Death Rider - Krieg Steed: One of the most justly famous of the unique formations found within the forces of the Death Korps of Krieg are the Death Riders. Although superficially similar to Rough Rider cavalry units found among numerous other Astra Militarum regiments from worlds where riding mounts are commonplace, the Death Riders of Krieg are a direct result of Krieg's standard-centuries-long civil war.As the hugely destructive war raged across the face of Krieg, it became increasingly more difficult for the Loyalists and their traitorous enemies to field tanks and fighting vehicles. Supplies of parts and fuel quickly became scarce, the knowledge and manpower needed to pilot the vehicles and keep them operational dwindled as the war deaths mounted, and the very land itself became so blasted and broken that not even tracked vehicles could cross it with any ease. As vehicles succumbed to supply shortages, battle damage, and lack of crewmen, the loyalist Krieg turned to the ancient tactics of mounted cavalry to give them a competitive edge over their enemies. Breeding and genetically modifying the hardy local equines as warhorses and raising specially trained cavalry companies to ride them into battle, the loyalist forces unleashed these new mounted warriors on their unsuspecting foes with great results.For nearly three standard centuries the Death Riders have been a staple of first the Loyalist forces of Krieg and then, once the rebellion was finally quashed and Krieg was brought back into the Imperial fold, of the Death Korps. Despite the fact that the Death Korps is now equipped with Leman Russ Tanks, Chimeras in all of their variety, and sufficient fuel, parts, and ammunition, the Death Riders still make up an important part of Krieg's tithe to the Imperial Guard.Every bit as dour and fatalistic as their infantry brethren, the Death Riders are, if anything, more eager to sacrifice themselves for the God-Emperor and the greater good of His Imperium. Faceless and nameless like the rest of the Death Korps -- even their Krieg Steeds wear heavy armoured respirators over their eyes and mouths, obscuring their strange equine faces -- the Death Riders throw themselves and their mounts into the midst of their enemies without a thought, typically at the culmination of a thunderous charge with fixed hunting lances. The grim solace they take in riding down the God-Emperor's enemies, along with the typical Krieg martyrdom complex, makes the Death Riders a very effective and dangerous unit.Like their Attilan Rough Rider counterparts, the Death Riders are mounted on loyal steeds and used as fast attack units and scouting companies. However, whereas the Attilans use guerrilla tactics and lightning attacks to sow fear and confusion among their enemies, the heavy cavalry companies of the Death Riders use brute force and the strength of their mounts to carry the day. Their most singular aspect is the nature of the Death Riders' mounts -- the legendary Krieg Steed -- that is a highly adaptable form of the original Terran horse. This animal is now the product of extreme genetic engineering; tailored for strength, endurance and aggression, with numerous additional bio-sculpted organs that allow them to survive on the most polluted and toxic battlefields unscathed.Vat-grown on Krieg under the auspices of the Magi Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the animals are further augmented with sub-dermal organic armour, osmotic lungs, and a fully integrated drug injection system rigged with a potent mixture of stimulants, pain-blockers and other palliatives. The end result is that the Krieg Steed is capable of incredible levels of endurance and environmental tolerance. The Krieg Steed is also a weapon in its own right with its chemically enhanced aggression centres triggered at the rider's command, and virtually impossible to incapacitate short of massive bodily trauma.Masters of the cavalry charge, the Death Riders pelt across the shattered battlefields of the galaxy, trampling and impaling their enemies. With little ceremony, these stoic fanatics charge directly into enemy formations to lay waste with their lances, heavy sabres, and sidearms, while their mounts bite, kick, and gouge the enemy into a trampled, bloody pulp. Death Riders never retreat once they have committed to the charge, instead they fight on until their enemies are destroyed or they are destroyed to a man, and only the most strong-willed or highly respected officer can cause them to call off their frenzied attack.