Fama-Skaven Conflict

The **Fama-Skaven Conflict** was one of the few conflicts between Skaven and the Imperium of Man. Many in the Administratum doesn`t believe in humanoid rat-men nor that some Xenos can live for millennia under an inhabited planet without being noticed. Those sceptics believe that another unknown Xenos race had some decades ago secretly built bases underground and just weren`t noticed or rightfully identified as a result of mass idiocy by the locals. They just whisper that don`t say it loudly or three angry Space Marine Chapter could protest, resulting in a brawl with super-humans ending in the death of all sceptics.

## Imperial Order of Battle

### Astartes

Three Space Marine Chapter with nearly all their Marines.

* Hochmeister Chapter (950 Astartes)
* Blood Guard (930 Astartes)
* Tributors (950 Astartes)

### Fama Cohorts

The Fama Cohorts are Regiments hailing from Fama. Heavy Infantry and Close Assault focus. All PDF Regiments (70 Regiments with 2 million soldiers) and all 90 independent acting Cohorts (900.00 soldiers) and 35 Regiments (350.000) were involved.

### Imperial Battle Groups

#### 444th Imperial Battle Group

* 459th Death Korp of Krieg Infantry Regiment
* 23th Death Korp of Krieg Sappeure Regiment
* 109th Grazian Levies Regiment
* 200th Megali Regulators Regiment
* 199th Megali Regulators Regiment
* 201 Megali Regulators Regiment

Started with 450.000 soldiers and got 900.000 as reinforcement during the war

#### 445th Imperial Battle Group

* 23th Cazadores Battalion
* 25th Cazadores Battalion
* 28th Cazadores Battalion
* 200th Tercio Musketeer Regiment
* 77th Tempest Bulwark Regiment

Started with 270.000 soldiers and got 250.000 soldiers as reinforcement during the war.

#### 446th Imperial Battle Group

* 44th Trajan Guard
* 66th Trajan Guard
* Aurelian MDIV Regiment
* 29th Barac Regiment
* 41th Barac mechanised Sappeure Regiment
* 6th Catachan Sappeure Regiment

Started with 400.000 soldiers and got 290.000 soldiers as reinforcement during the war

#### 447th Imperial Battle Group

* 120th Caliguan Motor Rifles Regiment
* 12th Carillian Sappeure Regiment
* 14th Carillian Sappeure Regiment
* 145th Darian Regiment
* 289th Darian Regiment

Started with 550.000 soldiers and got 300.000 soldiers as reinforcement during the war.

#### 448th Imperial Battle Group

* Deneb 5th Regiment
* Deneb 4th Regiment
* 988th Tempest Scion Regiment
* 672th Tempest Scion Regiment
* Deneb 7th Shock Regiment

Started with 350.000 soldiers and got 130.000 soldiers as reinforcement during the war.

#### 449th Imperial Battle Group

* 23th Miral light Armour Regiment
* 12th Miral Purge Regiment
* 25th Miral Purge Regiment
* 55th Kanak Purge Regiment
* 93th Kanak Melee Regiment
* 74th Kanak Melee Regiment

Started with 600.000 soldiers and got 300.000 soldiers as reinforcement during the war.

## Skaven Order of Battle

Normally have Skaven no structured units. Clan Ratclaw is a special case, then they new structured units although they have no required strength and the command structure is typical for Skaven a picture of who is the strongest and meanest Skaven.

The biggest units are the six War Hords starting with 7,2 million warriors. But the de facto biggest units were the War Nests. Ordo Xenos estimates that 12 million warriors were born during the conflict.

## Maps

The picture right shows a rough map of the surface of Fama. Blue is water, grey are mountains with a height of up to 2.500m, dark grey are mountains over 2.500 metres. Light green stands for plains, dark green for rainforests. Deserts of dirt are marked with brown.

The map right shows the imperial infrastructure. The dark red square stands for the capital, yellow for Hive Cities with at least 45 million inhabitants. The main motorways and railways are marked black like the spaceport. Manufactories are red.

