karanda Banner Regiments, and perhaps the true reason why so many beyond their Regiment claim they have been trained by Astartes themselves, is their total lack of this 'Transhuman Terror'. Be it the circumstances of their instruction, their closeness to the Crimson Crusaders, or perhaps even inheriting some measure of the Sword-Saint's mythical hatred for Chaos, the Karanda Banner does not flinch at the appearance of enemy Space Marines.
Indeed, most accounts of the Karanda Banner Regiments indicate their shocking willingness to absorb casualties for the sake of victory. It must be stated that the Karandans are not suicidal, far from it. Unlike the Death Korps of Krieg, who almost seem to relish the losses of attrition and who have almost developed an institutional reliance upon it, the Karanda Banner Regiments dislike wasteful loss of life. Every Regiment, from lightly equipped Reconnaissance Regiments to their vaunted Tank Regiments to even the storied Karandan Drop Infantry, are taught to preserve the lives of their men at all costs, if at all possible. It is rare for a Karandan to immediately commit to a direct assault; instead, inheriting some of the cunning and unorthodoxy of their teachers, Karandans enjoy attacking from unexpected vectors, where their mountainous heritage comes into play. Any enemy force that fights Karandans should always guard sheer cliffs and mountains guarding their flanks; far too often has a battle been won because of a company of Karandans successfully flanking the enemy through supposedly-impassable terrain.
However, if the Karandans believe that the only way to seize victory is through bloodshed, they do not hesitate to give their lives for that sake. Whatever they are taught on Karanda, it almost seems to rob the survival instinct from them, or rather allows them to ignore it with ease that is only rarely seen by desperate, dying veteran Guardsmen. Most clearly seen when facing traitor Astartes, all too many Regiments have told stories of entire companies of Karandans willingly giving their lives to slow down or kill even a single Traitor Marine, getting butchered in droves just to jam armour servos or clog up chainswords, even willfully setting off suicide charges to hold the line. Their sense of sacrifice is beautiful and inspiring, but at the same time it is frightening. These men and women fight with the same apathy that the Adeptus Astartes seem to have; uncaring of what battle costs them, only what they can force the enemy to pay. It is what gives them their fearsome reputation amongst the Imperial Guard, but it is also what causes many other Regiments to consider the Karandans to be inhuman. Some have even claimed that the Karanda Banner Regiments are composed wholly of servitors; no one could fight like that, or so they claim.
----
Karandan Drop Infantry
But in recent years, it seems that Karanda has begun attempting to rectify this reputation for heroically suicidal action that its Regiments have begun to cultivate. And that is by equipping its Regiments to the task.
No world is wealthy enough to equip all its Guardsmen to the standards of Imperial Stormtroopers except perhaps the greatest of Forge Worlds, and Karanda is nowhere near even the least of them. But Karanda is wealthy enough to ensure that the Guard has a response to enemy Traitor Marines, should they ever appear, without having to rely upon the intervention of friendly Astartes to counter them. Or so claims General Genmar Korux, one of the few Karandan Officers to survive long enough to be promoted off the field.
Enter the Karandan Drop Infantry. As the children of a Mountainous World, Karanda seems ill-suited to the type of culture that generates Drop Infantry Regiments. They are not like Harakon's Warhawks, or Elysia's pioneering Drop Troops. But Karanda possesses a quality that none of these worlds can match:
The fearsome Assault Marines of any Son of Sanguinius.
The first Drop Infantry Regiments of the Karanda Banner were taught by Assault Marines, those Crimson Crusaders who have taken the Jump Packs that all Sons of Sanguinius are proficient with and mastered it to its utmost, and they have inherited some measure of an Assault Marine's fearsome fury as they descend upon the battlefield. Whether dropped from low orbit or deployed by Valkyrie Dropship, the Karandan Drop Infantry are, like any Drop Infantry Regiment, ready to fight the moment their feet hit the ground. But coupled with the fearlessness and suicidal selflessness that the Karandans display universally, it makes them well-suited to checking almost any advance an enemy makes upon the battle lines.
And with their new equipment, they will be capable of matching all foes, no matter if they are Greenskin, Eldar, or Traitor Astartes. Now, the Karandan Drop Infantry are being equipped to Stormtrooper standards, better befitting their elite status. Clad in fully sealed Carapace Armour, universally armed with Hellguns built on their homeworld, and with generous access to Plasma and Melta weapons as well as Chainswords, the Karandan Drop Infantry are well equipped to face any foe, at any range. Though they have not been tested against any foe since this rearmament, the chaos Crusade headed for Sector Tarsus proves to be a worthy test for the Karandan Drop Infantry...
