Avernite Elite Formations

On Avernus there are a handful of formations that are considered to be the elite, even beyond the much feared Avernite Helguard. This formations range in size from the corps strong Black Irons to the regiment strong Lifeguard, and are all considered to be some of the best human soldiers in existence in what they do.

## Black Irons

### +5 to vs Daemons.

The Black Irons consist of a single Line Helltrooper Corps and a Line Helguard Corps making them by far the largest of Avernus' Elite Formations.

The first Black Irons were originally the Garrison of Beta-1, Blacktyde, until in what would later be known as the Blacktyde massacre they were forced to wipe out the population of their own city, who had been driven mad by berserk fungus. After the Massacre, the survivors of the Blacktyde Garrison dyed their uniforms black and their gloves red so they would never forget killing their own people and swore never to fail their charges again, taking the name The Black Irons. Afterwards the Black Irons became known for throwing themselves into the heaviest fighting as if they welcomed death, and being willing to commit any atrocity needed for victory.

These days Lieutenant-General Mineyev is the last of the founding members of the Black Irons, and their numbers have been replenished from other sources. The Black Irons get recruits from two main sources, the suicidal or depressed who seek death in battle and psychopaths were are assigned to them to make their deaths mean something, mostly the former. Given that sheer amount of trauma that Avernus inflicts on its inhabitants

As such the Black Irons have maintained their reputation for insane courage, fuelled by being made up of soldiers with a deathwish or those who know that they have nowhere else to go. Given the number of Black Irons with major mental issues they also have a large permanent staff of priests and psychiatrists who monitor the psychopaths and attempt to cure the suicidal and depressed. While thousands leave their ranks every year this is a small fraction of the number who find their deaths.

The reputation of the Black Irons on Avernus is interesting, with many respecting their willingness to die while others despise them for giving up or pity them for whatever broke them. This is enhanced by the fact that the Black Irons are used by the Governor as one of his final anti-cult measures, and when they are deployed to hunt down cults countless innocents are slain on mere suspicion.

## Ashen Ones

### +10 to vs Daemons

The Ashen Ones consist of a half strength Line Helguard Corps with two Elite Brigade replaced with Drop Trooper Brigades.

The Ashen Ones are an elite force formed out of the Helguard that spent a century working for the Empire of Ashes in their attempts to protect the galaxy. These soldiers have fought with and against pretty much every force in the galaxy, and have the scars and trophy's to prove it. While highly skilled at everything, by Helguard standards, the Ashen Ones true strengths lie in working with unusual allies and in surgical strikes.

The Ashen Ones have formed a strong relationship with the Ynnari forces that they worked beside, and after seeing what the Ynnari do for the galaxy have become some of their strongest proponents in the Imperial Trust. Given the Ynnari's xenos nature this has lead to some issues with them getting into fights with other soldiers and citizens, though given the low level of xenophobia on Avernus these fights have mostly been with offworlders, and therefore one sided beat-downs.

## Lifeguard

#### +60 to morale

There are twenty-eight, thousand strong, regiments of the Avernite Lifeguard, seven based on Avernus and the remaining twenty-one in the Imperial Trust Guard.

The Lifeguard formations on Avernus are the **Governor's Own**, who guard the Governor of Avernus, his palace and his immediate family, the **Saintsguard**, who once protected Saint Lin and now watch over his body, and the children's ward of the Unseen University where it is enshrined, the **Wardens**, who guard the General of Avernus and his staff, the **Marshal's Guard**, who are split between the current Marshals of Avernus, the **The Last Wall**, who protect the senior members of the Avernite Administratum, the **Academy Guard**, who watch over the leaders of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and finally the **Vaultguard**, who guard the Vault in which Avernus' greatest secrets are kept. The twenty-one regiments that are tithed to the Imperial Trust Guard are known as the **Shield of Avernus**, are are mostly tasked with protecting the senior members of the Imperial Trust Guard.

All members of the Lifeguard are selected from the most skilled and reliable members of the Avernite Helguard, and are put through an intensive training regime and series of tests before they are commissioned into their regiment. This is to ensure that as well as having the combat skills that they pick up the other skills needed for high level bodyguards, ranging from etiquette to counter-espionage.

In battle the Avernite Lifeguard are equipped with some of the most deadly weaponry available, with all members having Advanced power Armour and their choice of weaponry from the Imperial Trust armoury. In melee most members of the Lifeguard make use of the Khalai Style, a combat style designed to use a pair of plasma foils to slaughter lesser foes.As well as the standard Runes avaiible to all of the Helguard the Lifeguard have armour marked with Runes of Reinforcement, making then significantly tougher then most formations their size.

While the Lifeguards main purpose is to protect their principle often this requires only a small fraction of their numbers. Those forces not needed at any given time are used as elite forces by their generals, often moving to meet the enemies most dangerous forces.

