Damanoch`s Crusade

One of the many conflicts raging in the new millennia is the Damanoch`s Crusade named after its leader Damanoch Moreas and now plagues the Halian Cluster located 125 light-years away from the warpstorm Souring Heart which is the origin of most of the involved chaos forces.

Using an regional abatment of a number of smaller warp anomalies called Peterson Points, mustered Damanoch Moreas his Warband and a series of allies to use the new opining to raid the Imperium targeting the Halian Cluster - a Sector never raided by any forces hailing from the Souring Heart - to bypass better prepared and poorer Sectors. While the initial impact of the attackers was slowed down by the defender, giving the Sector more time to call in reinforcements. Hopes that the chaos onslaught was stopped yet were proven wrong and the invader marched with even more vigor against the Imperials.

## Prelude

How Damanoch Moreas, the leader of the Ashen Oracles, united the warbands in the Souring Heart is mostly unknown. Interrigations of prisoners brought contradictionary versions, some telling of a series of conflicts in which Moreas`s forces rose to dominate the other participants other prisoners told how he united the Warbands "peacefully" through duelling their leaders. Inquisitors estimate that the preparations for his crusade begun around 182.M42 when local imperial forces noticed Astropatic messages leaving and entering the Souring Heart and must have recruited the outside forces accomponying the crusade.

## Halian Cluster

The Halian Cluster is small Sector locaed in the Segmentum Tempestus. It includes only a handfull of highly developed world and more than two docen Frontier Worlds, worlds recently settled with only a small population and often little in control by the Imperium. Halian Cluster was chosen as a target since the Imperium never awaited an attack on the cluster from this direction.

In matters of wealth is the Halian Cluster richer than other Sectors this size. Mining Worlds and Agri-Worlds produce common foods and ressources while the more advanced worlds use them with imported material to forge them into advanced products like space vessels or modern electronic. Strong and diverse planetary economies produced rich Hives with Frontier Worlds delivering rare ressources or served as Penal Colonies.

## Notable Battles

* **Assault on Glyman`s Rest (128.M42):** The first battle of Damanoch`s Crusade was the assault on Glyman`s Rest a Frontier World protected by a small naval base for patrols. Stif resitstance on the ground and in the base coupled with a returning Defender Light Cruiser slowed the chaos advance down for two weeks and alarmed the Sector. Inflammed with rage about the resistance of Glyman`s Rest took Damanoch brutal revenge against the surviving population.
* **Battle of the Rapun System (128.M42):** Alarmed by Glyman`s Rest defender rushed imperial navy forces towards the planet hoping to intercept further chaos advances in the believe that they were too disorganised after the assault on the planet. Yet, they were wrong and intercepted by the vanguard of the invaders. Fast and agile raiders opened a disrupting salvo the moment when the imperials arrived in the Rapun System and then retreated back while larger battleships picked off the vessels who either rammed their allies or were to isolated from their allies. When the imperial navy retreated left they 12 vessels while they just destroyed 2 raiders.
* **Siege of Convent 309 (128.M42):** One of the first planets suffering from the invasion was Kebb XV the location of Convent 309. Its garrison of 2.700 Adepta Sororitas defended there a number of holy relicts and facilities of the non-militant orders of the Hospitaler and Sabinourum. Initial skirmishes were even with supporting Chaos Space Marines fend off. A month long siege was layed on the Convent until a strike force of Dire Warriors was able to capture most of the relicts. Threatening to destroy them offered Damanoch Moreas a deal: captives against relicts. After a nearly violent confrontation between members of the Order Pronatus and Ordos Militants volunteered a group of 250 Sisters to exchange themself for the captured relicts. The siege lasted further 2 months until chaos forces stormed parts of the Convent plundering it and taking further 50 Sisters prisoners, while the remaining garrison barricaded themself in the remaining parts of the fortess. Content with the lood ordered the commanding chaos leader the abondonment of the siege.
* **Battle of the town of Remagen (128.M42):** The first instance of Xenos taking part in the crusade was on HIKE-7 near the town of Remagen. Zenezian Maniples fought a bitter and long artillery duel with Frankian forces. Soldiers reported that the Xenos used a form of teleportation artillery which teleported its shell into the target causing horrible loses in devastating suprise barrages. Involved colonels of the Regiments were forced to change to a mobile artillery tactic, something well known for the Frankians, to counter the slow but devastating fire. Even with several Regiments lost were the Frankians in the end able to win over the Xenos forcing them from the continent.
* **Trenchwar on Palex (129.M42-ongoing):** One of the major battlefields for Damanoch`s Crusade is the Mining World of Palex whose strip-mines and channels became frontlines between both forces. Under the leadership of the Lorekeepers Chapter fight local forces and Imperial Guard reinforcements against a large number of Traitor Guard Regiments and hordes of Cultists. Deterioration of the ground as a result of warfare and pre-invasion chemical polution or geological processes hinder the use of vehicles and in some regions even prevents infantry warfare.
* **Siege of the Varsor System (129.M42-130.M42):** A sustained imperial campaign of voidwarfare in the Varsor System against the vessels of the Ninefold Warlocks and the Dire Warriors Warbands lead to a halt of their incursions into the Halian Cluster. During the campaign were both sides forced because of supply problems to reduce the speed of their vessels and limit the Lance fire resulting in a even slower campaign. Commandore Elevenborg an officer in the Battlefleet even later descripted the slow paste of the siege that an entire trade convoy could had travelled though the system without hurrying and still coming through without being attacked.
* **The Battle of the Ancients (130.M42):** A violent confrontation on Yamshir III saw 12 loyal Dreadnoughts fighting against 15 Chaos Dreadnoughts. Numerical inferior were the loyalists still victorious since their mind remained clear while the ones of the Chaos Dreadnoughts had fallen into an animal frenzy and were outmaneuvred. The difference in the state of their mind was clearly visible when Venerated Ancient Loka of the Lorekeeper baited three of the Chaos Dreadnoughts into a swamp in their bloodthirst and used his flammer to enflamme the oil-rich swamp killing the trapped Dreadnoughts.
* **Boarding of the Questing Corruption (130.M42):** While the conflict was fought in its second year started the Dire Warriors a large-scale offensive against imperial forces in the lower sphere of the Halian Cluster. One of the defending groups fighting back was the 2nd Company of the Bloodguard. Taken off guard by the sudden offensive, found one of their vessesl itself behind the jumped in Dire Warriors fleet. Lieutenant Eclasir Cram, the commanding officer of the vessel and the 21 Space Marines on the ship, ordered a ramming maneuvre believing they would either way die today. Yet the Destroyer got stuck in the rear of the capital ship. Quickly adapting to the situation ordered Cram his brothers to attack the Questing Corruption in a way to plant plasma charges in its critical spots. Stiff resistance by the defenders delayed the planting of the bombs until another Bloodguard vessel arrived and also sent in a boarding commando. Fighting their way through the ship united the boading parties and allowed them to purge the vessel instead of destroying it.

