vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Genestealer Cult - Sources: Codex Adeptus Astartes - Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 27Codex: Adeptus Custodes (8th Edition), "The Tale of the Ten Thousand", pg. 33Codex: Genestealer Cults (3rd Edition Supplement) by Tim Huckelbery, pp. 1-16Codex: Genestealer Cults (7th Edition), pp. 7-9, 11-16, 18-48, 101Codex: Genestealer Cults (8th Edition), pp. 6-41, 113-114, 116-117Codex: Genestealer Cults (9th Edition), pp. 4-37, 71-73, 79, 107-109Codex Imperialis (2nd Edition), pp. 92-93Codex: Tyranids (2nd Edition), pp. 27-29Codex: Tyranids (3rd Edition), pg. 48, inside back coverCodex: Tyranids (4th Edition), pg. 39Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 40Codex: Tyranids (6th Edition), pp. 99-100Freebooterz: Space Ork Army ListSpace Hulk: Missions Book (3rd Edition), pp. 2-33, 42-47Space Hulk: Missions Book (2nd Edition), pp. 7-20Warhammer 40,000 Compilation (2nd Edition), pp. 88-115Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (1st Edition), pg. 211Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook (8th Edition), pp. 140-141White Dwarf 114 (UK), "Genestealers," by Paul Murphy, pp. 31-36White Dwarf 115 (UK), "Genestealers," by Paul MurphyDeathwing (Anthology) edited by Neil Jones and David Pringle (2001 Edition), "The Alien Beast Within" by Ian WatsonSpace Hulk (Novella) by Gav ThorpeDeathwatch: Overkill (Board Game)Space Hulk (2013 Video Game)Space Hulk (1993 Video Game)13th Legion (Novel) by Gav ThorpeKill Team (Novel) by Gav ThorpeAnnihilation Squad (Novel) by Gav ThorpeBelisarius Cawl: The Great Work (Novel) by Guy Haley, Ch. 17Warhammer 40,000 Website (Faction Icons)
Genestealer Familiar - Genestealer Familiar: A Genestealer Familiar is a diminutive Genestealer-like construct created from the raw psychic energy produced by a Genestealer Patriarch or Magus that manifests in realspace as a living organism.Should a Patriarch or Magus be powerful enough, the psychic shadow that gathers around them will grow darker and thicker until it begins to coalesce. This ever-shrinking miasma hardens into a many-limbed form -- a Genestealer Familiar. When the Familiar is fully manifested, it skitters from its hiding place and runs to the heel of the xenoform that unconsciously created it.From that point on, it is as much a part of them as any hand or claw. Small and nimble, such a creature is an excellent spy, able to scuttle through the tightest crawlspaces and report back to the cult's leader through the potent psychic bond that links them.Should its master be threatened by a physical attack, the Familiar will leap up to claw at the attacker's eyes and throat, gouging its small but iron-hard talons into vulnerable flesh so the Familiar's creator can deliver the coup de grace.
Genestealer Familiar - Alchemicus Familiar: An Alchemicus Familiar often accompanies the Genestealer Cult medicae called a Biophagus, created by a Genestealer Patriarch to aid in the synthesising of xenos biomatter.The Familiar serves as a scuttling assistant that sneaks into safeguarded facilities to disperse chemical agents into watersumps or air filtration bellows.
Genestealer Familiar - Mindwyrm Familiar: The Mindwyrm Familiar is created by a Genestealer Patriarch to create and psychically control an Abominant.In order to better herd its Aberrant shock troops to battle, the Patriarch visits its blessings upon a chosen Aberrant in each gene-sect. He does so using a Mindwyrm Familiar, a diminutive xenos creature that is both progenitor and guide to the larger entity.A bio-psychic construct that is given life in the decaying slurry that gathers in the Patriarch's lair, it is the Mindwyrm Familiar's role to implant the soon-to-be-Abominant with a portion of its master's own biomass and genetic structure.It does so with a strange echo of the Genestealer's Kiss, implanting its tiny ovipositor into the toughened hide of the Aberrant and placing a potent gene-curse within its cellular structure. Thus is an Abominant born.The Mindwyrm Familiar does not depart after this strange gift is given, but continues to exert the will of the Patriarch on the Abominant. It uses the hulking thrall's bulk to break open enemy lines by shepherding it headlong into the most redoubtable foes, where its hammer smashes an opening by sending warriors flying.The creature's Aberrant kindred blindly follow the lumbering brute into the fray, incited to ever-greater acts of slaughter.
Genestealer Familiar - Soulsight Familiar: Sanctuses are accompanied on their missions by Genestealer Familiars that act as the Patriarch's ever-watchful eyes. When the gene-sire of the cult slides its loathsome form back into its genesis pool, it immerses itself in a flood of genetic memories.Familiars themselves are formed from this psychic miasma, and when lurking beneath the surface of its bio-slurry, a Patriarch can see through the eyes of these scuttling psychic manifestations, better directing its silent blades towards the desired target.