Dossier: Karanda Banner Regiments
'As requested, Lord Gerald, this report has been compiled for your perusal and further consultation by Segmentum Command. After the recent conflict that the world was embroiled in against that warband, its people and their regiments have been further emboldened, so aspects of this report have been updated to reflect the recent change. Do forgive any apparent haste on my part, but I endeavour to maintain accuracy beneath the eyes of the Adeptus Administratum when it deigns to sweep across me.'
'The Emperor Protects'
- Colonel Mattir Kursken, Tacticae Imperialis, Segmentum Obscurus, Sector Tarsus Command
+Thought of the Day: It is better to die for the Emperor than to live for yourself+
----
The First Founding
The world of Karanda was declared Tithe Grade Aptus-Non in the year 064.M42, owing to its reclassification as an Astartes Homeworld by the will of the High Lords of Terra, by the recommendation of Ordinator Primus Rogal von Dromus of Sector Tarsus. For the majority of Astartes Homeworlds, it would be the end of the matter, yet the Astartes that would become masters of Karanda, the now-infamous Crimson Crusaders, had other plans in mind.
Karanda is a world of mighty industry and valiant people. A stout and sturdy lot, who emerged from millennia of isolation behind a Warp Storm loyal and intact enough to accept Imperial Compliance without bloodshed, none could say that the Karandans were a cowardly lot. But few, if any, could expect how zealously they believed in serving the Emperor.
With the burden of the Imperial Tithe relieved through the auspices of the Astartes that ruled them, the Karandans would rebuild their world quickly, and acquire the designation of Hive World within the century. Indeed, the Crimson Crusaders themselves would aid in the world's development, and forged many contracts with both the Mechanicus of the local Forge World, Zeus, as well as the Lady Sector to do so.
Indeed, by all accounts the Crimson Crusaders ruled fairly and justly, with a great deal of care and - dare I say it - humanity for those they ruled. There is a lot to be said about Aurelius Asterion and his methods, and indeed despite the Chapter's many glories there are still many Regiments who resent the Lord in Crimson Clad for his role in the disaster at Acheron - but he, and his Regent, First Captain Quarto Astorum, ruled Karanda well, with a degree of integration with the population unseen in any Astartes Chapter besides perhaps the Salamanders, if the reports are to be believed. And so, the people of Karanda believed themselves blessed.
And there are two cultural touchstones in the Karandan psyche that must be considered. The first is that Karandans, to a fault, believe in the repayment of debts. To the people of that rocky world, a debt must be repaid swiftly and in equal measure, for the one who saved them did so at great cost to themselves. The second, linked inexorably to the first, is that the Karandans are selfless people, who believe in self-sacrifice for the sake of the greater whole. And combined with the indoctrination the Crimson Crusaders encourage in the graduates of the Grand Academy, similar to that which they encourage in themselves, it creates the sacrificial, nigh-suicidal mindset that the Karandans are famous for today - but I digress.
In the early years of 100.M42, the Crimson Crusaders promised ten Regiments of Karandans to the Imperial Guard in exchange for the Lady Sector's assistance in building up the industry of the world. The deal was struck, the order was given for an Imperial Guard Founding, and for most it would be the end of the matter.
But then Captain Astorum, who loathed the attrition that Imperial Guardsmen suffered, took charge of their training. The First Company of the Crimson Crusaders, who remained on the homeworld often those years, would be the ones to instruct the first generation of Karandan Guardsmen, and in doing so set the foundations of their Regimental Traditions - first and famously, the boast that all Karandans are trained by Space Marines.
These Regiments would be mustered and deployed within Sector Tarsus, almost treated with care by the Munitorum for fear of what their mighty benefactor might do were they misused. But they served well. And so, the deal was honoured between Chapter and Sector.
But then the Karandans continued to volunteer.
----
The Karanda Banner Regiments
The Karandans considered themselves to be a blessed people; ruled by superhuman Angels of Death, ones of the line of Sanguinius, beloved by all, who ruled with His compassion and with a humanity many thought impossible for the Adeptus Astartes. Their world was wealthy, and above all safe. Though the Crusaders were often away as was their remit, there would always be Space Marines on Karanda, and they trained their PDF to a standard little seen even amongst the Imperial Guard.
