First War for Garachthes

The **First War for Garachthes** is the first of two major conflicts on the world of Garachthes between the Imperials and the The Avarrs Death Legion led by two individuals Sebestol Varock and Mazalac Ar’Thines. The war was fought between the dates of 8148 IC and 8150 IC in the Spingaul Sector, Mazalac had brought 500 Legions to conquer Garachthes.

There were two Super Soldier armies sent during the later days of the war and they include the Vaigarian Stormtroopers and the Thunder Landors. There were also around 15 million soldiers ready to defend the planet from the enemy as well as a Ordi Xal army composed of Space Dwarves led by Aartel the demon hunter. Mazalac was made number one enemy of Sebastol who made his sole objective to hunt and kill Mazalac until the end of time.

The main conflict lasted for two years though it took extra time to rid the world fully of the Death Legion. However loyalist who were loyal to the planets govener Hergal Strag would come back in the second war to cause further problems. The Death Legions attacked this world as it was the only world that had a stable Hyper route to Valtius home of the High Lords of Valtius. This war would pale in comparison when the second war arrives over fourty years later.

## History

### Prior to the Invasion

This all began years ago when Mazalac united the planets forces under him and throughout the years gained even more planets until the numbers reached around 20 million soldiers. With the forces required Mazalac then started heading towards Garachthes to claim the planet. Along the way the Death Legion encountered several small forces that were quickly wiped out. Mazalac had in store on his ship a warp drive which could warp the ships into the outer reaches of the Star system.

The outer planets and moons of the system had very little ruickly dealt with as well as destroying all communications that connect to the Star system. There was one message that got through and reached out to the other Star systems though it would take a year for the message to reach reinforcements. When the forces of Garachthes realised that the invasion was on its way the fleet of Death Legion ships were only a few hours away.

### The War Begins

Most of the Death Legion forces landed in the western continent of Aardonia and a small force from Garachthes was sent to slow down the Death Legion forces. However the small force was no match for the Death Legion infantry and the imperial forces were all wiped out to the last man. The first city under siege was Hulphestris which was the smallest and least defended cities on Garachthes. Though the defenders were able to last for five days the city was destroyed by countless numbers of bombs dropped into the city. There were few survivors and fewer were imperial troops who retreated into the city of Tamparsed.

Before the Death Legion attacked the city of Temparsed, Lieutenant Hexrutor and his forces planted bombs in the stable and safer route to Temparsed as the other route was the deadlands a region so deadly that even the Death Legion couldn’t cross. When the Death Legion took the safer route Hexrutor and his men fired at the Death Legion troops encountering losses on both sides. When the time was right the bombs and explosives were detonated destroying tens of thousands of Death Legion soldiers but Hexrutor and his men were all destroyed in the fight.

The ruler of the planet Hergal Strag  believes that the Death Legion could not a worthy against the superior forces of the Garacthes soldiers and should be an easy time for the defenders of the planet to wipe them out clean and efficiently. However Hergal was opposed by the legendary Sebastol Varock who stocked up supplies such as weapons and food to prepare for the upcoming siege.

Unknown to most people on Garachthes, a smaller force of Death Legion soldiers land on the island between Aardonia and Enmuriex and launched an invasion on the city of Jotherin. After a few months all of the cities on Aardonia were under siege by the Death Legion. The planetary ruler Hergal Strag now saw what the invasion was like so he was moved to the continent of Enmuriex. This at this point several months after the war started that the Death Legion start beginning to land on the continent of Enmuriex.

### The Battles against the Eluttus Mountains

The lack of support and the resentment towards Hergal was at it’s peak when he sent a large force of Imperial soldiers and Mechanical soldiers led by Princar Kurvis Manheid were sent west of the Eluttus Mountains to stop the Death Legion from progressing into Enmuriex.

The imperial forces were stationed across the Stargribb river and the majority of the forces were up north were it was hypothesised where the Death Legion would strike. True to many the Death Legion struck at the northern part of the river where many Death Legion soldiers were killed. But to the imperials the Death Legion seemed innumerable as they kept coming across the river and the imperial forces slowly chipped away.

However this was when the Imperial luck ran out as hundreds of thousands if not millions of Death Legion soldiers came at once, attacking all across the river inflicting massive casualties upon the imperial forces. Though some managed to retreat further east and backing up towards the Eluttus Mountains while the others were still at the river. Though the Avarrien Death Speeders managed to trap the northern and southern sections of the army as well as those pinned up against the mountains.