The last map shows the Skaven infrastructure. Black points are major Skaven underground Cities and the black lines are the major tunnels.

## Pre-Conflict

The Skaven had a colony on Fama even before M1 but the Humans arrived in M34. Surprisingly the Skaven at first didn`t realise that a second sapient species had arrived on their planet. For an unknown reason, the Skaven didn`t act until M41, except for some smaller expeditions. Such expedition resulted in eye witness and fairy tales about two-legged rats. Fairy tales who are nearly unknown and even less believed.

## Course of War

### The Day when the rats rose up

The year 339.M41 begun bad and strange. Nearly every Hive City reported, some weeks after the beginning of the new year, a massive increase of rats. Rats between the size of a normal rat up to the size of a dog. At first, they were just in the Under Hive but made enough damage that even the Hive City Government noticed it. A very surprising fact for the reason that it was nearly a universal rule to ignore the Under Hive especial when it has problems. Gouverneur and the Majors of the Hive Cities discussed what the reason for this plague was and for a short time if this should be investigated by the Inquisition. Meanwhile, the rats were able to kill people and damage the electronic systems of the Hives. At first, most damage was insignificant until 35% of all levels of Hive Colunga lost all energy. With this information, the Govoneur Ibrahim Kuvic ordered a Company of the local PDF Regiment to use poison to kill the rats. When it came for a report, it never came. Nor the report of the Arbiters send to looking after them. Then through sheer luck*,* a report came through. *The rats are storming the Hive.*

### Initial Combats

The massage was irritating. Where the rats meant who plague the Hive Cities since weeks and if yes what did the message mean. When the rats meant were another kind of rats... how were they able to storm a Hive?

Meanwhile, in Colunga, the situation was grim. Tens of thousands of Skaven stormed the Under Hive murdering nearly everyone and enslaving the remaining Humans. Giant mutated rats smashed entire squads, light equipped rats stormed into every direction and armoured rats, seemingly the elite of this Xenos menace, breakthrough every blockade and armoured vehicles fell victim to tanks in a form of wheels and heavy weapons. Only in some positions, the defenders were able to hold often thanks quickly formed militias knowing the Hive and where best to fight. Always when they were holding successful the Skaven retreated. Not ordered but in panic, which boosted the morale of the remaining defenders. The fight lasted until the evening and the Imperium controlled only 34% of the Colunga. Only now the Techpriests were able to send another message before the Skaven just blew up the levels under the last strongholds, killing most beings left in the Hive City.

This message was one of hundreds of emergency messages, all about such attacks. Many towns fell victim to the onslaught often being undermined then blowing them up. Now all knew: Xenos are attacking Fama from the underground.

### Hold out

Gouverneur Ibrahim Kuvic ordered the recruitment of 2.4 million militiamen to defend the Hives. Every Hive City with known Skaven attacks got 12 Cohorts as reinforcements for the defensive positions and 4 Regiments ordered to improvise a counter-attack. Lord Commander Xao Maron the leader of the Fama Cohorts ordered the Atrophats to call for help.

When the Astrophats got an answer it was made of two words: 2 months. This meant imperial troops and maybe even Astartes would arrive in eight solar weeks.

There was a good chance that they could. The towns and Hives allowed good defensive positions and the cramped battlefields in the city were more favouring to shotguns used by the Cohorts and Skaven who climbed over the barricades would end with a swift attack with a power weapon. Skaven often used assault rifles using bullets instead of laser which strained the Skaven logistic and often resulted in ineffective shoots (a Techpriest estimated an effectivity of 82,34% in contrast to laser shoots). Another advantage is the low morale of the Skaven. Stormvermin the best warriors may have the best moral among the Skaven (except the mindless Rat Ogres) but even they can be more easily made panicked than normal Human soldiers. But the Skaven despite all the one winning. They gave birth to more new Skaven and their warriors became much faster adults than human children. Ratdiggers dug with ease new tunnels under enemy positions for assaults behind the defenders or place tonnes of explosives in them and blew up everything over them and overrun the remaining defenders. Swarms of so-called Ratdogs, which comprised several species, were small enough to get through every tunnel and rubble and kill enemies or sabotage their infrastructure. A neutral factor was that they moved mostly on the surface, which meant that they could be more easily be fought but also they had another vector to attack and could expand their industry.

