Decided to try and create a Imperial Guard Regiment. Using the Only War core rule book, so it may not translate well into this quest.
The 60th Katega "Rusty Gears" Recon
Name of Homeworld: Katega II
World type: Fortress World
Regiment Type: Reconnaissance Regiment
Characteristic Modifiers: +3 Ballistic Skill, +3 Perception
Skills: Common Lore (War, Imperium, Imperial Guard), Linguistic (Low Gothic), Awareness
Talents: Resistance (Fear), Combat Sense, Combat Formation
Commanding Officer: Maverick
Training Doctrine: Close Order Drills
Special Equipment Doctrine: Scavengers
Kit: One Sentinel Scout Walker or a Chimera Armored Transport, one set of magnoculars (per player character?), One uniform, One set of poor weather gear, One lascarbine (Main Weapon), and two charge packs, One stub revolver and 12 bullets as a sidearm, One knife, One flak vest, One rucksack or sling bag, One set of basic tools, One mess kit and one water canteen, One blanket and one sleep bag, One rechargeable lamp pack, One grooming kit, One set of cognomen tags or equivalent identification, One primer or instructional handbook, Combat sustenance rations, two weeks' supply, a pict recorder, and a chrono.
Favored Weapons: Plasma Gun, Heavy Flamer.
It's a little sloppy all things considered, but I hope it gets the overall picture across.
Adhoc vote count started by adwarf on Nov 24, 2024 at 6:16 PM, finished with 22 posts and 12 votes.
[X] Plan: Metal and Mettle -[X] The Soaring Firebrand -(2) In the days that follow the battle a figure begins to rise like a new star among the 122nd. Squire Kali, bearing proof of nine foes slain, and with a Knight to speak for her rises first to the title of First Vale. Newly ascended to Knighthood she turns to one among the witnesses and demands a duel. All witnesses are stunned as she nearly dismantles the far more experienced Knight to claim her place among the Second Vales...
-[X] Theft or Advancement? - (2)Bloodforging. A process considered sacred to the Valesmiths. An act akin to worship to the warriors of Caledonia. For centuries it has been something closely guarded with details passed down from master to apprentice as any tome describing the methods are stored in the deepest, most secure vaults of the Hermitages. So... One should understand why when reports begin to come in of Valesmiths clashing with the Mechanicus.
-[X] Cavalry to Cavalry - (1) In the aftermath the Ulric First and the 122nd start to form a fairly close relationship, beyond merely standard comradery it is a growing respect for each other born from being one cavalryman to another. While comparing a steed of mandibles and chitin to one of grav-plates and flaming jets might leave little in common the experiences of charging headlong into the heart of the enemy never will. Each week brings yet more sights of members of both sitting side by side nursing whatever drinks they can get their hands on.
[X] Plan Forging a New Hero -[X] The Soaring Firebrand -(2) In the days that follow the battle a figure begins to rise like a new star among the 122nd. Squire Kali, bearing proof of nine foes slain, and with a Knight to speak for her rises first to the title of First Vale. Newly ascended to Knighthood she turns to one among the witnesses and demands a duel. All witnesses are stunned as she nearly dismantles the far more experienced Knight to claim her place among the Second Vales... -[X] Renewed Hope - (2) A name begins to join the war cries of the heretics the 122nd encounters. "For Lord Nil!" they cry out as outnumbered and outgunned groups cling desperately to their Holdfasts, traitors turned unbreakable zealots over night. Left in the dark about how or why this change came about all the 122nd can do is fight on meeting zealotry with blade and mandible. -[X] Radiant Flame - (1) As a fortress world crucial to the Imperium and a supply point for the ever voracious Indomitus Crusade the Ecclesiarchy has paid special attention to the faith of its people. While this in the end failed they have other means by which to right the lapse of faith. Clad in slabs of ceramite adorned in gold and black, the Sisters arrive in muted silence and in the days that follow their arrival the sounds of the enemy being devoured by in gold and red flame echo through the tunnels below.
[X] Plan: Flame and Firebrand -[X] The Soaring Firebrand -(2) In the days that follow the battle a figure begins to rise like a new star among the 122nd. Squire Kali, bearing proof of nine foes slain, and with a Knight to speak for her rises first to the title of First Vale. Newly ascended to Knighthood she turns to one among the witnesses and demands a duel. All witnesses are stunned as she nearly dismantles the far more experienced Knight to claim her place among the Second Vales...