Although the northern forces were completely cut off from the mountains, some of the southern forces managed to seperate from the main force and were quickly trapped against the mountains. Completely surrounded by Death Legion soldiers with no way of escape, Princar Kurdish Manheid self distructed his own war titan killing himself as well as tens if not hundreds of thousands of Death Legion soldiers. Kurdish was awarded the Valtian Star in honour of his sacrifice.

The few remains forces retreated to Aekairas City which surrendered shortly afterwards due to the lack of imperial forces to protect the city. All those that tried to escape were forced back into the city as slaves of the Death Legion.

### The Main Fight Begins

The defeat of the imperial forces was devastating as the already enforced armies as the cities of Aekairas, Helsbark and Ualmestar were either taken or under siege by the Death Legion forces. The Death Legion also attacked the furthest cities such as Haedral, Enumald and Turtheras in which Sebastol was in one those cities. The siege of Haedral would prove one of the most difficult cities to take down due to preparation and direct control of Sebastol himself. Mazalac threw millions to attack the city and tried ways of indirectly taking the city which were all countered by Sebastol.

Ualmestar fought on for over ten weeks until it surrendered due to a lack of forces and a lack of moral in those forces. Helsbark was attacked though before that happened women and children below the age of seventeen were let into ships and fled to the only safe place in all of Garachthes which was the arctic city of Censbraul. Even then their were not enough ships for everyone so tens of thousands of women and children would fight and die protecting the port city of Helsbark.

The citizens of Helsbark were barley equiped with any thing even close to being called weapons and were given very little training. When the Death Legion came millions of citizens were killed during the attack on Helsbark. Several industry workers would even weld themselves shut and would contend with Death Titans and various amounts of suicide, such as in one case where a man had lost all of his family only then to leap of a building with explosives in his hands then detonating in a group of Death Legion soldiers. Soon the city was slowly turning against the Imperials favour as more and more of the city was taken to slow this down, towers from top to bottom were rigged with explosives and when the Death Legion made it to the top the person inside would detonate all of the explosives killing all in the tower. After weeks upon weeks the city was taken by the Death Legion though it had cost the Legion dearly.

### Climax of the War

The city of Turtherus was attacked the ruler of the planet Hergal Strag then thought of a way to rid the threat of the Death Legion once and for all. He was going to use World Destroyer bombs and as the name suggests they were designed to destroy planets. However what Hergal didn’t recognise is that these bombs were in store a very long time and lost their potency even then they were so faulty that many of them didn’t even fire. When those few did it inflicted massive casualties on the Death Legion though it inflicted as much on the population as a whole as the bombs destroyed parts of the city which allowed the Death Legion to enter the city thus dooming it to it’s fate. Out of nowhere several dropships that belonged to the Thunder Landors appeared in the middle of the army thus saving the city from it’s destruction.

The Thunder Landors heard the only transmission from the planet requesting aid and hearing this hundreds of the Thunder Landors went to liberate the planet from the Death Legion. After clearing out all those who were in Turtherus they made their way to the other cities of Headral, Helsbark, Enumald and Ualmester where they took back the cities and if possible kill Mazalac Ar’Thines.

### End of the War

With this new boost to moral the imperials fought back and drove the Death Legion on Emmuriex to retreat off world and flee back to their territory. Slowly Aardonia was retaken and most of the forces including Mazalac fled off of Garachthes. Those forces who were sent to Towal’s World were all beaten and fled with the rest of the army and with that the Imperials won with only a few thousand still remaining. The few thousands were picked off by a small army of space dwarves.

### Imperial Victory

The citizens of the planet were celebrating the victory of the planetary attack however changers were going to be made with the ruling system. First they replaced the planetary lord with a council so that one man doesn’t have the decision over the whole planet. Secondly they had to deal with Hergal Strag who was quickly captured and taken into custody where he will receive multiple beatings by all those against him, then publicly humiliate him in front of the masses then finally executed and his body dumped into a river.

### Aftermath

Mazalac would later plot his revenge against Garachthes learning of his past flaws and mistakes and trying to devise a plan which swiftly take over Garachthes in less time for reinforcements to arrive. The Second War would arise fourth years later with must more astounding success than in the previous war.

## Sources

* Codex: Wars for Garachthes (1st Edition)
* Codex: Thunder Landors (2nd Edition)
* Garachthes (Boardgame)
* Short Story: Triumphs of Sebastol