The Traitor General

Game 1500 points
Factions:
Tau H'Russ sept Codex tau empire
Lord Bleagh of the deathguard. Chaos Marines and Lost and the damned

The Tau H'Russ sept were sent to meet the traitor general Tensing in the ruinedminin settlement on the ash plains of the middle stuarts, a suitable ocation for a secret meeting. Unkown to the General and Shas'el Tarnera, The lords of Chaos had read the signs in he Warp. A successful deal between the Tau and the followers of the corpse god could strengthen the defences of the world and arrest its slide towards Nurgle perfection. The meeting must be stopped and General Tensing Killed or captured.

Setup
Tensing in the Center with the Tau Commander deep in negotiations. Armies deployed in Vanguard strike

By second turn, both sides had decided to execute the lord general, Chaos lord charged the general and his retinue, killing most of them, while the Tau commander, fearing the consequences of The general falling into enemy hands chose to Fire submunitions into the combat killing the remaining bodyguard. General Tensing fell to his knees begging for his life falling into the thrall of the chaos lord.

Vanadian

Vanadian lies on the half fogotten spur of the damoclese gulf transit trail, in the Three sisters subsector. It is a Civilised world, ruled by a co-regency world shared between the Mechanicum and the Imperium. General-Govenor Fostrop and Fabricator Krovius rule in a easy Du-umvirate The Vanadium system is an imperial strong point and an island of calm in a subsector drenched in blood. In the century leadin up to the recent Damoclese Crusade, many of the worlds in the three sisters subsector had sucummbe to the heretical philosopies of the Tau. Greedy govenors of the surrounding systems had fallen one by one to the false promises or outright conquest by the Tau. Vanaian stood appart, keepin true to the God Emperor. When the Crusade rolled through the subsector, Vanadium was used as a jumpoff point for Imperial operationsto cleanse the Three sisters of Tau influence. The population swelled as Imperial Guard Divisions cycled throuh the world on the way to the front. The Shipyards and star ports of the system were upgraded and fortified to cope with the huge increase in traffic.

As thecrusade faltered, the economic boom brought by its passage faltered with it. Imperil forces were pulled out to deal with Hive Fleet Behemoth, the Fleets left, and along with it much of the civilian starships which had supported it. Three sisters was left devastated by war, some worlds slippe back into the Tau sphere, many were left contested with neither side able to force a decision either way. With civilain tonnage leaving t he Subsector, the economy ws left in taters with little hope of recovery.

On Vanadian Prime, imperial citizens, much used to plenty, quickly found themselves subjected to Austerity. When Austerity became privation, the Citizens of Vanadian Prime began to protest.
Co-operation between forges began to break down. Indiviual magos started to hoard increasingly scarce resources for themselves, forges became insular, production began to suffer, there were even disturbing reports of clashes between the skittari of increasingly independant forges and even between Imperials and Mechanium.

Vanadians Troubles were only just beginning. Unknown to the du-umvirate, a small force of Tau had arrived. Invited in by the Traitor General Tenzing of the 151st division of the PDF, the Tau were there to offer aid, both eonomic and millitay to help with the generals coup.

Wilderheim

Wilderheim

Basic Data
Stat Value
Name: Wilderheim
Segmentum: Eastern Fringe (Ultima Segmentum)
Sector: Tortuga Marches
Subsector: Spinward Abyss
System: Wilderheim
Population: 1 Billion Humans (est); feral orks; Dark Eldar
Affiliation: None
Government human independent tribal
System Govenor Arch-MagosTulius Varus (In Exile)
Adept Presence None
Military Primitive tribal alliances, traders passing through the area have reported aggressive dark eldar presence of unknown size.
Trade As an imperial world the systems primary export was as an agri world. Of The two habitable worlds In the system Wilderheim IV was a fecund agriwolrd and fulfilled most of the imperial tithe. Wilderheim III supplied mostly rare earths and a small amount of manufactured goods for export and tithe.
Class: Feral World:Mining World
Tithe Grade: Adeptus Non

Summary
Beyond the writ of the Imperium, The Wilderhiem System is an independent Human world, where the Humans have regressed back beyond the space age and can now no longer travel between the two habitable worlds. The system contains one other point of interest, A Stargate to the Webway capable of delivering Eldar Ships into the Goldilocks Zone. Long ago the worlds of Wilderheim came to the attention of the Archon Azhad, a Dark Dark Eldar noble who claimed the world as a hunting preserve.