Genestealer Familiar - Sources: Codex: Genestealer Cults (8th Edition), pp. 42, 48, 51, 58, 82, 91, 93Mindwyrm Familiar imageWhite Dwarf 109 (UK), "The Ghosar Quintus Broodkin"
Genestealer Patriarch - Genestealer Patriarch: A Genestealer Patriarch is the massive Tyranid Genestealer bioform who is the original vector that created a Genestealer Cult on an infested world and becomes its leader and the ultimate controller of its Broodmind.Lurking at the centre of a Genestealer Cult's web of lies is the Patriarch, father of a hidden dynasty. Twice the height of a Space Marine and with strength enough to slice an Ogryn into bloody chunks, this creature is a leering nightmare of tooth and claw.In a flurry of whipping limbs and diamond-hard talons the Patriarch can tear through platoons of heavily armoured warriors and even light vehicles.Yet it is the hypnotic psychic spell with which it binds its chosen hosts that mark it out as perhaps the most dangerous Tyranid yet encountered by the Imperium.The uncanny powers of the Patriarch make it a fearsome puppet master, a threat so pervasive it has an Imperial xenocode threat designation unto itself. By spreading the Genestealer Curse, this creature is capable of destroying not just warriors and war machines, but entire worlds.It is unknown what relationship, if any, there exists between a Patriarch and the highly similar Genestealer organism known as a Broodlord.
Genestealer Patriarch - Broodmind Psychic Powers: The Genestealer Patriarch and Magus are potent psykers, able to use their formidable powers to bend others to their will. This mental dominance not only ensures that the gestalt consciousness of the cult's masses serves as one, but can also be channelled to crush those who would oppose their plans before they reach fruition. The powers that a Patriarch or Magus can wield include the following abilities.Mass Hypnosis - The psyker's eyes glow strangely as they cast their gaze across their chosen victims, using mental dominion to put them into a trance-like state so the cult can take them apart -- or present them to the Genestealer Patriarch for infection -- at leisure.Mind Control - Palsied fingers twitch and facial muscles spasm as the psyker's chosen mark is taken over completely. Relegated to a mere passenger within their own body, they are forced to witness their own traitorous actions as they open fire upon or otherwise act against their trusted comrades.Psionic Blast - The psyker focuses the alien hatred of their kind into a blaze of pallid energies. Where their gaze falls, the enemy are consumed -- the last thing they hear is a shrill screech of triumph.Mental Onslaught - The psyker, well used to forcing their will upon those who would resist them, intensifies their hypnotic power to such a degree it can cause their victims' brains to swell to bursting point inside their skulls.Psychic Stimulus - The unknowable power of the cult's gestalt Broodmind flows into the psyker's chosen mortal instruments, spurring these cultists into a religious frenzy that sees them attack with hyperactive speed.Might from Beyond - An alien strength lurks in every being that carries the Genestealer's genetic curse. With a low whisper that rises to a scream, the psyker amplifies this hidden might, and their followers are swollen with empowering energy born of the void itself, enhancing their physical strength and combat potential.
Genestealer Patriarch - Wargear: Monstrous Rending ClawsPsychic powers1-2 Genestealer Familiars (Optional)
Genetor - Genetor: A genetor, sometimes referred to as a magos biologis, is a high-ranking Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-priest usually bearing the title of magos who is essentially a geneticist, zoologist, xenobiologist, xenographer and molecular biologist all rolled into one, studying all matters genetic, anatomic and biological.A genetor numbers alongside the logis, artisan and magi ranks of the Adeptus Mechanicus as members of its ruling Priesthood of Mars, possessing access to knowledge and resources far beyond that of the lesser enginseers and lexmechanics. Yet a genetor's professional obsession with organic life often makes them seem strange to their more mechanically-inclined brethren, who comprise the majority of the Mechanicus.For the most part, genetors differ little from other Tech-priests -- they bear the same manner of augmetic implants, venerate information and understanding as the manifestation of divinity in the universe, and engage upon the Quest for Knowledge in much the same way.The difference is that they are not so quick to judge flesh and blood as inferior to steel and plasma and view living creatures simply as extremely complex and adaptable biomechanical machines. Where some are content to make this observation distantly, others embrace it, seeking to improve their forms not with steel, but with better engineered flesh and blood.To an unknowing observer, a genetor may appear little different to any other Tech-priest when swathed in their crimson robes. However, where most Tech-priests' mass is derived from steel reinforcement and implanted armour plate, a genetor may have augmented themselves with vat-grown muscle, toughened, carapace-like skin, and organically-reinforced bones.
