Forlorn Fortress Fleet

*The fleet of a defiant people, hailing from a forlorn world – unwavering, unyielding, a scythe to cut down their foes and let them crash against the fortress world indomitable.*

*- Vow of the People's Fleet*

From the bleeding star of Gahmuret hails the Forlorn Fortress Fleet, first and last defenders of the system and last standing garrison of the imperial front against the Thetys Rift. This is a fleet hardened through millennia of war, perfected in both strategy and design by veterans of a thousand battles who lived and died far from the light of Holy Terra.

## Astrography

The Forlorn Fortress Fleet stands in line with the Castellan Fleets of the Limes Gondwana, first to repel forces of the ruinous powers coming from the Thetys Rift. Between the domains of the Erinnyenmere and Myriadenburg, Gahmuret's fleet guards the no-mans-land of Subsector Cambria and all worlds therein. It is in this vast space of abandoned colonies and systems, that Gahmuret has scattered ghost fleets and shadow havens, secretive bases carved into asteroid stone, hidden from the enemy, ready to ambush any invasion force.

Throughout the No-man's-land extends Gahmuret's fortification network encompassing monitor stations and recon posts, fortified positions along possible supply lines and ordnance depots. These are not only positions for the Forlorn Fortress Fleet to hold, but also the foundation of any organized defense of Subsector Cambria which might be mounted by the Triumvirate Worlds.

## Doctrine

### The people's fleet

Like Gahmuret itself, the fleet has stood alone for millennia, since its homeworld was declared forlorn. In this time, the fleet has drawn its officers and ratings alike from the people, become a fleet of the people and deeply entwined with their culture. The rituals of this fleet and people are not reminiscent of ages past but rooted in necessity and the experience of battle. The adornments of its ships and uniforms are rare and deeply meaningful only to those who know their meaning. Their war is not one of faith or glory, but of survival above all else. Thus, the fleet has been marked as the People's Fleet of Gahmuret, Void-ward Custodians of the Forlorn Fortress.

### The Untouchable Fleet

The Forlorn Fortress Fleet's deployment is distributed in deep formations across their homely constellations, avoiding the formation of a hard frontline and allowing the enemy to penetrate into Gahmuret's territory instead. Only once the foe is led deep into the home regions of the Fortress Fleet, the tide will be turned by battle groups striking at vulnerable flanks and staging grounds.

Despite its immense size, the Fleet does not reveal its numbers even in open battle, deploying false signals, decoys, and other trickery to wage a war of reconnaissance and gambit against their foe. At best, their goal is to collapse enemy incursions under their own weight, before ever engaging the main force. Then, the Forlorn Fortress Fleet strikes with all strength against a weakened enemy, crushing with the unstoppable might of an industrial war machine. To the hunting enemy, the Fleet remains untouchable, escaping any attempt of confrontation, remaining hidden in the shadows of the void.

In matters of such strategy, the Fleet's of Gahmuret care little for what others may regard as honor and glory in open battle. For the forlorn fortress fights for survival above all else and has done successfully so for longer than many other worlds. Furthermore, the people of Gahmuret see no merit in confronting either Xenos or Traitors as honorable foes.

## The Veil of Gahmuret

At the very heart of the embattled No-Man's Land lies the Forlorn Fortress itself: Unyielding Gahrument, the wall against which all enemies will storm and break. The fortress and its entire star system are shrouded in a veil of a myriad defense. Illusions and mirrors, projections and minefields create a treacherous shadowplay of fleets and weapons, ambushes and traps, which the enemy must overcome. Manned and unmanned stations stand ready at all times, and the veil steadily grows with every generation, each adding more and more integrated systems to the protective shell. It is the greatest work of the Forlorn Fortress Fleet and like all of its strategy meant to lure the enemy in, let the foe come so far as to be bloodied by Gahmuret's Fortress Guards in hand-to-hand battle before the terrible might of the defenses is unleashed.

The mirror shine of the myriad stations reflects much light from the blood-red star, painting the sky crimson above Forlorn Gahmuret. It is said before any foe could touch the world's surface unhindered, all the sky would have to be set alight, and even then, amid the flames, the Fleet would endure, ready to strike when the right moment has come.

## History

Navy Fleets stood by the fortress Gahmuret since the early days of the Imperium, pioneers on the outward frontier, escorting explorator fleets and sending crusaders on their way. It was then that the first dockyards and ports around the fortress were erected, in anticipation of a great age of expansion to come, once the old worlds of humanity had been finally reclaimed. But the glorious vision of the Emperor would never come to pass, and what was promised to be the center of a new world, was left abandoned as the very last bulwark of civilization before the great unknown.

When the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy had come to an end and the Imperium abandoned those regions beyond the Elder Frontier, Gahmuret was declared forlorn and the Adeptus Administratum ended its claim for protection by the Imperial Navy. From these days on in M.31, the Forlorn Fortress Fleet would receive no further reinforcements. For three Millennia, this order of the Administratum held true and later, the proud voidfarers of the forlorn world would not accept any other vessels among their fleet. Gahmuret's fleet grew to become independent, as did all the planet, save for a few key allies in the far east of the subsector, where the Forge World Cambria lay.

New vessels were conceived in the Fortress Forges, created from the riches of the No-Man's-Land. And the fleet transformed from the venerable remnants of the Great Crusade to an efficient, stream-lined war machine of blood and steel. Strength was found in numbers and conventional weaponry, rather than the unusual and exotic nature of ancient artifacts. Trusting in their own strength and experience, the voidfarers of Gahmuret created a fleet to their own liking and hid it in the dark.

With time, there came victories, the success of the new doctrine. Gahmuret was accepted in the imperial fold once more, no longer forlorn, even faced with the surges of Thetys itself. But the sentiment of the voidfarers never changed. The fleet of the people of Gahmuret would stand on its own, in the shadows, waiting for the enemy to come.

## Notable Vessels & Classes

### Vigilance Destroyer

Manufactured at the holy void-forges of the Forlorn Fortress Gahmuret, the Vigilance is strictly utilitarian in its design. So close to the great Rift splitting the Gondwana Sector, resources and time are scarce at all times.

These vessels are conceived in mass production by the tireless techpriests and engineseer delegations sent to the forlorn fortress world from distant, glorious Cambria. Seldom do they get a chance to truly prove themselves in battle, as they are thrown en masse against an unending tide of destruction and doom. Because of this, there are few of these vessels more than a century old, and they lack the venerable pride of other fleets. Nevertheless, each day they stave off the impending invasion is a day of worthwhile service to the Emperor.

### Vindicator Destroyer

Only five centuries ago were the templates for this pattern of void vessel rediscovered and granted to the Forlorn Fortress World Gahmuret by the grace of Forge World Cambria. Though lesser armed than many vessels of their tonnage class, the Vindicator's vessels grew quickly to become a vital addition to the Gahmuret Fleet in their role as command and control support vessels. Enhanced Auger & Vox arrays, battle cogitators and exquisite chambers for navigators make these vessels ideal flagships for escort formations. Their augmented systems make them much more reliable when traversing warp, increasing the success rate of deployments of Gahmuret's strained fleets.

### Venture Destroyer

Among the proudest of the forlorn Fortress World's designs are the Venture-Class Fast destroyers. These honorable warships are swift in battle and victory, using their agility to intercept enemy forces and harass them from long range with their rare enhanced macro weaponry. Due to their specialization, these vessels require a highly disciplined and skilled crew and cannot rely on servitors to the same extent as slower, more conventional vessels.