Deiumaran Dragoons

Deiumaran Dragoons
Homeworld	Deiumara
Doctrine	Constant harassment and unexpected angles of attack
Signature Equipment	Horse, Zhrykah sabre, lance.
Colors	Various patterns of Browns and Grays on multiple layers of light cloth
Associated Legion	Ninth Legion

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

The Deiumaran Dragoons were a group of the Imperial Army that were conquered by the Lions Rampant late into the Great Crusade and subsequently turned traitor alongside them to fight in the Hektor Heresy. The Dragoons, having retreated before the Great Scourging, have maintained a sizable and independent warband within the Immaterium and have raided many small worlds on the fringes of Imperial Space for fresh meat and slaves.

Background

Located on the the northernmost edge of the Segmentum Solar, bordering the Segmentum Obscurus, Deiumara was assaulted and conquered by the Lions Rampant late into the Great Crusade after an unusually long campaign against both the world's fanatically dogged fighters as well as its brutally rugged terrain and severe weather patterns. Due to the short period of time between Deiumara's subjugation and the onset of the Heresy the Dragoons fought for the Imperium for only three decades, a fact that leaves the unfortunate Imperial forces which now face them with little to no information as to the Dragoons' strategies and tactics.

Organisation

The Dragoons' Army is entirely on horseback, and as even the Chaos Gods have yet to find a way to mount a tank or troop carrier on a horse, the Deiumaran Dragoons are composed only of Infantry Regiments. Light Infantry Regiments, Heavy Infantry Regiments, Special Weapons Platoons, Heavy Weapons Platoons and even Artillery Regiments all enter the fray on horseback, though the latter two technically ride in on tracked "chariots".

Doctrine

Living and training their entire lives on horseback, the Dragoons' strategy centers on the idea of fast attack, constant harassment, and interdiction. To this end, the Dragoons take advantage of rugged and raised terrain from which to coordinate ambushes and raids from unexpected angles. The Dragoons' superior mobility compared to enemy infantry and their ability to bring special weapons, heavy weapons, and even artillery to bear at a moments notice and from the most unanticipated and treacherous of places and terrain has proven disastrous for their foes, especially those who rely heavily on armor which cannot follow or fight the Dragoons into and on the hazardous landscapes they prefer.

Behavior

The Deiumarans, having discovered a galaxy full of enemies other than each other to fight, act now as a large brotherhood. The previously warring and splintered tribes that now make up the Dragoons becoming united by their shared, though failed, efforts to throw back the Lions Rampant. They are a hardy and haughty people who believe that the hardships they faced merely trying to survive in their homeworld has bred them into superior specimens compared to the rest of the Imperium, barring the Astartes. Despite having their brotherhood forged in the crucible of war, the Deiumarans are still a brutally meritocratic people with many Dragoons advancing in rank by duelling and killing their superiors.

Relationshp with the Dark Mechanicus

Due to the Deiumarans meritocratic society any and all advantages that can put a Dragoon higher than another, especially a superior, must be seized at all costs. For this reason do the Dragoons keep close ties with the Dark Mechanicus, to the point of reserving a portion of all prisoners taken from Imperial Worlds for them as either slaves or guinea pigs. In exchange the Dark Mechanicus outfits every single member of the Dragoons with minor bionics or cybornetics. Those who have personally managed to curry the Mechanicum's favor receive more of these "upgrades".

Wargear

The most important and widespread weapon in the Dragoons' entire arsenal is the horse. These squat, splay-footed beasts are considered an extension of each Dragoon himself and are therefore lavished with care and usually covered in light armor, with blades attached to the horses' ankles by a leather ring being a common sight too. As befits an army on horseback the lance and sabre are universal among the Dragoons, with the traditional Zhrykah sabre used by every single Dragoon in close combat. When swung, the Zhrykah's wavy crescent blade is known for releasing a short, high-pitched "shriek". Additionally, every member of the Dragoons' rank-and-file also wields numerous weapons for fighting at range with various patterns of the autocarbine and Lascarbine being the most popular. Each Dragoon also arms himself with multiple sidearms ranging from high-caliber stub pistols, autopistols, laspistols, and even sawed-off shotguns. Stimulants are usually ingested by the entire army before every planned engagement.

Homeworld

In the short period of time when Deiumara was in Imperial hands it was recorded as an advanced Feudal World of craggy buttes, mesas, and plateaus with harsh and ever-changing weather patterns. After the warring tribes had been united unwittingly by the Lions Rampant's campaign, the formerly nomadic Deiumarans began establishing proper cities and towns as well as employing the higher level of technology made available to them by the Imperium to increase agricultural and industrial production as well as beginning mining operations after veins of rare metals were found in the highest peaks of the Deiumaran steppes. Unfortunately, soon after the Warmaster's death and the Traitors following retreat the traitorous developing Civilized World was bathed in fire from orbit by the Crusaders. The Imperium has yet to glean any information about the Dragoons adopted homeworld within the Eye of Terror.

Notable Dragoons

• Battlemaster Mersiellux Kabuhlos , b.unknown. Standing eight feet in height, the psyker-warlord of the Deiumaran Dragoons is the product of extensive surgery and experimentation by the Dark Mechanicus as well as the Deiumarans' own need to improve no matter the cost. Not only has Battlemaster Mersiellux received the most complex cybornetic and bionic suites the Dark Mechanicus has dreamed up, he has also had himself turned into a real life centaur with cybornetic metal claws instead of hooves. In battle Mersiellux wears a custom built suit of pseudo-power armor inscribed with wards and sigils of power, and a psychic hood. He wields a Power Zhrykah sabre that emits a debilitating psycho-sonic roar with each swing and a chain-glaive with a built-in las weapon.