Genetor - Founding of Space Marine Chapters: A primary duty of the Adeptus Mechanicus' genetors is receiving and studying the gene-seed tithes of all Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes for genetic corruption or deficiencies which has been required since the Second Founding.The Horus Heresy had revealed weaknesses in the gene-seed of several Space Marine Legions. These defects had been exacerbated by the accelerated gene-seed cultivation techniques needed to keep the huge formations of the Space Marine Legions up to strength in the terrible conflicts being fought at the time of the Great Crusade. The insidious powers of Chaos had been able to manipulate this genetic corruption to turn the Warmaster Horus and many of the Space Marines under his command against the Emperor. Once Horus was defeated following the Siege of Terra, it was decided by the new Lord Commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent Roboute Guilliman during the Time of Rebirth that the military forces of the Imperium would be reorganised so that a similar catastrophe could not be repeated.The Space Marine Legions were divided up to create one Chapter of the same name as its original First Founding Legion and many other Chapters with new names. This event was called the "Second Founding," and over two dozen further Foundings have occurred in the ten standard millennia since.During the Second Founding, it was determined that the first objective of the magi biologis was to recognise and expunge these genetic weaknesses in Astartes gene-seed. Space Marines would be created and trained far more slowly than during the height of the Great Crusade. The stored gene-seed used to cultivate the Astartes implants that turn a normal adolescent male into a transhuman Space Marine would be carefully monitored, and cultivated organs would be subject to the most stringent tests of genetic purity.Young initiates would undergo rigorous trials of physical and psychological suitability before they were accepted into the Adeptus Astartes, and only those of the highest calibre would be chosen. On Terra, the Adeptus Terra created genetic repositories to produce and store Space Marine gene-seed. These storage facilities were used to provide new gene-seed for newly founded Space Marine Chapters.To prevent cross-contamination, the genetic material of each of the old First Founding Legions was isolated. Henceforth, the new Space Marine Chapters would receive gene-seed only from their own genetic stock. The remaining stocks of gene-seed taken from the Traitor Legions before their fall to Chaos was placed under a time-locked stasis seal, although many believed these dangerous stocks of genetic material should be destroyed outright.By taking direct control of the genetic stocks, the mortal adepts of Terra could ultimately control the Space Marines in the wake of the betrayals of the Horus Heresy, for they alone now had the power to destroy or create Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes at will.
Genetor - Becoming a Genetor: The difference between a genetor and a more conventional Tech-priest is one of training, aptitude and focus. As is so frequently the case in the Adeptus Mechanicus, understanding begets power, which in turn begets knowledge, and only those who possess the will and the wit to understand that knowledge can properly obtain any form of status amongst their kind.A particular and unusual disposition among the Tech-priests is required to become a genetor; the tendency to view organic life as a form of machine in its own right, rather than as the weak, fleshy shell many Tech-priests seek to cast off for the purity of steel and plastic.Beyond this, however, it takes primarily dedication and research for a Tech-priest to become a genetor, using their knowledge of organic life to aid the Imperium in the realm of the biological sciences.
Genetor - Xenobiologists: The genetors' interest in the organic not only pertains to the Human form, but to the study of xenos life as well. The study of alien genetics, intended to better understand their physiological and psychological processes and thus how to better slay them, falls to a sub-sect of genetors collectively known as the "xenobiologists."The study of alien genetics is a common field of study for genetors. Such knowledge is dangerous in the theocracy that is the Imperium of Man, and many genetors have been condemned as Heretics for claiming the superiority of a particular xenos species' biology to that of Humans in contravention of the doctrine of the Imperial Creed.Regardless, the presence of a genetor, particularly a xenobiologist, is seen as an asset by Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleets and Rogue Traders alike, as their knowledge of Human and inhuman forms allows them to discern the nature of a newly-encountered xenos or indigenous species, or categorise a new strain of Abhuman found on a far-flung world.Genetors are also known to introduce common Imperial animals to a new colonial ecosystem, such as the Grox, a large reptilian animal that serves as a common food source on many Imperial worlds.
Genetor - Calixian Genetor Philosophies: Within the Calixis Sector, Genetors have a particularly illustrious history -- xenobiologists in great numbers joined the Angevin Crusade to study the aliens native to the region as their realms were shattered by the forces of the Imperium.Since that time, they have remained a noteworthy, if often overlooked, element of Cult Mechanicus politics within the Calixian Forge Worlds of the Lathes and beyond, and they gather in significant numbers to join expeditions into the frontier space of the neighbouring Koronus Expanse, seeking to be the first to dissect and analyse new life.Over time, three distinct philosophies have emerged amongst the Calixis Sector's genetors, which are similar to factions found among almost all genetors at large:Primus Humanum - The first and oldest of the three philosophies espouses the divine purity of the Human form and physiology as a vessel for knowledge, viewing the Emperor's form as that of the ideal intelligent being in the universe.Apexists - The second and presently most dominant philosophy amongst the genetors of the Lathe Worlds are the Apexists, who believe that adversity breeds strength in the organic, and that the perfect organism is the one that has overcome every rival and every challenge. The philosophy itself is an adaptation of the writings of an ancient pre-Imperial biological scholar named Charles Darwin.Vogelists - The third philosophy, currently gaining favour amongst more widely travelled genetors and causing concern amongst more traditional genetors, is espoused by the Companions of Vogel, whose leader, Heydrich Vogel, returned from a standard-century-long expedition into the Koronus Expanse and began preaching a creed of forced genetic and biological augmentation in order to strengthen Humanity for the troubles ahead. Some believe that Vogel's ideology verges upon heresy, and its suggestion that baseline Humanity is somehow insufficient in its current state is seen by many among the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Ecclesiarchy as being blasphemy in its own right.
Genetor - Genetor Factions: Organicists - A faction of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Organicists are a group of Tech-priests who esteemed biological enhancement as being equal in value with the cybernetic, a somewhat radical if not heretical position from most Tech-adepts' point of view.