### Governors Own

#### Immune to morale when led by the Governor of Avernus

The Governor's Own are considered to be the best of the Avernite Lifeguard and are tasked with protecting the Governor of Avernus and his family. They were originally formed by General Drago shortly after the formation of Avernus out of a Company of Cadian Kasrkin, a history that has influenced the traditions few the Avernite Lifeguard ever since. Despite already having been founded the Governor's Own's first true test came about in the attack by the Chaos Space Marines of the Sons of War eighteen years after the formation of Avernus, where a platoon led by then-Lieutenant Ajax managed to slay more then their own number of Chaos Space Marines using standers Kasrkin equipment.

## Phase-Tigers

#### +50 to ambush rolls.

The Phase Tigers are currently 9 slightly understrength battalions of Phase-Tiger riders equipped with hero tier equipment by the Ynnari.

The Phase-Tigers are the last purely Catachan Regiment on Avernus and probably the best survivors on the planet. They were formed by melding four heavily mauled veteran Catachan Regiments in the final century of the Imperium and were one of the initial regiments guarding the first colonists. Of that initial regiment 85% are still alive, despite having participated in pretty much every campaign that the Imperial Trust has been involved in and living on Avernus. To make matters more incredible the Phase-Tigers have come out of most of their campaigns without losing a single member.

While part of this impossible feat can be attributed to the presence of the legendary Commissar Dalv Sepet most of it is due to their impossible combat skill and stealth. In fact so often have the Phase-Tigers pulled off seemingly impossible feats that part of their post battle traditions include being careful examined for any hint that they are anything more then they seem, with ever crazier ideas being put forward into their true nature.

While their are countless tales of impossible feats pulled off by the Phase-Tigers quite possible the most legendary are their performance in the First and Second Daemonic Incursions. In the First Daemonic Incursion the Phase-Tigers were stationed in the minor city of Mirkwood with Lieutenant-General Agni, the regional commander. When the city fell to the combination of the daemonic hordes and the mind control powers of a rogue Beta within the city the Phase-Tigers fought their way through over two hundred kilometres of daemon filled woods with some aid from the Border-Lions, losing only a tenth their numbers in the process. In the Second Daemonic Incursion the Phase-Tigers were part of the force sent to relieve the Lonely Citadel after its defences were overcome. Led by Grandmaster Xavier the Phase-Tigers cut a swath through the Daemons of Blood and War, killing entire hosts with their signature combination of combat skill and stealth.

The Phase-Tigers have been fighting side by side for over half a millennium, and have developed a level of teamwork and cohesion that is unmatched by any human formation a tenth their size. This can be shown by the fact that since reaching Avernus not a single Phase-Tiger has retired, and only one informal addition has been made to the regiment, the legendary Grandmaster Xavier.

The Phase-Tigers are one of the legends of Avernus, with stories of their achievements, both real and imagined, being commonplace. This leads to most Phase-Tigers being treated with a high level of respect and deference even by officers several ranks above them, indeed it is widely believed that Colonel Brindos would be a General by now if he could bear to leave his men.

Six hundred and ninety years after the founding of Avernus the Phase-Tigers were formerly reassigned to the Empire of Ashes until the Long Night comes to an end, in large part because they were beyond the ability f human Juve-Nat to keep alive and to valuable to let age out. There was a month-long festival before their departure, celebrating their many deeds on Avernus, both great and small, and their contribution to Avernite society right from the beginning.

## Dis 1st Power Armoured Militia Regiment

### Variable other bonuses

The Dis 1st Power Armoured Militia Regiment is a power armoured militia regiment. On paper anyway.

In practice all caver members of the Power Armoured Militia are assigned to this regiment, making it a collection of some of the most skilled and crazy Darkmen on Avernus. As it is advised that you serve a tour in the Helguard or a similar organisation before even considering becoming a Caver and that many cavers have then spent years to centuries on the craziest and most dangerous environment known to mankind, including Daemon Worlds in the heart of the Eye of Terror, the average skill level of the Dis 1st Power Armoured Militia Regiment is rivaled only by the Phase-Tigers, and reaches just as high.

However rather then simple skill the true danger of the Cavers is the sheer variety of experiences that they posses, and the incredible array of artifacts, blessings and stranger effects that they have picked up in the Caverns. As such when the Cavers march into battle their is a chaotic whirl of weird effects, as the Cavers unleashed the fruit of their careers on the foe. Given Avernus' nature Cavers and their equipment are often especially suited to dealing with Warp effects, and were once able to stall an Exalted Archangle for almost a quarter of an hour, a feat that the Black Irons could not match despite having a thousand times the numbers.

The Dis 1st Power Armoured Militia Regiment is made up of a disorganised array of members with greatly variable levels of discipline and ability to work with anyone outside of their particular sub-unit, but is quite possible the most dangerous, mostly, human formation in existence.

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