And so, when the call was sent out for those willing to serve in the Imperial Guard, Karanda answered as best it could. More than ten Regiments worth. Far more.
Recognising this, Regent Astorum would commission the construction of the Grand Academy of Karanda, a school of war that would teach the future leaders of the Karanda Banner Regiments the importance of valour, resolve, and above all sacrifice on the battlefield. Perhaps the most important lesson, and the one drilled best into each of those graduates, was the burden of command. Amongst the Karanda Banner Regiments, over 80% report greater satisfaction with their officer cadre than most Regiments of the Imperial Guard, who believe that their officers are of a calibre unmatched throughout the Galaxy. Perhaps a wild accusation - many Regiments boast superior rolls of honour, the Cadians most notably of all - but a fair one to make, if you believed your commanders were taught by Space Marines.
Though a decision made out of convenience in its early years, it has since become a tradition for members of the Crimson Crusaders to serve as guest lecturers and consulting instructors as part of any given cohort's education in the Grand Academy. Over eight gruelling years of harsh training and instruction, only rarely broken up by months-long recesses for trainees to remember their origins, Crimson Crusaders who have remained on Karanda for whatever reason often take the time to appear at the Grand Academy, often giving valuable lessons on the enemies that these young men and women - and yes, the Karanda Banner Regiments are often composed of both men and women - will face in the future. Though much attention is given to Orks, the bulk of focus by the Crusaders is to the Ruinous Powers, and the multitudinous forces of the Lost and the Damned in particular.
Rumor also has it that Space Marines involve themselves in numerous field exercises with the officer cadets, more often than not serving as OpFor which the cadets must survive and, if possible, prevail against, but the logistics of time must indicate that such occurrences, if they are even true, are at the very least uncommon.
Nevertheless, it does mean that any graduate of the Grand Academy quickly proves themselves to be more than worthy of command; each newly commissioned officer on Karanda has been tested by perhaps the finest the Imperium has to offer, and is trusted to lead their platoon to glory. But in order to alloy the Regiment into a greater whole, each Regiment participates in a regimental field exercise before embarking upon their transports and leaving their homeworld forever.
Sometimes, these regimental field exercises involve Astartes.
The Crimson Crusaders often have one of their Companies compete against Regiments about to depart on field exercises, nominally to test their abilities but more likely to test their nerve. It is common knowledge that the Space Marine, and more often their fallen brethren, are perhaps the worst foes for the Imperial Guardsmen to face. Though hulking in size and in possession of divine strength, all too many forget that the Adeptus Astartes also possess great speed and the grace to use it, as well as a mighty analytical mind capable of calculations that boggle the minds of all but the most dedicated Mechanicus Lexmechanics. It is often said that a single Space Marine can conquer a world, given time. While typically accepted to be hyperbole, a rumor only spread to aggrandize the myth of the Angels of Death, the terror that spreads like wildfire through entire army groups at the mention of even a squad of traitor Astartes at a given front cannot be understated. These are men, nay, demigods who move like lightning, who strike with unerring accuracy, whose blows shatter mountains and whose voices can flay flesh from bone with but a shout.
Historically, the appearance of Astartes often leads to the collapse of a front, or at the very least incredible casualties in the process of holding that front. The archives indicate that only veteran Guard Regiments, such as the finest of the Mordian Iron Guard or the legendary Cadian Shock Troopers, have the nerve and resolve to resist the terror they inspire, the so-called 'Transhuman Terror' that beings like the Adeptus Astartes can inflict. But perhaps the most notable trait of the Karanda Banner Regiments, and perhaps the true reason why so many beyond their Regiment claim they have been trained by Astartes themselves, is their total lack of this 'Transhuman Terror'. Be it the circumstances of their instruction, their closeness to the Crimson Crusaders, or perhaps even inheriting some measure of the Sword-Saint's mythical hatred for Chaos, the Karanda Banner does not flinch at the appearance of enemy Space Marines.
Indeed, most accounts of the Karanda Banner Regiments indicate their shocking willingness to absorb casualties for the sake of victory. It must be stated that the Karandans are not suicidal, far from it. Unlike the Death Korps of Krieg, who almost seem to relish the losses of attrition and who have almost developed an institutional reliance upon it, the Karanda Banner Regiments dislike wasteful loss of life. Every Regiment, from lightly equipped Reconnaissance Regiments to their vaunted Tank Regiments to even the storied Karandan Drop Infantry, are taught to preserve the lives of their men at all costs, if at all possible. It is rare for a Karandan to immediately commit to a direct assault; instead, inheriting some of the cunning and unorthodoxy of their teachers, Karandans enjoy attacking from unexpected vectors, where their mountainous heritage comes into play. Any enemy force that fights Karandans should always guard sheer cliffs and mountains guarding their flanks; far too often has a battle been won because of a company of Karandans successfully flanking the enemy through supposedly-impassable terrain.