Geonide Crusade - Geonide Crusade: The Geonide Crusade was an action taken by the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter intended to preserve important Imperial technology, scientific research and Adeptus Mechanicus personnel from a Chaos-inspired rebellion on the planet Geonide. The Forge World of Geonide was an Imperial planet worthy of note due to the scientific research being conducted within the mile-high laboratory facilities that dotted the planet's surface. The brilliant minds of Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-priests worked feverishly upon such important projects as new propulsion drives for the Imperial Navy's starships and the latest laser technologies. Then there were the classified projects involving artefacts and relics of bygone eras. Whatever the work, all is done with the interest of furthering the cause of the Emperor. However, underlying all this approved research was the possibility that someone might dig into heretical subjects outside the strict boundaries of knowledge set by the Imperium.Open rebellion against Imperial authority in Geonide's major cities erupted without warning, taking a heavy toll on the populace and priceless research facilities. Before long, the true cancer behind the unrest was revealed to be a newly formed coven of latent psykers tainted by the corruption of Chaos. These rogue psykers had been manipulated by Chaos Sorcerers into unleashing the unholy energies of ancient Warp-Drives stored on the Forge World to open a rift into the Immaterium. This allowed the Taint of Chaos to infect most of the planet's population, and the soon mostly insane and mutated citizens of Geonide proved very difficult for the remaining Imperial defenders to contain. Within a year, over 75% of the planet's population had fallen to the corruption of Chaos.
Geonide Crusade - The Geonide Crusade: Assistance for the remaining uncorrupted defenders of Geonide arrived in the form of a Black Templars Crusade fleet. After many valiant efforts to reclaim the planet on behalf of the Space Marines failed as simply too much of the planet's population now served Chaos, an Exterminatus was called for and ultimately carried out by the agents of the Inquisition, who had been present from the beginning of the rebellion. However, the Inquisition held their fire while a group of brave Black Templar Astartes ventured to the planet's surface to retrieve invaluable Mechanicus artefacts, research documents and important Imperial personnel from being swallowed by the rage of the Ruinous Powers forever.As soon as this mission was completed, the Inquisition charged the cannons of their mighty starship and unleashed a cleansing Exterminatus action that utterly destroyed the planet.
George Mann - George Mann: George Mann is an author for Games Workshop's Black Library imprint.
George Mann - Legends of the Dark Millennium: Sons of Corax (2016, ISBN 1-78496-280-5)
George Mann - Space Marine Legends: Shrike (2016, ISBN 1-78496-496-4)
George Mann - Others: The Unkindness of Ravens (2012, ISBN 1-84970-230-6)Helion Rain (Short Story) (Collected in There is Only War (Anthology))
Gerasene Host - Gerasene Host: The Gerasene Host were a little-known Blackshield warband that appeared during the middle years of the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium. The Host appeared to be the result of rapid, unsanctioned gene-seed hybridisation processes first encountered in the middle period of the Heresy.The source of the Host's gene-seed is unknown and the warriors themselves appeared unaware of their true lineage. Some Imperial strategio-savants have posited that the Host were created as a living terror weapon, wrought by an unknown hand and released into the galaxy to sow death and destruction in the ultimate furtherance of the Traitors' cause.
Gerasene Host - History: There is little information in regards to the origins of this mysterious Blackshield group, other than some of the actions they took part in, during the middle years of the galaxy-wide conflict known as the Horus Heresy. The Gerasene Host are known to have taken part in the infamous Treab's World campaign, a conflict that burned for four long years and which ultimately drew in and defeated a large contingent of the Salamanders Legion.While the Host operated independently, its strategies were in retrospect clearly co-aligned with those of the Death Guard and Emperor's Children forces also deployed to Treab's World.It was often theorized that the Host were created as a living terror weapon, created by parties unknown to bring as much death and ruination upon those still loyal to the cause of the Emperor in order to further the aims of the Traitor Legions. This was in accordance with the idea that they were the result of unsanctioned gene-seed experimentation in the midst of the Horus Heresy in an effort to increase the strength of Horus' traitors.
Gerasene Host - Combat Doctrine: In general, most Blackshield forces deployed only those ground units that could be rapidly set down onto a planet's surface from orbit, limiting ground vehicles to Rhino and Land Raider variants that could be carried by a Thunderhawk Transporter or within the hold of a Sokar Pattern Stormbird.Nevertheless, there were several known exceptions and not every Blackshield force operated in this manner; the group known as the Gerasene Host, for example, deployed without warning into the northern sulphur deserts of Treab's World and fought for many solar months before departing just as suddenly using craft they are thought to have secreted in hidden caverns near the planet's northern pole.
Gerasene Host - Warband Colours: Most of these warriors wore production Mark V Pattern Legiones Astartes Power Armour, its source unknown. Having never borne the heraldry of any Legion, beneath the accrued weathering of a long campaign, their battle-plate displayed the bare metallic grey of unadorned ceramite.
Gerasene Host - Warband Badge: The markings they bore were typical of the Host, as each bearer applied what appeared to be arcane and idiosyncratic glyphs of unknown provenance. The "L" sigil on the right shoulder pauldron was worn by most warriors of the Host, its significance unclear to Imperial savants.
Gerasene Host - Source: The Horus Heresy - Book Six: Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 94, 223
Gerat System - Gerat System: The Gerat System is an unspectacular Imperial star system recently come to prominence due to the successful prosecution of the Geratomran Reconquest. The star system is part of the mineral-rich Agritha Sub-sector of the Chiros Sector, a frontier realm that encompasses systems in both the Segmentum Pacificus and the Segmentum Tempestus. The Gerat System derives its name from its sun, a stable type L-V orange dwarf star still early in the stellar life cycle.