## Order of Battle Imperium

### Astartes

* 289 Astartes
* 1 Battle Barge
* 1 Strike Cruiser
* 8 Escorts
 Blood Guard
* 200 Astartes
* 2 Strike Cruiser
* 10 Escorts
 Hochmeister
* 300 Astartes
* 1 Battle Barge
* Strike Cruiser
* 7 Escort
 Noble Angles
* 170 Astartes
* 1 Vanguard Cruiser
* 3 Escorts
 Tempestors
* 290 Astartes
* 1 Heavy Strike Cruiser
* 8 Escorts
 Winged Axes
* 320 Astartes
* 1 Battle Barge
* 1 Strike Cruiser
* 7 Escorts

The total number of Space Marines operating in the battlezone is estimated to be 1569 with Chapter Master Darak Lingstone from the Loremasters being the overall leader of the Astartes

### Imperial Guard

45th Army
of Regiments
1 Air Defence Regiment
1 Grenadier Regiment
 Neban Mechanized
Regiments
 Winza Winged Hussars
3 Armoured Regiments
 Alan Outrider Regiments
 Kardakes Assault Corp
Regiments
 Logistic and Support Corp

880.000 soldiers under the command of General Taddeus Vivan.

650.000 soldiers under the command of General Josepe Sachez.

Halian Cluster Garison Army
Regiments
 Omen Temple Guard
15 Infantry Regiments
5 Heavy Infantry Regiment
 Frontier Lancers of Gem
Regiments
 Varsor Sternbloods
 Halian Airforce Regiments
 Logistic and Support Corp

2,75 million soldiers under the command of General Lasog Phm form the defensive Imperial Guard force of the Halian Cluster.

Around 5.17 million PDF soldiers protect the worlds of the Halian Cluster.

### Adepta Sororitas

* 3.800 Sisters of Battle
* 7 vessels
 Order of the Blessed Martyr
* 3.000 Sisters of Battle
* 6 vessels
 Order of the Argent Amazon
* 4.000 Sisters of Battle
* 7 vessels
 remaining forces of
Convent 309
* 570 Sisters of Battle
* 80 non-militant Sisters

### Imperial Navy

Battlefleet Halian
 Battlecruisers
 Cruiser
 Light Cruises
 Escorts
* 12 Frigate Squadrons
 other

Battlefleet Halian is commanded by High Admiral Chaster Nimidc.

### Other forces

* **Inquisitor Albrecht Gimus** - Ordo Malleus
* **Gamma Boys Inquisitorial Stormtrooper Regiment**

## Order of Battle Chaos

### Traitor Guard

Forces of the Traitor Guard of Rex
 555th Pretorian Guard
 Ephan Mutant Auxiliars
 Swarian 8th Delta Knights
 746th Juno Armoured Regiment
 81st Lorra Life Guard

The coalition of traitor guardsmen called Traitor Guard of Rex has a strenght of 370.000 and is lead by Arch-General Olanbon Foerider.

The Lost and the Dammed
Infantry
 82nd War Shields of Dravenhan
mixed mech.
Regiment
 Pan II Acid Irregulars Nr. 209
Light Infantry
 Massagate 27th Regimet
Siege Infantry
 21st Frontier Lancers of Gem
Cavalry