Background
Wilderheim sits far out on the fringes of the galaxy, on the edge of a spray of stars linking two spiral arms in the Damocles gulf. Beyond Wilderheim Lies the Great gulf between spiral arms where star density drops to almost nothing.

The world was first charted by a Mechanicus explorator frigate seeking a new source of mineral wealth to make the Tortuga Marches spur economically viable. Finding little of economic worth the system was marked and a small survey settlement left behind on Wilderheim III to conduct a more detailed survey of the world. Two hundred years passed before the Administratum chose to site an Agri world] colony on Wilderheim IV. At the same time work began on terra forming the mining colony of Wilderheim III. No clear explanation has been found to indicate why there was a sudden interest in the world around this time. The world was flooded with teraformer enginseers, agri-workers imported from more populous worlds of the Tortuga Reaches, and Administratum officials to oversee it all.

For three millennia Wilderheim was counted amongst the demesnes of the Emperor, but it never archived any lasting civilisation and remained a marginal frontier world. Well away from any trade route and with nothing to recommend it as a destination,slowly and inevitably, Imperial Rule eroded away. The tithe fleets became more and more infrequent, the cities were abandoned and Eventually Wilderhiem was forgotten altogether.

By the time the greater warp gate was rediscovered by the Archon Azhad of the Dark Eldar, human civilisation on both worlds had regressed to a primitive state. Tribes of techno savages roamed the wastes between the ancient ruins of cities built by the Eagle God.

The Archon Azhad annexed the former imperial domain as a hunting preserve. Ork and Human populations would be managed to supply rest easy stream of slaves for the factories and pleasure pits of Comorrogh. The Archon discovery did not go without challenge, and like a gold rush, once news leaked of the Great Gate and the wealth of unguarded souls to be had, a rush began. The Archon Azhad defended his claim vigorously against all comers.

The Dark Eldar wars were brief and vicious, inevitably the human populations of both planets suffered in the crossfire. The last vestiges of technology were lost by the human population. The archon established his palace on Wilderhiem V in the ruins of the human capital and a hunting lodge on Wilderheim III.

Habitable Bodies
System Planet name Population Class Warzone Notes
Wilderheim Wilderheim III 100 Million Human (Est) Feral World Φ-λ Yes: Eldar; Dark Eldar; Necron Lost Imperial world. Desert
Wilderheim Wilderheim IV Unknown Feral World Φ-λ Lost Imperial world.
Wilderheim Altar Templum Abysal ext103 Unknown Wilderheim III: Orbital Port Facility Yes: Eldar; Dark Eldar; Necron Feral Servitors

Normandus Prime - Imperial Agri-World

++++Sniffer Sentinal patrol, GeoMarker Epsilon 3++++
'keep moving, try to get out of the valley to get a warning to base!' Sergeant Fretis screamed down the vox.

He turned his sentinel towards the xenos skimmer that had shredded his corporals sentinal like paper. 'Feel the light of the Emperors wrath xenos scum!', and thumbed both triggers on his control yoke. The hellstrike missile shot over the skimmer. However, the lascannon shot was true to the mark and struck the green vehicle squarely in the side of the hull. Fretis moaned as the kilojoules of energy from the beam of light was simply dissipated by the alien vehicles wave shield.

The skimmers turret rotated towards Sergeant Fretis's direction. 'Oh, throne' was the last words that came out of his mouth before the turret fired.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Normandus Prime was one of the key agri-worlds supplying much needed food to the forces and citizens of the imperium during the Damacles recovery. Due to the vast amounts of food that was required, extensive de-forestation was commenced across the planet. It was during the clearing of GeoMarker Theta 12 that one of the MegaCarver vehicles struck the half buried webway gate.

