Imperial Army (Hektor Heresy)
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 Imperial Army, or Excertus Imperialis, was an immense body of ordinary fighting men and women. It was formed to supplement the mighty Legiones Astartes of the Great Crusade, initially as a reserve force but becoming more important as the Space Marines were stretched ever-thinner across the Galaxy.
Notable Imperial Army Units
The Ardito Highwatch
Hailing from a world of ravines and soaring peaks, the Ardito are born mountaineers and light infantrymen. The thin air of their homeworld selects only the hardiest specimens to survive to adulthood.
The Auron Infantries
[The flavor is ,predominantly, a mix between WWI and WWII Aus and NZ soldiers (them Slouch hats, brownish cloths, sometimes pouches across chests), but obviously worked into the future-soldier look, with a sprinkle of Catachan (singlets, bandannas, muscles, knives, etc). Mostly Australian themed. Will subtly incorporate NZ flavors in there in future.]
The Auron Infantries are an Imperial Army force, focusing on light infantry, founded in late M30 on the planet Auron. Auron Infantrymen have been known to internally refer to one another as 'Aurries'.
As their title implies, the Auron Infantries are mainly comprised of light infantry, with little use of little heavy weapons or vehicles. They have secondary elements of jungle fighting and mounted infantry teams.
Auron Infantryman behavior is characterized by their casual, jokey attitude and outlook towards life and war. They usually follow orders loosely and casually, except in deathly situations, in which an Auron Infantryman can be called upon to enact orders with grim determination and adherence. Each Infantryman has a unique bond with his fellow Aurrie, known internally as 'mateship'. Often, it is mateship that keeps squads and companies together, rather than the efforts of the discipline officers.
It is the looseness and amiability of the Auron Infantrymen that earns them scorn and underestimation from commanders of other IAs, but also fondness and benevolence from rank-and-file soldiers of other IAs.
The Auron foot soldiers seem more at home in harsher, wild environments than the average soldier, especially in hot climates, as they are used to such conditions on Auron, especially the rural areas.
Living on Auron has also let Aurries develop certain habits and rituals, like checking your boots EVERY time you put them on, NOT leaving clothing on the ground, and the old tried and tested assuming EVERYTHING that moves is a danger. Such practices further add to the Auron Infantry’s resilience to harsh environments.
Select companies of the Auron Infantry have found niches in the theatre of war, specifically jungle fighting and mounted infantry, in which the natural habits of the Aurries are extremely useful (like bushland tracking and farmland horse-handling), although these specialist fighters remain as merely an element of the Auron Infantry.
The Carlisian Shock Troops
Carlisar is a system on the edge of Segmentum Solar near the Eye of Terror. Its primary planet of Carlisar IV is a heavily industrialised planet just short of hive world status. Carlisar has a proud military tradition born from many centuries of bloody upheaval within the system itself and eventually from marauding orks that have constantly plagued the system since their arrival.
Eager to prove themselves in the crucible of war after accepting Imperial pacification with open arms, Carlisar raised and sent out as many regiments as it could muster for the Imperial Army. Carlisian army regiments focus on a solid core of footslogging and mechanised infantry supported by some tanks, and a very large number of aircraft. Veterans of the infantry companies are promoted to the drop companies, who specialise in airborne tactical insertion to the most dangerous battlefield areas. Carlisar drop troopers are deployed into the battlefield where they can have the most impact, reinforcing crumbling fronts and hitting vulnerable enemy positions. Due to the nature of warfare these drop companies have high attrition rates. This is seen as a point of pride among the soldiers, and promotion to the drop companies is a great honor. The regiments tend to boast an array of highly skilled pilots as well, given the difficulty of performing flybys for troop deployment and bombing runs where the fighting tends to be thickest. The result of their tactical doctrine is a solid land based fighting force that is highly adaptable due to rapid air deployment and supplemented by gunship support and bombings. Carlisar soldiers tend to be boisterous and outgoing in their relations with other Imperial Army units, and have a dogged determination and disdain for fear that make them truly fierce combatants. Many a foe has fallen to the onslaught of their shining blue battle tanks, disciplined regimented infantry, and coordinated drop strikes.