Geratomran Reconquest - Geratomran Reconquest: The Geratomran Reconquest was but one of a series of brushfire wars the Imperium of Man fought in the wake of the Macharian Crusade. With the great crusade of Lord Commander Solar Macharius drawing in the military resources of virtually all the Segmentum Pacificus and half the Segmentum Tempestus, several worlds turned from the Emperor's light. One was the Industrial World of Geratomro, which entered a state of open rebellion after being unable to meet the required Imperial Tithe fixed by the Adeptus Administratum.Faced with the resistance of Geratomro's remaining Planetary Defence Forces, and with several other worlds on the brink of open revolt, the Segmentum authorities decided that a show of force was necessary. The options of Exterminatus and orbital bombardment were considered and then dismissed, for Geratomro was a promising Industrial World whose resources might one day again benefit the Imperium.As isolating the Gerat System through the use of a naval blockade would take too long to bring the rebels to their knees, it was decided that a planetary assault using ground forces was the only realistic option. Several preexisting Battlegroups of the Astra Militarum were redirected to Geratomro and after their initial successes they were forced to face not only Heretic Astartes of the traitorous Emperor's Children Legion, but also elements of an unidentified Traitor Titan Legion.The carefully laid plans to bring Geratomro back into the Imperial fold with as little planetary damage as possible had to be dismissed once the Imperial forces needed to ensure that the servants of Chaos could not unleash their most terrible allies into realspace -- the daemonic legions of the Chaos Gods.Thanks to the actions of a small contingent of Black Templars Space Marines of the Michaelus Crusade and the heroic contribution of Honoured Lieutenant Colaron Artem Lo Bannick of the 7th Paragonian Super Heavy Company, the daemonic incursion was prevented and Geratomro was not transformed into a new Daemon World in service to the Ruinous Powers.
Geratomran Reconquest - Prelude: When Lord Commander Solar Macharius secured the High Lords of Terra's support to launch the Macharian Crusade in the early 41st Millennium, the Lord Solar turned to the Adeptus Administratum, and more specifically the Departmento Munitorum, to assemble the countless regiments of Astra Militarum that would be needed to reconquer the Halo Zone in the name of the Emperor.All across the Segmentum Pacificus and the Segmentum Tempestus, Departmento Munitorum Assessor Teams began to exact the Imperial Tithe, claiming men and materiel for the new Imperial Crusade. However, due to the setbacks later encountered by the Lord Solar's armies, the tithes expected from the worlds supplying the Crusade steadily increased.
Geratomran Reconquest - The Devil's Choice: In 394.M41, a new Munitorum delegation under the authority of both Senior Assessor Borowisk and Tithemaster Querol was dispatched to Geratomro. The world's ruler, Planetary Governatrice Missrine Huratal I, was reluctant to welcome the envoys for it was the ninth time in only seven Terran years that the Departmento Munitorum had demanded that Geratomro provide more troops for the Macharian Crusade.While Geratomro had readily complied with all the prior requests, this time the planetary government of Geratomro intended to refuse the Imperial envoys: the previous tithes had bled Geratomro dry of manpower. Women and children now worked in the fields and in Geratomro's manufactoria. Most of the world's men had been drafted into the Planetary Defence Forces, a necessary measure since some of the moons of Gerat V had already been attacked by xenos raiders. Any further loss of manpower would render Geratomro unable to meet the requirements of the Exacta, the Imperial Tithe of economic resources gathered by another division of the Adeptus Administratum.Vainly, Missrine Huratal I pleaded for the Administratum envoys to turn back and leave Geratomro in peace. She argued that if they were to leave, the Macharian Crusade would merely be short 50,000 troops while Geratomro would still be able to fulfill the requirements of its tithe to the Departmento Exacta. Even the xenos -- while posing a threat -- could be held at bay with the forces the governor had at her disposal. In short, the human cost of an invasion of Geratomro to enforce compliance would doubtlessly be far higher than the number of troops the Administratum wanted to raise from the world.This message was continuously relayed to the approaching Tithe Fleet, first through astropathic message and once they had reached Geratomro's orbit, through hololitic communication, but still Senior Assessor Borowisk and Tithemaster Querol could not be swayed. A confrontation was inevitable.