A week later the Ordos Xenos arrived, and a cordon was erected around GeoMarker Theta 12.
Two weeks later a message arrived from the depths of space for the inhabitants of Normandus Prime.

'Monkeigh, you have three days to leave this planet, or your ashes will be swept away by the wind'

Four days later, the Orion class battle cruiser 'Emperors Retribution' illuminated the night sky of Normandus when its engines went critical. The Endeavor class cruiser 'Indomitable Wrath' slammed into the city of 'Calvarados', killing everything within 8 miles of the impact site. Some say that the people there were the lucky ones.

A day later the Sword wind of Autarch Tirithon struck the major capital cities 'Cherbourgania' and 'Bayeux Prime'.

Friday Night Gaming

Game XII: The Shadam AgriComplex 0827-Epsilon
 Tau vs Imperial Guard 1500pts

Another Friday Night game and another attempt at real time blogging uisng the iPhone and email functions.  I'm having to edit this again because once again the post has lost most of the text.  It seems that it chops off any text posted after the first attached photo.  Oh well, next time it'll work....

High above Praxedes IV things had just begun to heat up in Port Franxs, while on the planets surface, the war for Praxedes IV continued to rage unabated.  Imperial forces launched a sudden offensive to recapture the ruined Agricombine complex above the river Shadaut.  Cavalry elements of the 291st Death Korps, supported by attached Navy Vendetta's, struck at midday.  The assault was timed to strike just as Old Father Praxedes reached his zenith in the sky.  Three Vendetta's carrying 20 Grenadiers from 16th Company, deployed by wire line jump into the ruined Administratum building and took up positions on the first and second floors.  The Vendetta's having delivered their cargo shot back from the building in order to give long range fire support.





With the arrival of the Necrons, this sector had been quiet for months.  The arrival of the 291st in the sector, in their newly issued praxedes summer uniforms, had gone completely un noticed by the Tau.  Tau command were caught completely off guard by the sudden stroke.  There was little time for planning, they simply had to scramble any available units into the field.  The first to respond were a group of Kroot on a patrol through the area.
The Xenos approached from the south directly into the ambush zone outside the by now heavily fortified Administratum building.  They fought bravely and even managed a volley of fire before they were obliterated by fire directed by the Forward observer attached to Captain Fustus, and a hail of lasfire from the Grenadiers.

Tau commander  squad on ready reaction duty shot over the battle field  on a high arc, comming down just behind the Banewolves moving up the right flank to support the Grenadiers.  Tau technomagic allowed them to target a Vendetta with a hail of high energy beams and missiles as they came down. In the cockpit of the Vendetta, , alarms screamed and the consoles of the weapons officer lit up like a Emperor Day tree warning of a target lock.  The pilot reacted immediatly, jinking just in time to avid the worst of the fire, but it left the ship badly placed to return fire.



The Banewolves however, were left with a perfect opportunity.  They slewed around on their treads, and circled the Tau battle suits. Corrosive molecular acids spewed from the turrets of the vehicles, splashing over drones burning through seals and electronics alike, drones and suits alike sparked and burst apart as the acids reduced them.  The Tau commander was soon left standing alone and dragging a lump of mettal where his foot actuators used to be.



The Tau commander jumped from the ring of the Banewolves and fired directly up into the rear of the sill jinking Vendetta.  One ion bolt flew true a penetrarted the thin armour of the rear loading door, and continued up through the roof of the vehicle into the Jet engines shatetring the turbines within.  The Turbine came appart in an angry burst of parts and smoke, slamming the vehicle into the ground.
but the vicory was short lived and the Banewolves sun again and hosed the commander with fire.  His suit was speared by Fusion beams and stubbers, finally comming appart and melting into the rapidly deepening pool of molecular acit.

Outside the back quarter of the Administratum ruins, Tau stealth suits struck from the skies, loosing rapid fire energy beams at the squad sheltering in the rubble.  Caught completely off guard, the veterans of 2nd Squad bolted, back towards their own lines, firing as they went.  Four stealth suits went down, caught in the hail of fire from the retreating guard. 1st SQuad, still in the rafters turned to pour more fire into them and another was killed, it was enough and the stealth suits broke for their own lines.  Then Marbiov emerged from the ruins, and charged the stealth suits.  Firing into their backs as he came, they were cut down.