Chelob Hammerers
Following the conquest of the Core Worlds Confederation by the Children of Armok and Winged Victory, a heavy tithe of troops was imposed on the defeated planets. As the most populous Core World, Chelob Hold was required to raise one hundred and twenty regiments each year. The warlords of the Imperium were well-pleased by the results. These sturdy men, clad in their Grummel powered armour suits, made outstanding heavy infantry. Their technical nous made them excellent artillerists, though the officers of Hammerer regiments lacked the audacious streak necessary to make good use of their heavy and super-heavy vehicles in open country.
Ciban Chasseurs
The Fifth Legion's homeworld of Ciban IV has raised many regiments for the Imperium every year since its Pacification. The patronage of the Primarch Gaspard Lumey led to these soldiers being among the best-equipped in the Imperial Army. Typically deployed as mechanized troops, Ciban Chasseurs were present for almost all of the Fifth's battles until the Legion was broken up in the Imperial Reformation.
The Dolsene Rifles
Go tell the Emperor, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to His laws, we lie.
Epitaph on Cadia, Attributed to Theodoric II De Shiloh of Dolsene
Dolsene is a world perpetually under Siege. Located on the very doorstep of the Halo Stars, it has been raided, ravaged and assaulted by all manner of xenos horrors down the years. Over the years this has bred a highly militaristic and egalitarian population, where universal service is the norm, the mandatory conscription of women in times of need and levies of reserve troops which make up the bulk of the population must give one month every year for training and ongoing defence activities as well as being called up when war threatens.
These features, coupled with a strict training program and advanced equipment breeds some of the best troops in the Imperial Army and later Guard. Though Dolsene Regiments only rarely leave their embattled homeworld, when they do they are praised for their methods of war, their defensive genius and offensive shock.
Dolsene itself is a strategically vital world. As the hub of an entire fortified sector and the first world to meet invasion when it comes from the Halo Stars, it is heavily fortified with two Class One Star-forts as the primary orbital defence. Even these cannot keep all foes from the planet’s surface, so the ground cities are well fortified with walls, shield generators and antimissile systems in case of enemy bombardment. Dolsene has a much smaller population then similar worlds such as Cadia, and so needs to conserve troops as well as defeat the enemy, which has led to its unique combat doctrine.
Due to the constant assaults from beyond the stars and need to maintain a flexible defence, the Dolsene Rifles use a highly unusual method of ‘offensive defence’. Regiments are assigned a point to anchor their defences upon. From these strongpoints the division would launch spoiling attacks against the foe, putting them on the back foot and forcing them to react and defend instead of assaulting in their full strength. When on the offensive the Dolsene Regiments attack from multiple vectors at once, using speed and surprise to force the enemy back, close in firefights being preferred over the dangers of close combat.
Their stubbornness and refusal to back down in the face of adversity is reflected in their battle cry: ‘We are the Line!’
The Exiran Armored Brigades
So named for the perponderance of tanks and other armored equipment in their divisions, the Exirans are among the most widespread of Imperial Guard units, with Princes fighting on almost every side of every conflict. Hailing from the eponymous sector, Exiran units feature some of the best individual fighting forces in the Imperium. Exirus is home to countless factories spanning entire continents, and based on a tradition of ritualized warfare between local nobles Exiran units have developed a stong tradition of integrated armor/infantry/artillery operations. While the various Princes have since embraced naval and space combat as well, the wargame traditions have often time blinded them to wider strategic considerations.
If left to their own devices an Exiran brigade may quickly run out of fuel, run out of food, run out of ammo in protracted battles. This is not indicative of any sort of wastefulness on the part of Exirus soldiers but a testament to the Kriegspiel traditions of their commanding officers, when a single battle might have dictated the fate of an entire nation. Exiran infantry may require greater resupply but they are well trained professional soldiers rather than the mass conscripts of other parts of the Imperium. Squads train with nearly every weapon available to them. A commanding officer couldn't ask for a better fighting force, but Imperial Commissars often butt heads with them. As such, one will often find Princes of Exirus leading a brigade from the front in the Commissar's stead.
