Heinrach's Ascension

Armorial of the Mordekaisers Chapter.

**Heinrach's Ascension** was an event that occurred in the Mordekaisers Chapter's history when Heinrach ascended to assume command over the Chapter following the death of the previous Kaiser, Targotz.

## Background

### Disaster at Zirkyros

In 247.M39, the Imperial world of Zirkyros was invaded by T'au forces, the Mordekaisers responded with five whole Companies under the leadership of Kaiser Targotz. Confident that they would easily swat aside the T'au, the Mordekaisers tore through the xenos fleet and made planetfall. At first they easily smashed the T'au battlelines to pieces and made good progress. However, the T'au had one advantage the Mordekaisers didn't - adaptability.

Suddenly, instead of static firing lines, the Mordekaisers were pressed with fast moving hovertanks and battle suits and that flew around them. Having only a few long ranged weaponry, most of them on slow moving dreadnoughts, the Mordekaisers began being picked apart by the fast and accurate firepower of the T'au who fired lethal volleys before quickly flying to a new location before the Chapter could retaliate.

Knowing that defeat was inevitable, 3rd Hauptmann Crygus begged Targotz to sound the retreat. Alas the headstrong Kaiser refused and called for a charge, only to be blown to pieces by a T'au hammerhead tank. Dismayed and broken the Mordekaisers took their dead and retreated, leaving Zirkyros in T'au hands. Over 500 Mordekaisers marched to war, less than half returned.

Heinrach succeeded Targotz as Kaiser. Heinrach differed from his predecessors in that he was a strategist first and fighter second. He was an extremely skilled tactician who usually directed the battle from a holo table, where he found his own glory in battle. However he was no slouch in battle either and went into war with his trusty storm bolter, power sword and thermo combi-fist. Alas he met his end on Pyamax where he and five other marines had a desperate last stand against the Wolves of Retribution, slaying scores of heretics before succumbing to his wounds.

### Electing a New Kaiser

Humiliated and humbled by the disaster, the Mordekaisers began to rethink their ways of war. While some stubbornly insisted their methods were tried and true, others saw that they limited the Chapter's ability to fight in situations that did not favour them. The arguments raged on and on until the new Kaiser, Heinrach, stepped forward and presented his reformations. In his meditations he found that their hunger for glory and adherence to a restrictive doctrine was grounds for disaster. Thus he reorganized the Chapter's doctrine to be that of hard hitting yet mobile strike forces capable of destroying multiple targets in quick succession. With this, the Mordekaisers threw themselves back into war as relentless fighters.

Taking Targotz's place as Kaiser, Heinrach has big shoes to fill. Heinrach differed from his predecessors in that he was a strategist first and fighter second. He was an extremely skilled tactician who usually directed the battle from a holo table, where he found his own glory in battle. However he was no slouch in battle either and went into war with his trusty storm bolter, power sword and thermo combi-fist. Heinrach proved his worth as Kaiser when he tore apart a giant chaos horde piece by piece by using expertly planned strikes and ambush tactics.

Alas he would meet his end on the world of Pyamax where he and five other marines had a desperate last stand against the hated Wolves of Retribution Chaos Warband, slaying scores of heretics before succumbing to his wounds.