### Relieve and the first year

The first units, namely the Deneb 4th Regiment and the Deneb 5th Regiment arrived already after six weeks and 2-3 weeks later the other Regiments from the 448th Imperial Battleground and the 447th Battlegroup. Both Battlegroups were sent into the fray. The 145th Darian Regiment was sent to the Manifactorum Primara alongside with the 45th and 32th Fama Cohorts to hold the main source of power weapon. All Tempestus Scion Regiments and the Deneb 7th Shock Regiment were sent out to destroy Skaven settlements build on the surface and draw so much Skaven from the central mountain chain in a way to help the defenders. All other Regiments were sent into other Hive Cities to hold them.

### Warfare between 340-341.M41

The following year saw heavy fighting on Fama. All Hive Cities suffered attacks by Ratdogs, raids, sabotage and infiltration attacks. Hive Hagenberg and Hive Yangshing were lost and the officers responsible were executed when Lord Commander Maron learned that they had ordered a retreat although there was a possibility to destroy the Hives with the enemy forces entirely. The battles on the surface outside the Hives were something other. Most battles were fought on the planes or wastes around the Cities. There the Skaven hadn`t much cover or experience in fighting in an open area. Their Doomwheels may smash through line infantry but could be easily destroyed when faced sideways. Fightings in the jungles and mountains were more even, although later was more in the favour of the Xenos.

### The Space Marines Arrive (342-343.M41)

342.M41 was the year in which the Imperials were able to secure the western part of Fama and the main focus of both sides changed to the Great Vally the area between the two biggest mountain chains. It was home to 120 million peoples although millions already have fled to save points or died. Sappeure Regiments from the 446th Imperial Battlegroup, a recent reinforcement from Terra, were able to get a foothold in the tunnel system of the Skaven but met heavy resistance. Meanwhile, the Skaven were able to make progress in several Hives and Hive Ningarden was lost for each side when it started slowly but steadily to collapse. It was already known that the Skaven had low morale and always fought internally, so plans were made to attack the high-ranking Skaven and kill them brutally. But all units were desperately needed elsewhere. So they had to call in the heavy boys - Space Marines.

In spring of 342.M41 help arrived in the form of the Tributor Chapter. At their landing zone at the starport the Chapter, notably the 4th Company, faced off against thousands of Rat Ogres but were able to kill them all. As a result of a near Skaven base, the starport was since the beginning of the war nearly constant under attack with the result that the Tributors were forced to land their forces nearly completely with Drop Pots in the northwest of the starport. The first priority was ending the constant attacks through destroying the Skavens, so the entire Chapter started an attack on the Xeno base. Chapter Master Jaranus Ulan ordered two strike teams armed with flamethrowers, Melta weapons and plasma weapons. The strike teams each in the size of two Companies, while three other used explosives and drills to make an own tunnel into the Skaven base and use a chemical agent to eliminate so many rats as possible. 10th Company organised a distraction attack on a group of Greyseers the priests of the Skaven, which lead to an assault of most defending Skaven and prevented an effective defends and the resulting slaughter of 5 million Skaven through the hands of Astartes. When the Skaven who confronted the 10th Company realised that they fled back to their nest only to became victim of artillery fire and the weapons of both strike teams.

With this success, the frontline of the Skaven in the eastern mountains nearly completely broke. All Skaven in this region had to flee into their smaller nests and barricade themself. Those smaller nests were home in average for 100.000 Skaven. Imperial forces were forced to spend 5 months searching and destroying the remaining Skaven.