Geratomran Reconquest - Imperial Response: With the initial recovery force having suffered heavily under the Traitors' assault, it was clear that Geratomro's resistance needed to be broken before it sparked a new wave of revolts across the Agritha Sub-sector -- and possibly beyond. In truth, the Imperium generally had only four options to deal with rebellious worlds: an Exterminatus action, orbital bombardment, planetary isolation or a planetary assault.The first two options were quickly dismissed, for the Imperium was loathe to sacrifice an inhabitable planet without good reason. Likewise, as Geratomro's orbital defences were still operational it was too risky to unleash the warships of the Imperial Navy for an orbital bombardment. While blockading and isolating Geratomro and leaving it over to neglect was a viable option, the several solar decades or even Terran centuries required for this kind of venture to succeed would have an immediate and deleterious affect on the Macharian Crusade's supply lines.In order to reestablish Imperial Law and present an example to other worlds considering rebellion, a great show of strength was required, a display of power which would let every potentially seditious Imperial Governor in the sub-sector know what happened to those who defied the will of the Lords of Terra.To show the rebellious world the true strength of the Imperium's armed forces, much consideration was given to the composition of the final battlegroup, with great care taken to ensure that every major Adepta of the Imperium was represented. Fortunately for the senior Adepts of the Departmento Munitorum, such forces were already near-by.Having fought alongside Battlegroup Kalidar in the Kalidar War, a small Crusade Fleet of Black Templars Space Marines was still available and was more than willing to lend their strength to the Geratomran Reconquest. Likewise, the Adeptus Mechanicus had previously deployed a single maniple of Battle Titans from the Legio Crucis to the sub-sector capital of Agritha to ward it from the attention of the Drukhari. It was seconded to the Geratomran Reconquest after some minor negotiations.In the end, no less than three full-fledged battlegroups of the Astra Militarum were rerouted to Geratomro, a mighty show of force intended to deny the growing rumours of the Imperium's weakness.
Geratomran Reconquest - Forcing a Landing: Hostilities began on 082.398.M41 when the gathered Imperial forces moved to capture the city of Matua Superior, a landing zone chosen for the presence of a spaceport. Since the Imperium wished to capture both the city and spaceport intact, the attacking Astra Militarum regiments were under strict orders to limit collateral damage and unnecessary destruction to the surrounding infrastructure.Orbital landings are among the most dangerous operations undertaken by Imperial forces and even conservative estimates placed the losses suffered during the transfer from orbit to surface at 20%, a testimony to the potency of Matua Superior's air-defence network. The brunt of the assault was carried out by the men of the 477th Paragonian Foot which was supported by all the super-heavy tank companies available to the campaign.The troops disembarked in a torrential rain, Geratomro's climate wracked by the stress put on it by the supporting Lance-strikes of the Imperial Navy. For while Matua Superior was to be captured intact, the city surrounding it would not escape unscathed. While quite humble in size, the solar months of waiting between the two Imperial landings had given the defenders time to considerably fortify the city's surroundings. These fortifications included a trench system and a cordon of defensive bastions. With the rain turning the ground into a quagmire, the assaulting Imperials readied themselves for a difficult fight.Under the oversight of Captain-General Iskhandrian of Atraxia, Matua Superior was assailed from three directions at once. The northern landing zone was given over to the Atraxian regiments who were ordered to capture and hold the port facilities before the enemy could sabotage them. From the west, the remains of the initial reclamation force were ordered to venture further into the city and link up with those elements left behind on Geratomro which had until now been laying siege to Matua Superior. The main assault would come from the south and was given to the united Paragonian Regiments of Battlegroup Genthus and Kalidar. Their mission was to capture the southern landing zone before pressing into the city.
Geratomran Reconquest - Advance on Magor's Seat: While all across Geratomro the defenders broke or surrendered in the wake of Matua Superior's fall, there was one notable exception: the Yellow Guard, Missrine Huratal's elite troops, who remained fanatically loyal to the House of Magor which they had protected for thousands of Terran years. While not numerous enough to hold an entire frontline, the Yellow Guard had been tasked with the defence of Geratomro's capital city, Magor's Seat, and were wise enough not to trust only in static defences. The Yellow Guard had taken up defensive positions across the major arteries linking Matua Superior to Magor's Seat, effectively locking down the approaches to the Imperial army's ultimate objective with a minimum of troops.The Yellow Guard conducted several cleverly devised ambushes and delaying actions that considerably slowed the Imperial advance. Frustrated by these delays, Captain-General Iskhandrian ordered his heaviest elements to the front, but even against the Super Heavy Tank Companies, the Yellow Guard was able to hold its on. The 7th Paragonian Super Heavy Company was targeted by a suicide attack, the Yellow Guard using Augur-detectable landmines to block the road, forcing the Emperor's mighty engines of war to cross across fields where they risked becoming bogged down by the muddy terrain.This fate befell the Hellhammer called Ostrakhan's Rebirth and effectively disrupted the 7th's formation. The Yellow Guard counterattacked with seven Leman Russ tanks which, while all destroyed in the effort, nevertheless were able to immobilise the Baneblade Artemen Ultrus by targeting its tracks. Worse yet, the Shadowsword Lux Imperator suffered another catastrophic system failure which killed its gunner and injured several other crew members. For the relatively modest price of a few score of infantrymen and seven regular tanks, the enemy had reduced the fighting strength of the 7th Paragonian Super Heavy Company by 75%.Only a few solar minutes after the suicide attack an urgent message reached the 7th Company: elements of the 477th Paragonian Foot were requesting their assistance to take a strategically vital objective.
Geratomran Reconquest - Coup d'État: While the forces of the Yellow Guard desperately sought to slow the Imperial advance, both sides blissfully ignored the profound changes wrought in the planetary capital of Magor's Seat.During a confused night of which several diverging accounts exist, both the Planetary Governatrice Missrine Huratal I and her designated heir, her artificial child Missrine Huratal II, were slain. The throne of Geratomro's planetary ruler therefore fell to Dostain Huratal, the architect of Geratomro's rebellion against the Imperium -- for it was he who had suggested to Missrine Huratal I not to give in to the demands of the Departmento Munitorum.What truly happened remains uncorroborated, since every person involved was slain in the later stages of the rebellion, but the evidence suggests that Dostain Huratal was in league with another official in the line of succession, Pollein Huratal, and together they conducted a bloody coup, no doubt on the orders of far more sinister masters. Following the change of government, the first trace of the involvement of Chaos in the outbreak of the rebellion was found on Geratomro.