The Tau counter attack had failed, smashed by artillery and demo charges, the Tau fell back in dissarray. The Tau tanks only just arriving, had no-one left to support.  Turning back for their own lines, one Tau tank took a pot shot at Marbiov frying him before dissapearing out of view.

The Death of Marbiov



Reprise
The old Agricombine complex sat on a hill overlooking a bow in the the river Shadaut.  Below it, spread out for miles lay the Tau positions.  Within hours of the stuggle to capture it, the Imperium had moved in in force.  The artillery opened up all along the line following instructions directed from the combine.  Further Tau counterattacks were broken up by precision atillery before they could even get started. Soon the Tau position in the wole sector became untenable, forcing a more general withdrawl.

Imperial Victory!

Breach on Port Franxs

Port Franxes

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

• Class: Behemoth Space Port
• Constructed: 239.M38
• Location: Orbiting Praxedes IV
• Displacement: 915,500,000 Metric Tons
• Crew number: 120,000
• Scanned life signs: 238,367,904

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++Time Stamp 748.M41++++++++++++++++++++++

+++Location:Port Franxes-level 471-sub sector Theta+++

+++Fault:Power failure - segments 12-29, 53-67,89-91++

+++Maintenance crew 223 have not reported on time+++

+++Send Port Security to recover crew 223+++++++++

Those on Praxedes IV looking up, Port Franxs looks like a small distant mis-shapen moon. However, not much time is dwelt on Port Franxs, as the fighting between the Imperial forces and the Tau Empire intensifies after the arrival of new leadership for both armies.

The new High General and his retainers see Port Franxs as a vital tool in hindering and destroying the Tau forces.

Plans are made, and soon fleets of cargo ships laden with munitions, mechanicum staff, servitors and boxes marked 'confidential' are flying to Port Franxs, and the cargo ships are returning empty.

This however does not go un-missed by the H'Rus commander. Using some of his new human auxiliaries to infiltrate the command base they discover the High Generals plans and decide to send a Enforced cadre to breach the space station and intervene where they can. The Orca transport 'Heavenly Star' is retro-fitted with breaching tubes and short term Stealth shielding.

Fortune follows the Heavenly star when a unpredicted solar flare disrupts all electronics on Port Franxs allowing the Tau's approach to be undetected. However, the solar flare also disrupts the Heavenly stars nav systems causing them to veer off the targeted breaching zone by 18 kilometres, as well as disrupting or wiping all battle suit and stealth suit system software.

The Tau are forced to use the Fire Warriors and Kroot mercenaries until the tech cast could upload sofware and reboot systems.


******** TO BE FINISHED ****************

The Tau have boarded the ship and 1 Blip is

Guard player roles reserves at beginning of game to see what is already on the board on 3+. Random deployment from door section.

Doors are treated like vehicles, if move up to one and open door, movement stops. If at a door can open door and move.

Each squad has one grenade, roll scatter 1D6 as normal (range of 6"). If hits wall, stop there. Models completely under template str 4, partial str3.

Guard move random until alert by squad contacted.

Int test for squad surprised by meeting enemy. If fail test then can't move, but shoot on the spot with rifles only.
Each square is 2" move.
EVENT:

Port Franx - PorSect = investigate where tau came from.

2 Traitor Guard = lost in Franx...to be continued.
2 Main breach points for Tau.Can PortSec.

Dawn breaks... Battle XI

Shas'O Tyrnax had been warned that Necrons were in the area - as a result, he took the precaution of deploying heavier combat units in partols around key sensor and defence assets.

Thus it was that in the dark gloom of pre-dawn, the BlackSun filtered view of a combat patrol detected the dreaded metallic glint of ancient, slow moving and menacingly purposeful bodies of a Necron force.


Wilkinson: H'Rus Expeditionary Force (Tau)
Nandoo: Necron
Result: Tau victory