Donatos War - Into the Breach: As the Imperium's most powerful units on-planet, the Knights of Adrastapol formed the spearhead of the assault, racing toward the Nortus Maximal while unleashing their weapons. Their main targets were the twin-linked Icarus Autocannons on top of the armoured hab-blocks and bunkers that formed the pass' fortifications. The Imperial Knights huddled close together, their Ion Shields aligned for the reckless charge that would take them through the field of fire of Ironpeak, the mightiest of the Adamant Citadels.When they crossed the imaginary line of the fortress' arc of fire, the High King fully expected to be annihilated by its heavy ordinance, but the expected storm of fire never came. In their ploy for total dominance, House Chimaeros' Sacristans had temporarily deactivated the Adamant Citadels. This was a happy coincidence that now provided the Imperial troops with a window of opportunity.The Renegade defenders of the pass were completely overwhelmed. Shell-shocked and facing the towering monstrosities of steel and adamantium that were Knights, panicked gun crews grabbed for their heavy weapons, their opposing fire proving uncoordinated and feeble. Behind the Knights the rest of the Imperial Guardsman charged, Colonel Kovash's Cadians and Commander Korgh's Loyalist PDF troopers close behind. The Cadians' Leman Russes hurled shells at the enemy fortifications while further behind the line, Earthshaker Cannons hurled their shells deep into the pass.Soon, the Imperial Knights were in range to unleash their most powerful weapons, the Knight Errant's Thermal Cannons. These weapons caused bunkers to melt and mountains to collapse on top of gun-batteries and redoubts. Soon a breach was opened in the enemy lines which was quickly exploited by Commander Korgh's men. As Imperial flags were raised upon the enemy's first line of defence, the Imperial Knights left the rest of the Loyalist army behind them, racing for the next objective. The short-ranged Knight Errants and Gallants moved to the front to shield their longer-ranged counterparts as the line of Imperial Knights advanced into the mountain pass, destroying artillery emplacements, anti-aircraft guns and heavy weapons nests. The remaining twenty-six Knights had taken no further casualties.The second enemy defence line soon stood before them, though this one had not yet been softened up by the joint efforts of the Astra Militarum and the Navy. But the Knights of Adrastapol charged the defenders without hesitation. Sire Garath Dar Draconis led the best marksman among their number to snipe the foe's largest guns, while High King Danial in Oath of Flames led the charge, the Knight of Ashes at his side.The incoming fire from the Traitors proved heavier than before, causing Danial's Ion Shield to collapse several times as heavy weapons ate away at his Knight's armour. Status runes soon turned from green to red, as the sympathetic feedback loops of the High King's Throne Mechanicum caused his legs to tickle and sting as Oath of Flames’ shinguards absorbed the incoming fire. Avoiding the next enemy volley, Danial destroyed the offending Turret Emplacement with a shot of his Thermal Cannon.Before the flames had died, Sword of Heroes charged into the breach, mowing down fleeting cultists with bursts of Heavy Stubber fire and large swings of its Reaper Chainsword. Against such lightly-armoured targets, the merest touch of the weapon transformed the fleeing men into crimson tatters. The Knight of Ashes soon carved through the wall of a looming fortification until it collapsed beneath its own weight, crushing the enemy troops it harboured. As more Knights moved into the breach, the enemy lost heart and abandoned their position.The Knights finally arrived at the Valle Electrum proper and what they saw disquieted them. Hemmed in by the mountains, the Valle Electrum was supposed to be near-impregnable, yet it resembled a war zone. Huge fires had consumed blocks of hab-towers and manufactoria, filling the air with thick black smoke. At least one Promethium-refinery was burning.But most terrifying of all, from the valley's centre a pillar of light pierced the darkness, a pillar whose light seemed unnatural. The Knights of Adrastapol would need to hurry if they still wanted to win the war for Donatos Primus. With a renewed purpose and sense of urgency, the Knights marched into the Valle Electrum, racing against time and the insidious machinations of Chaos. The light they saw was the Beacon of Ascendancy, a sacrificial pyre upon which the countless masses of Donatos' "liberated" population were sacrificed to fuel Varakh'Lorr's ascension to daemonhood.