However, if the Karandans believe that the only way to seize victory is through bloodshed, they do not hesitate to give their lives for that sake. Whatever they are taught on Karanda, it almost seems to rob the survival instinct from them, or rather allows them to ignore it with ease that is only rarely seen by desperate, dying veteran Guardsmen. Most clearly seen when facing traitor Astartes, all too many Regiments have told stories of entire companies of Karandans willingly giving their lives to slow down or kill even a single Traitor Marine, getting butchered in droves just to jam armour servos or clog up chainswords, even willfully setting off suicide charges to hold the line. Their sense of sacrifice is beautiful and inspiring, but at the same time it is frightening. These men and women fight with the same apathy that the Adeptus Astartes seem to have; uncaring of what battle costs them, only what they can force the enemy to pay. It is what gives them their fearsome reputation amongst the Imperial Guard, but it is also what causes many other Regiments to consider the Karandans to be inhuman. Some have even claimed that the Karanda Banner Regiments are composed wholly of servitors; no one could fight like that, or so they claim.
----
Karandan Drop Infantry
But in recent years, it seems that Karanda has begun attempting to rectify this reputation for heroically suicidal action that its Regiments have begun to cultivate. And that is by equipping its Regiments to the task.
No world is wealthy enough to equip all its Guardsmen to the standards of Imperial Stormtroopers except perhaps the greatest of Forge Worlds, and Karanda is nowhere near even the least of them. But Karanda is wealthy enough to ensure that the Guard has a response to enemy Traitor Marines, should they ever appear, without having to rely upon the intervention of friendly Astartes to counter them. Or so claims General Genmar Korux, one of the few Karandan Officers to survive long enough to be promoted off the field.
Enter the Karandan Drop Infantry. As the children of a Mountainous World, Karanda seems ill-suited to the type of culture that generates Drop Infantry Regiments. They are not like Harakon's Warhawks, or Elysia's pioneering Drop Troops. But Karanda possesses a quality that none of these worlds can match:
The fearsome Assault Marines of any Son of Sanguinius.
The first Drop Infantry Regiments of the Karanda Banner were taught by Assault Marines, those Crimson Crusaders who have taken the Jump Packs that all Sons of Sanguinius are proficient with and mastered it to its utmost, and they have inherited some measure of an Assault Marine's fearsome fury as they descend upon the battlefield. Whether dropped from low orbit or deployed by Valkyrie Dropship, the Karandan Drop Infantry are, like any Drop Infantry Regiment, ready to fight the moment their feet hit the ground. But coupled with the fearlessness and suicidal selflessness that the Karandans display universally, it makes them well-suited to checking almost any advance an enemy makes upon the battle lines.
And with their new equipment, they will be capable of matching all foes, no matter if they are Greenskin, Eldar, or Traitor Astartes. Now, the Karandan Drop Infantry are being equipped to Stormtrooper standards, better befitting their elite status. Clad in fully sealed Carapace Armour, universally armed with Hellguns built on their homeworld, and with generous access to Plasma and Melta weapons as well as Chainswords, the Karandan Drop Infantry are well equipped to face any foe, at any range. Though they have not been tested against any foe since this rearmament, the chaos Crusade headed for Sector Tarsus proves to be a worthy test for the Karandan Drop Infantry...
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Did we create Mandalorians? Also, love the lore dump.
Xilentxium
Existential Crisis Management
- Location
- Temperate Regions
Glorious truly glorious...also not gonna lie I'm probably going to spend some time theorcrafting how to make a Karandan Drop Regiment in Only War
QuietlyObserving
The Railgun That Walks Like a Bear
- Location
- Here.
This brings to mind that snippet from way back where one of our Marines was teasing a Colonel that he had taught about her misbehavior in class, and all the non-Karandans in earshot were quietly freaking out that "Holy Throne, the Space Marines do train them."
I also like that they're completely immune to the Transhuman Dread.
I also like that they're completely immune to the Transhuman Dread.
ConfusedCanuck
Where did it all go wrong?
- Location
- Neverland
Oh an update! I can't wait for more!
KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
This is the way.