-[X] Cavalry to Cavalry - (1) In the aftermath the Ulric First and the 122nd start to form a fairly close relationship, beyond merely standard comradery it is a growing respect for each other born from being one cavalryman to another. While comparing a steed of mandibles and chitin to one of grav-plates and flaming jets might leave little in common the experiences of charging headlong into the heart of the enemy never will. Each week brings yet more sights of members of both sitting side by side nursing whatever drinks they can get their hands on. -[X] Peaceful Days - (1) The months that follow the capture of Fortress Complex Seven are remarkably peaceful ones filled with only the lightest of skirmishes even as the 122nd push ever deeper into the expansive tunnel networks dug out beneath the planet's surface. While this has meant few casualties for the enemy it has also meant few for the 122nd and time to train. Drills are started up again. Classes are renewed. Strange and unfamiliar as they are the equipment provided by the Munitorum will revolutionize Caledonian warfare if they can but accept it. -[X] Radiant Flame - (1) As a fortress world crucial to the Imperium and a supply point for the ever voracious Indomitus Crusade the Ecclesiarchy has paid special attention to the faith of its people. While this in the end failed they have other means by which to right the lapse of faith. Clad in slabs of ceramite adorned in gold and black, the Sisters arrive in muted silence and in the days that follow their arrival the sounds of the enemy being devoured by in gold and red flame echo through the tunnels below.
+=+ 992.M41, Caledonia, Memorial Hall of Whisper Shattered Peak, Kali +=+
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Only the sound of the child's bare-feet on the smooth stone underfoot echoes in the otherwise empty hall. Stretching into the distance, the chamber is dominated by polished grey-brown plaques and carved stone basins spaced uniformly along either side. Rough hewn milky white stones sit in rusting metal holders casting a dim light through the chamber.
Her eyes jump from plaque to plaque as the young girl travels deeper and deeper inside. Dozens pass, names she can't read carved into the small chunks of chitin hung upon the wall, but none are her reason for coming to this almost abandoned place. Kali's eyes dart around the room in search of something unseen before her little head nods and she straightens up a little. Her feet hurry to carry her forward.
To the end of the hall.
Towards a lone glass case illuminated by a single stone.
Wonder in her eyes. Hand trembling as she reaches up to touch the case. Her sight locked on the greatest legacy of her House. A necklace of metal beads laid out on a silken pillow. Three metal tags, covered in rust and warped but with orderly lettering carved into th-
Kali lets out a terrified yelp as a sudden force impacts the top of her skull. Tiny hands reaching up to clutch at the injury and with tears in her eyes she turns to face the cause…
"Kali. You ran away from training again?"
A harsh voice asks causing Kali to flinch as the stern face of her mother glaring down at her is enough to cause her to step back in fear. The former Knight's withering stare soon turns from Kali to the glass case in front of them leaving the child to straighten herself and await her mother's scolding…
And yet, after minutes of silence, it never comes. Instead the ever stable image of the woman before her is shaken in an instant as Kali looks up to see her mother seemingly aged a decade. Hands missing fingers clench the glass display, arms and legs trembling weakly as she realizes the mere act of standing is becoming a struggle for the woman before her.
Only those harsh grey eyes remain the same. Determination…. No. Obsession burning within.
"Our House stretches back to the era of the First Lords. Our blood is among the noblest, the most storied of lineages. And yet… We've been reduced to this. A Whisper so weak even the offerings cannot be kept lit."
Kali's eyes dart back to the floor as her mother's gaze turns towards her.
"Generation by generation our House has fallen."
Tap.
"Where once our banner was flown prominently in the halls of each fief's Lord now they collect dust in the vaults of Hermits."
Tap.
"Kali."
Tap. A trembling pair of hands painfully grip down on her shoulders.
"You are the last hope. You bear the dreams of the thousands that have come before. Every training shipped. Every tantrum thrown. Every tear shed."
Kali looks up into her mother's eyes fighting not to cry out as the grip only grows stronger.
"All of it is an insult to those whose names rest here. You, girl, will return our House to its rightful place. It is your destiny."
A faint whimper escapes Kali's lips. Her mother snarling in response, "Say it."
Tears come even though she tries to stop them.
"I… I, Kali, will bear the burden of my blood. I will revive our House. I will become a Knight of the Fifth Vale."
In that dimly lit and nigh forgotten hall the failed obsession of one generation is passed on to another.
+=+ 07.005.M42, Fortress Complex Seven, Kali +=+
A growl escapes Kali's lips as her foot slams into the side of her opponent's knee with all the force she can muster managing to stumble the far larger Knight. Her eyes practically gleam as the act opens holes in the far more experienced man's guard. Metal meets metal. Kavas clashes with Kavas as an upward slash sends the off balance Knight into a hurried block. One that meets a blow with barely any force behind it as Kali allows her treasured blade to be knocked from her hands entirely.
Off balance and caught by surprise, the Knight fails to react as the Squire before him sends a straight jab directly into his exposed throat. Coughing, vision blurring, and realizing his loss is close a hurried swipe of the blade is the best he can manage hoping it would open the space he needed.
And yet even the swipe is cut off halfway as Kali follows up with a brutal kick directly to the Knight's family jewels. It is the final blow she needs to get a dagger to the Knight's throat. It is the defining moment to a duel that barely lasted two minutes.