Haeltoth Starguard
The Starguard are few but better-known than many more numerous formations. If their doctrine and tactical prowess does not astound, their sleek powered armour and advanced energy weaponry always leaves an impression.
Horde of the Hated
A special branch of the Imperial Army, created due to the large amount of Abhuman species that had been assimilated into the Imperium. Since many high ranking Imperial Army officials could not stomach the creatures, they were pushed together into a single army, the Horde of the Hated. They pay for their crime of mutation by spilling the blood of the Emperors enemies.
The different abhuman species tend to be secluded to whatever role that their mutation would best suit them to. The Commanders are almost all humans that keep a watchful eye over them, making sure that they stay loyal to the Emperor and the Imperium at all times, though, a few Abhumans have been granted the illusion of power, by being given high titles, such as Discipline Master. A few, that have shown true valor, have been granted cybornetic implants.
The Horde specialize in large numbers and large bodies. The Horde is known for rushing enemies, regardless of its tactical intelligence. Partly because a large number of the Hordes forces come from primative worlds, but, mostly because Horde commanders do not care for their men. It is not unheard of, for an army to be swept away as a group of Bullgryns abandon a heavily fortified bunker, to charge. Many Horde weapons are semi-automatic, or burst fire, so that the more primatives do not simply waste all of their ammo by firing wildly into the air, enjoying the explosive sounds.
In contrast, some of the elites of the Horde are known for their tactical effectiveness, primarily because most commanders underestimate the strength, determination and intelligence of the average Abhuman. The Storm Callers are known for efficiency on the battlefield.
The Kondrus Aeroguard
Hailing from the former Hive World Kondrus in the Solar Segmentus, the foreboding shadows of Kondrus Aeroguard gunships and their hooded drop troops have graced many a recalcitrant world's surface. An Air Assualt formation, the Kondrus Aeroguard make extensive use of VTOL gunships which serve as organic transport and fire support for squads of Light and Medium infantry. Light infantry (in search of a better name) serve as infiltrators and guerrillas, drawn from the bands of young scavengers and treasure seekers that scour the lichen jungle covered industrial ruins that surround the Hives of Kondrus. Medium Infantry possess semi-powered armor, allowing them to carry stubbers as primary weapons. These squadrons are also host to Hardsuits, bipdel walkers which carry a host of heavy weapons and advanced sensor systems. The Aeroguard also makes use of elite, air mobile armored formations of light tanks and self propelled artillery for the rapid exploitation of enemy weaknesses and strikes against enemy command and control nodes. Rarely seen though often prized are Kondrus Aeroguard GravLancers, large yet fast skimmers that possess Grubhead Demolition rockets. Flying low and hugging the terrain, GravLancers and their devastating ordinance are used to break stubborn enemy fortifications.
Kondrus Aeroguard forces are known for keeping to themselves when deployed with other formations, preferring the company of their own gunship bound squadmates where they often can be found bartering and playing music on instruments designed to emulate the sound of the wind whistling through the carcasses of dead Hives and the constant clanking of the manufactorium jungles that dot the world's floor. They also make heavy use of mimic and stealth cloaks, hoods, and pressurized helmets which allow them to fight in a variety of environments. Aeroguard forces will not hesitate to scavenge battlefields for useful components and even souvenirs, though their compliment of high powered stalker guns, bullpup autoguns and above average sensor gear are usually sufficient for their tasks. Kondrus Aeroguard also utilize a variety of launchers, such as Flamer rockets and rad munitions. While tactically and strategically nimble, Aeroguard regiments lack the capability to provide a knockout blow in a head to head fight, under performing when not augmenting a more heavy hitting or numerous force. Also, their lack of initiative in cooperating tactically with other Imperial Army troops can result in battlefield friction.