Geratomran Reconquest - The Advance Resumes: With the successful capture of Hill Seven-Beta, the Imperial advance could resume, it pace further quickened by the end of the storms that had followed in the wake of the planetary landing. Captain Lo Santelligen's men were ordered to remain on-site, holding the position in case of an enemy counterattack none of the officers truly believed was likely.After the end of the fight, the crewmen of Cortein's Honour were able to take stock of the damage done to their tank. The Baneblade had lost its right sponson-mounted Lascannon, and while the Twin-linked Heavy Bolters were salvageable they responded sluggishly to the commands of Third Gunner Leonates. The Heavy Laser Destroyer of the enemy tank-hunter had caused the most damage: two of the super-heavy's Cogitators had been destroyed and the other three were functioning below optimal capacity, their Machine Spirits in shock at the death of their comrades.As a result, several systems were nonoperational such as the logic-engines, tactical hololithic projection and targeting arrays. The long-range Vox, initially deemed salvageable, ultimately proved too damaged to restore, requiring Honoured Lieutenant Lo Bannick to use the 16th Company's Vox to report back to Honoured Captain Lo Hannick for new orders.Overall, Cortein's Honour’s ability to function was impaired but not compromised: its engines and weapon systems were still working even if the systems supporting them were not. The Baneblade's crew would need to adapt and fight a war like the tankers of Old Earth had -- alone, without communication and relying solely on their skills and the marksmanship of their gunners.Although Captain Lo Santelligen clearly wished to see Cortein's Honour remain with his company, the Baneblade had received different orders. After one local day of rest and repairs, the super-heavy tank was supposed to link up with other elements of the Imperial advance on Highway 4 and make straight for Magor's Seat. A forward base was scheduled to be erected a short distance from the planetary capital to serve as a staging ground for the final Imperial assault.Instead of using the crowded road which would have slowed them down, Cortein's Honour navigated the vast fields bordering the Drava to link up with its convoy at one of the bridges crossing the wide river. Honoured Lieutenant Lo Bannick had to rely on physical, printed charts to get his tank to the rendezvous point, though the nice weather allowed the Baneblade's crew to enjoy a modicum of Geratomro's true natural beauty.After passing several abandoned villages, Cortein's Honour discovered a pair of railroad tracks heading towards the capital that it could follow. The tracks' path took the Baneblade straight to Highway 4. It was only as they approached the coordinates provided by Honoured Captain Lo Hannick that the crew noticed something was amiss.
Geratomran Reconquest - A Hero's Welcome: The failed ambush against Cortein's Honour had cost the tank dearly, resulting in further damage. The confrontation with the final Predator had taken its toll on the Baneblade's engines and it was only by disengaging the reactor's safeties that Cortein's Honour was able to move at all. Resolute, the Baneblade followed Highway 4 to its final objective: the Astra Militarum castella established outside Magor's Seat.When the super-heavy tank finally reached the gates of the Imperial encampment, it found a citadel under siege. Artillery fire sporadically fell around the perimeter while the sky was filled with the burning trails of orbital debris from the naval battle raging over Geratomro. In the distance, no more than twenty kilometers away, the spires of Magor's Seat could be seen, the sky over the city filled with the multiple rocket flares of descending vessels from orbit. What was supposed to be the last stepping stone leading to a crushing victory had now become a fortress under siege.When Cortein's Honour presented itself before the castella's main entrance, it found its gates closed and the mouths of several heavy weapons pointed at it. Two octagonal rockcrete bunkers flanked the gates, further reinforced by walls of piled sandbags. A sentry, a sergeant-at-arms of the Cadian Shock Troops, approached Baneblade, a look of surprise on his face. Honoured Lieutenant Lo Bannick soon learned why -- the Baneblade had been assumed destroyed alongside the rest of the convoy. After the briefest of examinations, the sentry let them pass, indicating where the 7th Paragonian Super Heavy Company was billeted.As the Baneblade crossed into the Imperial encampment, a ragged cheer welcomed them, the infantrymen -- especially those from Paragon -- applauding the Baneblade's unexpected return. The cheers of their fellow soldiers warned the members of their unit long before the turret of Cortein's Honour could be seen so that by the time the Baneblade reached the small courtyard where the other engines of the company were parked a small crowd had gathered. Even the Tech-priests stopped their inspection of the other super-heavies to assess the damage on Cortein's Honour. Almost as soon as Bannick had climbed down from his cupola, Honoured Captain Hannick was there ushering him into his tent for an urgent briefing.