All around her excited cheers pour in from the hundreds of Caledonians who gathered to witness the first Squire to attempt the First Duel in the Starry Vale. Her name would be written into legend. Recorded in the tomes of Hermits as the first to ascend the ranks of the First Vale upon their grand crusade.
Here she stood. Kali, Knight of the First Vale. First Knight of a new era.
And yet, it is not enough.
Her eyes rise from her opponent to the platform on the far side of the arena.
Dark blue eyes meet her own.
She does not waver as she yells out loud enough to cut through the cheers, "I invoke my right to the Rider's Trial as a Knight of the First Vale!"
Silence falls over the crowd. A bemused smile spreads on the Seventh's face. All eyes gather upon her as she lazily drapes her legs over the arm of her fur clad throne.
"As your Liege I grant your demand."
The Seventh's words are enough to send the crowd into a frenzy as even Kali finds a moment to smile.
+=+ 07.005.M42, Fortress Complex Seven, The Seventh +=+
"Are you sure about this? It will set a dangerous precedent among the Squires and Firsts. Fools are often driven to greater extremes by the success of other fools after all."
The Seventh's gaze turns from the excited crowds below to meet the Archivist's across from her. A veritable feast sits on the table between them. One the Seventh sees fit to indulge in as she grabs a particularly juicy looking cut of meat and shoves it into her mouth without a thought, "And little is more dangerous than a fool who believes they were wronged. Besides…"
Her focus turns to a particular portion of the crowd and the Archivist's follows. Huddled in a corner, away from the stands reserved for Knights and established Hermits, the Squires huddle almost conspiratorially as they excitedly whisper among themselves.
"I can no more stop what is to come than a single peasant could stop a river. So, let the fool stand tall," Her smile fades as she takes a sniff from a bottle of some foreign alcohol the Lord Governor had gifted her, "And I shall do my best to hold the weight of the mountain for them until they can stand on their own."
The Archivist's withered hand trembles a little as she watches her daughter closely, an ache in her chest as she speaks up, "Child, you could eas-"
A loud clatter cuts her off as the Seventh slams the bottle down on the table and uncorks another, "Let it rest. What right do I have to force my views on them? Especially when I sit here of all places."
Her sight turns to the young fool sitting with her eyes closed in the center of the arena.
"And mother, show your liege some respect. Calling me a child. Hmph."
The Archivist's gaze softens as she listens. Her shaking hands slowly swapping a plate of meat for a bowl of fruit while the Seventh is distracted.
+=+ 07.005.M42, Fortress Complex Seven, Kali +=+
Half of the world lay out of focus before her obscured by a veil of her blood and what was likely some form of concussion at best. Only the sound of her wheezing breaths reaches her ears to join a constant ringing that had begun around the third time her head was bashed off the ground. Kali is certain at least three of her ribs were broken at some point in the fight.
And yet her one functioning arm refuses to release it's grip on the chipped mandible of the Vale Warden before her. A single twitching antenna atop it's cracked skull assures her the creature is still alive as any other had been ripped free during her attempts to find a good hold on it.
Her eyes meet the Vale Warden's own. Her throat hurts, her lungs burn, and her chest aches in ways she thought it never could but she forces the word from her mouth all the same.
"Submit."
It couldn't understand her. She knew that… But it was all she could muster.
For the first time since she was twelve her body was failing her. No matter how much she screamed in her head it wouldn't-
A gargled clicking comes from the insect before her hitting her like a crashing wave as all the tension is forced from her body. Her vision blurring as the ground seems to give out from underneath her. In the distance she can hear someone. Someone familiar, she knew that, but the words didn't quite make sense.
In the center of the blood stained arena the Knight passes into unconsciousness as her liege's voice carries through the space.
"On this day I, the Seventh, acting as her liege declare that the Whisper Kali has surmounted the Rider's Trial. Rejoice warriors of Caledonia for another Knight strides these lands accompanied by the Death in the Depths!"
The young Knight of the Second Vale hears neither her liege's words nor the cries of celebration. However, in the depths where her mind wanders she faintly recognizes a reassuring nudge as the battered beast she has beaten affectionately nuzzles against its now lifelong companion…
Squires: Roll 1d100+10 = (110) Knight of the First Vale: Roll 2d20 = (18, 1) Knight of the Second Vale: Roll 1d20 (19)
110 Squires become Knights of the First Vale
19 Knights of the First Vale become Knights of the Second
19 Knights of the Second Vale become Knights of the Third
1 Knight of the Second Vale dies
A Hero emerges from the Caledonians, Kali the Firebrand.
The Impatience of the Blooded converts into the Regimental Trait: Firebrand's Legacy.
QM Note: Well... It's been a while, but here. The first of the three fates awaiting the 122nd. Both the regiment information and glossary have been updated with new information after this!