In the last days of 343.M41, a new Space Marine Chapter arrived on Fama, landing in the capital: the Blood Guard.

### Reconquest of the Surface (344-346.M41)

In the early days of 344.M41 after the arriving of two Space Marines Chapters and the 445th Imperial Battlegroup, it was decided to retake the surface.

The first step was to secure the Hives. Also, the Manifactoriums had to be repaired. As result dozen of Regiments left their defensive positions and storm against Skaven positions, costing tens of thousands of deaths for the Humans and unknown casualties for the Skaven. Under the view of the increasing use of Hellhounds by the Fama Cohorts, the causalities of the Skaven were in the initial attacks always likely in the tens of thousands, although the cowardly nature of the Skaven meant that the causalities may have been lower than the Humans, simply they run away. But fleeing hoards of Skaven fell victim to the Blood Guard specialised in fighting in urban and hive combat and so organised maps before their actions, instead of charging like madmen into the battle (which nevertheless was often an effective strategy for the transhumans).

When most Hives were secured again, the second step was made: forcing the Skaven under the ground. Thanks to the nature of the Clan to nearly completely to shun the surface they had little knowledge how to fight on it. Unfortunatly they got at least some ideas how to to that and their Doomwheels were still a danger. Most Skaven "units" had themselves positioned in the Great Vally or near the mountains, so the fight over the many plains and deserts of dirt was the easiest, except when Doomwheels arrived. Gaining daily ground the imperial forces drove the Skaven back into the mountains and the jungle although, enough forces had to be stationed around the planet to prevent new enemy tunnel openings who could open another front which regularly happened. Only whit time the Skaven were forced to make less and less such action in ways to spare enough soldier to defend strongholds and important locations on the surface. These bases supplied the Skaven with food and minerals to keep up with the demand of new soldiers and weapons since the second year of the war as a result of lacking the underground industrial capacities or losing them when Imperial Guard or Astartes found their nests.

Deciding successes were made in mid to late 345.M41 as a result of expanded tunnel warfare which caused massive underground battles favouring the Fama Cohorts or the lose of smaller nests and bases. Those defeats cost the Skaven many warriors and reduced their industrial ability. In 346.M41 was the surface safe again but the Skaven still existed in the planet and to prevent them to attack again, Lord Commander Maron ordered an assault of their tunnel network.

### War in the tunnels (346-350.M41)

Preparations for the assault of the tunnels lasted for 6 months and were started after the arrival of two Imperial Battlegroups and the Hochmeister Chapter. As beachhead served several openings made during the years before or made by Skaven saboteurs during the last six months. Most tunnels were big enough for two tanks driving parallel together and still have place to manoeuvre. Devil Dogs and Bane Wolfs moved in front of each column and destroy everything which looked like a Skaven. In face such opposition many Skaven fled back to their nests or on the surface just be slaughter in both cases. Of course Ratlord Ratwell was able to reorganise his troops and let lay explosives before the invading forces and destroying tanks, scouting parties and the tunnels altogether.

Not amused by such causalities ordered mining drills to drill boreholes over the know Skaven nests to attack them with biological weapons killing 38 million of Skaven among them many broothmothers reducing the ability to regenerate causalities. To this came the loss of important mines and industry facilities so that the number of Doomwheels, Rat Ogres and heavy equipment started to fall in mid 348.M41. Commando actions spread chaos behind the enemy lines and reduced the tempo of reinforcements. And in 350.M41 Ratlord Ratwell died as one of the last soldiers by the hands of Private Mariano Astachi.

## Results

* around 220 million death Skaven
* Clan Ratclaw eliminated
* 201 Astartes, 10 million soldiers and 90 million civilians death
* 2 Hive Cities completly destroyed
* all Hive Cities were heavy damaged
* entire regions have lost its villages and towns
* Fama Cohorts have to be reorganised
* The Inquisition investigates the case but doesn`t believe in the existence of Skaven