Geratomran Reconquest - The Fate of Lux Imperator: As the other officers of the 7th Paragonian Super Heavy Company left the tent, Honoured Captain Lo Hannick asked Bannick to stay and discuss the status of Cortein's Honour. While the Baneblade had suffered dearly during the last engagements, the Honoured Lieutenant was confident that the Adeptus Mechanicus would be able to repair Cortein's Honour in under five solar hour.Reluctantly, Hannick refuted this claim: the loss of their supply train would mean that Cortein's Honour’s much-needed repairs would need to wait until after their victory -- even the battleworthy super-heavy tanks would need to be resupplied using the stock of the Paragonian 8th and Atraxian 18th. While the tank was operational, Hannick vehemently refused to let Cortein's Honour leave the camp, convinced that the absence of a functioning Vox would put the whole venture in jeopardy. However, this didn't mean that the Baneblade's crew couldn't join the fight for Geratomro's capital.The Enginseers attached to Hannick's command had successfully convinced the Honoured Captain that the Shadowsword's traumatised Machine Spirit was to blame for the series of malfunctions Lux Imperator had suffered on Geratomro. During the 7th's previous deployment on the Desert World of Kalidar, Lux Imperator had indeed been captured by the Orks and forced to fight the soldiers of the Astra Militarum before being recaptured by the forces of the Imperium.Having served alongside and fought against Lux Imperator during this conflict, the Enginseers believed that Honoured Lieutenant Lo Bannick somehow shared a sympathetic link to the tank and that he would be able to master it. It was also their belief that by slaying a worthy enemy in battle, the imbalance in Lux Imperator’s humours could be revised. Hannick ordered Bannick to merge the crews of Cortein's Honour and Lux Imperator in any way he saw fit and assume temporary command of the Shadowsword.Bannick chose to rely mostly on his own crew, a wise choice considering that his own First Gunner, a Paragonian named Meggen, was also trained in the use of the sophisticated Targeting Arrays of the Shadowsword's potent Volcano Cannon. In the end, Bannick replaced all of the crew members except for Lux Imperator’s attached Tech-priest. Before nightfall, the Commissar appointed by Lord Inquisitor Vesh had also arrived, completing the crew.
Geratomran Reconquest - Aftermath: While the fall of Magor's Seat marked the end of the Geratomran Reconquest, the planet's fate was yet to be decided. The Inquisition's acting representative, Lord Militant Vesh, issued his own set of orders. Having known the touch of Daemons, Geratomro would see a similar fate to that of the distant Hive World of Armageddon in the wake of the First War for Armageddon.The remaining 300 million civilians from other Geratomran cities were declared traitoros in extremis. Stripped of their rights as citizens of the Imperium, Geratomro's people were forcefully placed into detention camps while their future was determined. Survivors of the Planetary Defence Forces or those with military experience would live out their days in the Penal Legions. The remainder of the population -- after having been rid of the old, the frail and the sick -- would be forced into indentured labour, serving as cheap slaves for the manufactoria of more loyal Imperial worlds.Where normally the Inquisition would have purged or mind-wiped all Imperial troops that had direct contact with daemonic entities, the post-battle reports filed by Sword Brother Adelhard clearly stated that Lux Imperator had fired at maximum range and that none of its crewmen had ever laid eyes on any daemon.Since the crew had showed the courage to kill those amongst its own ranks that had succumbed to enemy sorcery, the Inquisition did not push matters any further, not wanting to risk a direct confrontation with such a devout and powerful Chapter as the Black Templars.With the fate of Geratomro's former population dealt with, the world was marked for recolonisation. After much political bickering, the Paragonian Regiments of the Astra Militarum were granted the rights of stewardship and settlement, their first task aid in the processing and relocation of Geratomro's former population. It may well be that in time the name of Geratomro will entirely be forgotten, replaced by the designation its new inhabitants chose for it -- New Paragon.The harsh measures taken by the Imperium by forcibly removing the line of Magor from rulership over Geratomro proved effective in securing the loyalty of the wider sector for the Emperor. Contemplating the terrible fate of one of their own brought so low, several Planetary Governors previously on the brink of revolution quickly returned to the Loyalist fold.In the solar month following the pacification, Adeptus Mechanicus recovery crew busied themselves gathering the remains of Princeps Yolandesh and her Titan while readying the captured Traitor Warlord for resanctification and transportation.Ironically, in the end, Missrine Huratal I had been proven right: the absence of Geratomro's tithe contribution had barely slowed the course of the Macharian Crusade. But the Geratomran Conquest had required a vast expenditure of men and materiel, especially amongst the chronically undermanned Imperial Navy. But Huratal had always missed the point -- no outpost of humanity, no matter how small or remote, could ever free itself from the demands of the Emperor.
Geratomran Reconquest - Imperial Order of Battle: The reclamation of Geratomro was only rendered possible through the combined efforts of no less then three previously independent Astra Militarum battlegroups and their respective reinforcements. Below is the Imperial order of battle for the Geratomran Reconquest with its nominal fighting strength at the beginning of the campaign in 398.M41.
Geratomran Reconquest - Battlegroup Geratomro: Battlegroup Geratomro was formed to accompany Senior Assessor Borowisk to Geratomro. Intended more as a show of force to impress Planetary Governatrice Missrine Huratal I, the initial reclamation force was ill-prepared for the sudden violent actions undertaken by the Renegade Geratomran Planetary Defence Forces and suffered heavily while the Tithe Fleet was still in orbit. The battlegroup's core was comprised of experienced but severely depleted regiments of Cadian Shock Troops.Designated Commanding Officer : General Jonatan Hern