The Markian Corps
Bound in servitude to the Fifth Legion is the Markian Pact, a military alliance of five planets(and a forgeworld) to the galactic southeast of Ciban. The regiments of Karmia, Atashia, Kouralia, Lemartia, and Thenar are insignificant individually; what the Markian regiments derive their power from is combined arms and unit cohesion, utilizing versatility to attain victory. Instead of going their separate ways, the regiments raised in the Markian Pact unify into a Grand Corps consisting of artillery, infantry, armor, and light elements combined to assault a single stubborn foe. This oddity of unity is accomplished with the approval of their Astartes benefactors, who see the versatility and close ties of the Grand Corps as advantageous in planetary-scale warfare.
The Markian regiments field a variety of distinctive equipment, some of which seems to go against their intended role. From the sniper mantlet used on the frontline in siege battles, to the light but powerful mountain gun artillery in service with light infantry, Markia's forces do not take the phrase "intended role" seriously. In general, besides their specialist weapons and regiments, the Markians are Jack of all trades, master of none: their infantry, while disciplined and professional, are not trained to excel in a specific situation; their artillery gets the job done, but don't expect perfection; their armor is sufficient, but is hardly a match for dedicated tank forces; their drop regiments are simply that, without much renown, their primary feature being the airships they possess; and their mechanized regiments are good enough, but far from the best. Their specialist regiments, however, are the opposite: the mountain infantry and roughrider regiments, while rather heavily armed for their supposed role, are out of their element anywhere besides mountains and open ground; air-mobile artillery regiments are fast, but lack the fortress-busting firepower of heavy artillery; L'Infentarie de Marine regiments' vessels are useless without so much as a lake; and sapper regiments are slow and of questionable utility outside of trench warfare and sieges.
The Motroit Enforcers
Originating on one of the Imperium's great centres of cybernetics, the Enforcers are a unique solution to the Emperor's demand for tithed troops. Rather than conscript or ask for volunteers, the Motroiters take those whose bodies have been badly damaged in accidents or by disease and rebuild them into cyber-soldiers.
The Emperor's Own Narakan Corps - "Scumdogs"
Reviled as savages and blackguards throughout the Imperial Army the Narakan Corps, or "Scumdogs" as they are known informally, are nevertheless a brutally effective fighting force. The Narakans are defined by their homeworld of Naraka, a brutal deathworld hiding under the decaying façade of a hiveworld, and their subjugation by the Emperor himself. Naraka was once a glittering global metropolis, the hub of both science and industry for the small interstellar empire it was a part of but an unknown accident or attack left the world completely inhospitable. The worlds of the empire desperately sent hundreds of thousands of convicted criminals to the world in attempts to repair the damage, lest they slowly fade away without the world's capabilities. Those criminals would later welcome their persecutors as refugees when the empire began to crumble away. Generations would pass and the hive-ganger culture they inherited from their forebearers would never fade among the Narakan peoples.
When the Imperial Army finally arrived upon Naraka the elements deployed there were met with staunch resistance. Though bogged down in the twisted, crumbling ruins of hive cities and beset on all sides by mutant creatures, rogue automata, and the toxic environment no threat proved harder to overcome than the Narakan peoples themselves. They proved so difficult to subjugate that the Emperor himself landed with a contingent of Space Marines. After just 3 engagements the Narakans surrendered. They quickly grew to be among the most fervent believers in the Emperor's cause, having seen the Emperor firsthand and believing that the Emperor would require their "expert services" in his Crusade. They would carry the Emperor's short campaign on their world as a mark of pride for the rest of their history, a true testament to their mettle.
Due to their brutal and toxic homeworld, the Narakans possess unnatural physiques. Many are completely immune to all manner of toxic environments and have such durable bodies that they can forgo armour. The use of combat stimulants and biological/mechanical physical augmentation is rampant and even ritualized, the decrepit automated factories of Naraka still produce enough to supply the Corps. A few Narakan individuals have become so grotesquely large and powerful they even rival Space Marines in brute strength and hardiness.
The Corps specialize in urban warfare, guerilla warfare, and routing dug in resistance, every soldier having recieved basic training since birth. The Emperor's Own are often called in when other regiments have difficulty removing dug in threats or overcoming toxic environments. They prefer to draw out defenders with rapid strafing attacks to leave them in disarray before a final mass charge. The thunder of dropships and the howling of jetbikes were often the last thing heard by rebellious defenders as the Scumdogs descended upon them.